Clean Your Sewing Machine with Our Bag of Hacks.
Our technician and store manager, Leigh Anne, created an amazing product for you that she calls, The Grome's Bag of Hacks. As a technician, she sees, literally all the time, machines with super packed lint in the bobbin case area. A little maintenance can go a long way, which is why she put together this kit full of useful little tools to keep your machine going strong.
In the video below, Leigh Anne takes a moment to cutely explain each of the tools she put in your Bag of Hacks Kit and shows you how to use them.
Three Brushes You Need
Are you using Q-tips to clean your bobbin case area in your machine? Surprisingly, that is a big no-no! When you use a q-tip to clean your machine, those little fibers get stuck on all of those small burrs that are in the metal of your machine, and instead of cleaning your machine, you're creating little mini places for your machine to hiccup and cause larger problems down the road.
In our bag of hacks, we have 3 cleaning brushes that are a must have to help you keep your machine in tip top order! The first brush looks a little like a mascara wand, but we promise this odd brush is perfect for scooping up all of those giant clumps of lint and fuzz balls that have accumulated in your machine from all the quilting we know you do! This is especially useful after sewing materials like minky and flannel.
After you get out the majority of the big lumps you'll want to grab the hoop shaped brush which has a soft fuzzy tip to help "dust" the bobbin case area as well as the threading areas of your machine. If you have a longarm machine or a multineedle embroidery machine, this brush will be your best friend. It's long handle makes it the perfect length to reach all the way into your bobbin case area without having to bend all the way down below your machine.
After you've dusted your machine with the hoop brush, you'll want to grab the brush that doesn't look like a brush at all, but it is! That tiny little tip is a microfiber tip that will grab those tiny little dust particles that are stuck to the littlest of burrs in your bobbin case area. If you've been cleaning your machine with a q-tip, this will pull up all those tiny little fibers and help to keep your bobbin case and hooks moving smoothly. We recommend that you use Zoom Spout Sewing Machine Oil. All you need is one drop in the center of your bobbin case; just turn your handwheel a couple times and you're good!
Just A Useful Tool
The next item in the bag kind of resembles a toothpick, but this little wooden stick is the best most versatile tool. You can use it like a stiletto and use the pointy end to help your stitches, hems, embroidery, or use it to help turn projects right side out. The fat end is perfect for when you have thick seams, binding corners you need to hold down, or smoothing out lumps and bumps in our quilting or embroidery.
Getting Rid of Burrs
Is your thread getting hung up in your bobbin case area and skipping stitches every now and then? You may have a burr in your bobbin case. When you pull out the piece your bobbin sits in, you'll be able to access the area the thread pulls around, and if there are little tiny knicks in the metal, it is possible that the thread could stick to it and cause your stitches to look a little funky. The sooner you get those burrs fixed, the less likely it is to disrupt the function of your machine. We're all about avoiding broken needles; that feeling is simply the worst! To help avoid further problems, turn off your machine and unplug it, take the little file in your Bag of Hacks, and rub a screwdriver along the metal until you feel that little burr. (That hook in there is very sharp, so please be careful!) Where the burr is, take the file and file the metal down until the bump is gone. This is a great preventative measure that will help you from having to buy an additional bobbin case sooner than you wanted to.
The Best Organizing Hack
The last item in our Bag of Hacks is the slapstick bracelet. This nifty little tool is the best for keeping rolls of stabilizer together neatly. It's perfect for slapping on any roll of fabric material, and the smooth and flat texture makes it perfect for all your labelling needs. You'll never have to wonder what stabilizer is what ever again!
Where to Get It?
Currently, Grome's Bag of Hacks is packed FREE with every online notions & fabric orders, and available at Events and Quilt Shows that Grome's does.
*Please note: No tool in Grome's Bag of Hacks is a replacement for a full service on your machine. If you're an active sewist, we recommend bringing in your machine at least once a year for a good tune-up. These tools are perfect to help you keep your machine in it's best condition by removing built up lint, dust, and helping you avoid additional costs by running your machine at it's best ability.
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Written by: Hannah Brook
Published May 10, 2023