If you have a large family and want to keep your clothing bill under control, then you may like to look after everything as carefully as possible. You want to take care of any loose threads, small tears or adjustments so that each item can stand the test of time, and you may also want to create other clothing items by yourself to give you some additional options. In order to do this as efficiently as possible, you use a trusty sewing machine and all the accessories, but you've recently run into problems and are not sure what may be going wrong. Could your issues be associated with one of the key parts of the sewing machine, and if so, what should you do?

Feed Dogs

A sewing machine is, of course, designed to make life a lot easier by applying the stitches efficiently while the fabric is fed through. It relies on several moving parts, but perhaps the most important parts are the feed dogs. These are part of the drop feed mechanism that moves back and forth and helps to position the fabric so that the stitches can be inserted properly. They are composed of several metal bars with diagonal teeth that help to pull or feed the fabric as the stitches are laid down, and whenever things are working properly, each stitch will be in the ideal position, and work can continue apace.

Uneven Stitches

However, you may have noticed that stitches are out of place and the seams are distorted. While there could be several reasons for this, it is most likely caused by feed dogs that are not working properly. The first thing that you should do is to check that you have the right thread for the job and see that the tension levels are adjusted correctly. If these look okay, then you may have to repair or replace the feed dogs.

Sticking Fabric

Alternatively, you may find that the fabric seems to be sticking and does not draw through the machine evenly. Once again, you will need to look at the feed dogs and see whether the teeth are still grabbing the fabric correctly and feeding evenly. It may help to clean out any lint from around the feed area, but otherwise, you should think about repairing or replacing the feed dogs and trying the whole project again.

Repair Time

If it's been some time since you've conducted sewing machine maintenance, then you should take action to do so. The technician will be able to have a look at the feed dogs and all the other components and adjust as necessary.

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