Storing a Sewing Machine the Right Way (Weeks to Years)
Storage decides more sewing machine repairs than stitching ever does. Here is how to store a machine for a weekend, a season, or a year, and how to wake it…
Amit Sisodia
Amit Sisodia is a longtime sewing enthusiast and hobbyist repair tinkerer who has spent years diagnosing tension quirks, jammed bobbins, and stubborn feed dogs across everything from vintage treadle Singers to modern computerized machines. He writes practical, tested guides for BobbinWise so home sewists can spot problems early, tackle safe repairs themselves, and know when it's smarter to call in a technician.
Published guides
Latest from this author
Motor Runs but the Needle Does Not Move
The motor hums, the light is on, and the needle will not budge. Most of the time the fix costs nothing and takes less time than threading the machine.
The $150 Repair vs the $180 New Machine Problem
A $150 repair quote and a $180 new machine listing look thirty dollars apart, but they almost never buy the same thing. Here is how to tell which one your…
Drop-In Bobbin Tension: What You Can and Cannot Adjust
Top loading machines hide the bobbin tension under a clear plate on purpose. Here is what the design lets you change, what the factory intends, and where the real problem…
Bernina Service Costs: What Owners Should Expect and Budget
A Bernina service quote can run double what a mainstream brand charges, and the reason is not padding. Here is what actually drives the cost, and how to budget for…
Thread Shredding at the Needle: Causes and Cures
Thread that frays into fuzz before it parts is pointing at abrasion, not tension. Learn to read the fuzz, find the rough spot, and stop the shredding for good.
The Check Spring: Small Part, Big Tension Trouble
Meet the take-up check spring, the tiny wire arm beside your tension discs that causes skipped stitches, random loops, and thread breakage when it wears out.
Uneven Stitches: When Length and Spacing Go Wandering
Stitch lengths that wander tell on themselves. Random variation, a repeating rhythm, tiny stitches at bumps, and sideways drift each point to a different fault with a different five minute…
How Often Should You Change a Sewing Machine Needle?
The rule of thumb is 8-10 hours of stitching, confirmed fast by three simple checks that beat guessing by a calendar. Here is the exact schedule, the wear tests, and…
Needle Hitting the Bobbin Case: Find the Contact Point
A metallic tick under the plate is not random noise. It comes from one of six places where the needle can touch metal, and each one leaves its own clue…
Juki TL Series Quirks Every Owner Should Know
The Juki TL-2000Qi, TL-2010Q, and TL-18QVP are semi industrial machines with a devoted quilting following, and their quirks come straight from that industrial heritage. Here is the oiling habit, thread…
Buying a Used Sewing Machine Without Getting Burned
The used market hides the best deals and the worst disasters on the very same folding table. This is the ten minute test, in order, that tells you which one…