I received a question about sewing machine maintenance and thought I would post a couple tips.
How often does one oil their sewing machine?
If you have a front load bobbin machine, most recommend putting a drop of oil in the hook race after every 8 hours of sewing. one tip is to be sure to only use a one or two drops. If you use too much, it will darken your thread and it also can make your thread tension look unappealing, because your thread becomes goopy and discolored.
Some machines have an oil light that will come on every 250,000 stitches or so. This is the minimum amount of stitches, and then you should oil the machine. First oil the machine and then press the clear button to reset the oil light.
If you have a drop in bobbin style machine - oil is not so important on a plastic bobbin case. It is however, more important to keep the lint cleaned out of the bobbin area. Do this by taking the needle plate off, remove the bobbin case, and vacuum out the lint. You also could use an air duster. When you put your bobbin case back in make sure it is setting in the proper place so when you tighten the needle plate the bobbin case is not damaged.
What about machine servicing?
All manufactures recommend getting your machine serviced at a shop once a year. It's like changing the oil in your car every 3,000 miles, it adds more years to the life of your machine, and prevents any unwanted malfunctions or frustrations. This will keep both you and your machine happy as you create your new projects.