If Your Sewing Machine Isn't Working, Check These Common Issues

A sewing machine is a fantastically useful thing to own, but too often sewing machines end up languishing in a closet because something wasn't working quite right the last time you tried to use it. Fortunately, a lot of common sewing machine glitches are things you can fix yourself in just a few minutes.

Let's do a quick checkup of your machine, and you may be able to get it running smoothly again without a trip to the repair shop. Once you get a sense of where the problem seems to be, there are tons of tutorials and blogs out there that will walk you through specific fixes on your model of machine. And always remember to look up the manual for your machine! Every model has its own controls, and quirks.

Adjust the thread and bobbin tension

If the thread keeps bunching up or if the stitching just looks wrong, chances are something's too tight. A standard sewing machine uses two threads: one that unwinds from a spool on top of the machine and goes through the needle, and one that comes from a tiny spool, called the bobbin, underneath (it often looks something like these). When the machine is adjusted correctly, these two threads wrap around each other to create each stitch.

If one of those two threads is tighter than the other, it can pull the resulting stitch out of whack. For example, if the bottom of your fabric looks like one tight thread with a bunch of loose little loops running around it, either your bobbin thread is too tight or your top thread is too loose.

So check both threads. Did you run the top thread through all the places it's supposed to go when you were threading the machine? Did you load the bobbin correctly? If those both seem okay, check the tension settings for both threads. The top thread will have a tension selector-often a knob on the front of the machine. The bobbin thread's tension is usually adjusted with a screw on the bobbin case (righty-tighty, lefty-loosey). Your machine probably came with a tiny screwdriver that fits; if not, consider picking up a sewing machine repair kit.

Check your needle

For a needle to sew smoothly, it has to be straight, sharp (unless you're choosing to use a ballpoint needle) and installed correctly. Check that the needle is not bent, and replace it if you can't remember when you last changed it. One side of the needle is flat where you attach it to the machine; usually that side should be toward the back, but it depends on your machine. When in doubt, check the manual.

Different fabrics require different needles, so make sure you're using the correct one. (If the machine keeps skipping stitches, there's a good chance you're using the wrong needle.) Machine needles come in different sizes, and some are sharp while others are ballpoint. It's hard to tell just from looking at a needle which kind you have, so check the package it came from. It's a good idea to keep a variety of needles on hand--maybe grab a variety pack like this one--so you can try a different size or type when troubleshooting.

Make sure the settings will allow you to sew

If the machine won't sew at all, you probably forgot to flip a switch somewhere. First, check the obvious things: is it turned on? Is the pedal connected? Is the presser foot down?

If the machine hums and whirs but the needle doesn't move, you may have your bobbin winder turned on. This is a feature that lets the machine's motor wind a bobbin for you instead of sewing, and it deactivates the whole sewing apparatus while you do that. On a modern machine, look for a switch to flip. On an older machine, you may need to turn the wheel that's inside of the hand wheel on the side of the machine.

If the needle moves up and down but the fabric doesn't feed through the machine, check the feed dogs. These are the spiky bars underneath the needle that move to slide the fabric along as you sew it. There's a switch that turns them off; you may have hit it accidentally, so just turn it back on. The feed mechanism also relies on the presser foot providing an appropriate amount of pressure, so check that setting as well, and make sure you're not trying to stuff too many layers of fabric through at the same time.

Actually clean the darn thing

There are always more things to check (again: read your machine's manual!) but we've been through the big ones. One final thing to consider: If the machine is working more or less okay, but just acts a little weird sometimes, clean it! Open up the bobbin case and any other area that's reasonably accessible, brush out the lint, and apply a few drops of machine oil as the manual instructs. (By the way, "sewing machine oil" is mineral oil; it's not WD-40.) A cleaning kit with brushes and tweezers may come in handy.