5 Tips & Tricks for Sewing Machines

We've partnered with Bill's Sewing Machine Company to help you maximize productivity in five how-to sewing videos. Watch as our longtime partner and friend, industrial sewing mechanic Johnny Bentley, guides you through the basics.

This video series covers helpful tips and best practices for industrial sewing machine users so they can maximize productivity across their machine’s lifetime. While demonstrations in the videos are on a JUKI LU-1508NH Extra Heavy Duty sewing machine, what is shown will translate for many industrial sewing machines including long arm sewing machines and brands like Consew, Janome, Pfaff, Yamata, Brother sewing machines, and others. These videos can also be of help to users of quilting machines, embroidery machines, lockstitch sewing machines, and sergers.

Before we get started, a few basic tips: Make sure you're familiar with your machine manual. Always use good quality thread that's right for your project. Know what type of needle you need as well as what needle size is the correct size for your project.

Here's how to care for your machine and identify and address common sewing machine problems. For additional guidance, canvas sewing basics, and professional tricks of the trade, view our comprehensive Sewing Guide.



Video 1: Terminology, Lubrication, & Fundamentals

This video goes over the most common machine parts of an industrial sewing machine including the needle thread adjustment, torsion spring, thread guide, needle bar, thread guide, presser foot, stitch length indicator, the reverse lever, the feed belt, hand wheel, and more.

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    Video 1 Transcript
    • Hi, my name is Johnny Bentley and I am an industrial sewing machine mechanic with Bill’s Sewing Machine Company. I have experience writing and developing programs for industrial sewing machines. I will be sharing helpful tips and best practices for your sewing machine to help you maximize your productivity in the lifetime of your machine.
    • Let’s talk about some of the common parts of the sewing machine. The parts of the sewing machine that make sure you have smooth stitches are…The Needle Thread Adjustment, which is gonna be down here, right on the front of the machine. You have a Check Spring or Torsion Spring Adjustment that can be made, but at this point we’re just going to point out that this is the spring itself.
    • Then we have Thread Guides throughout the machine. Those thread guides need to be threaded correctly, just as the manufacturer recommends. Then we’ll have the Needle Bar Thread Guide which is actually at the very tip of the needle bar. That is going to be threaded as well, it’s got a job to do there, to keep thread in line with the needle.
    • We have an Inner and Outer Presser Foot, and those two guys have a job to do too. The one that’s on the inside is the closest to the operator. The one on the outside is further away from the operator. The operation of the tension adjustments is gonna be mostly done on the Needle Thread Adjustment. Then we have the Stitch Length Indicator on the right side. The smaller the number on the indicator knob, will give you a short stitch, and the bigger number on the indicator knob will give you a longer stitch.
    • And then right next to that is a Reverse Lever, and that Reverse Lever is to reverse the direction of the sewing in case you need to put a back tack in your product. And then of course behind this belt cover, we have a Feed Belt that actually drives the sewing machine. And then you turn the Hand Wheel to give yourself the needle position needed accordingly.
    • Thank you for watching, I hope you learned something new today. If you have additional questions, please reach out to your Trivantage sales rep.

Video 2: Safety Clutch & Hook Timing

Learn basic troubleshooting and how to re-engage the clutch on an industrial sewing machine in this video. Your industrial sewing machine clutch releases to prevent damage to the machine parts when something malfunctions. Troubleshooting tips include: checking to make sure you have the correct needle; checking to see if you have a broken needle, a wrong size needle, or a misfed needle-threader; checking for tangles in the thread line; checking the needle plate; checking for lint buildup in the throat plate or bobbin case; checking the bobbin area for problems with the bobbin or bobbin thread. There is plenty of DIY sewing machine troubleshooting that can be done before calling a technician.

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    Video 2 Transcript
    • Hi, my name is Johnny Bentley and I am an industrial sewing machine mechanic with Bill’s Sewing Machine Company. I have 44 years of experience with industrial sewing machines. I am excited to discuss best practices for your sewing machine to help you maximize your productivity in the lifetime of your machine.
    • When it comes to triaging industrial sewing machine malfunctions, there are five key components to look at before you call a certified sewing machine technician:
      1. Is the machine threaded correctly?
      2. Is the needle inserted correctly?
      3. Is the needle the correct size for the material we are sewing?
      4. Is the bobbin placed in the machine correctly?
      5. Has the safety clutch been tripped?
    • So let’s talk Safety Clutches. Industrial sewing machines have a built-in safety feature designed to disengage the machine to ensure the operator does not damage important working parts of the sewing machine, such as the rotary hook here.
    • Before calling a certified technician, you want to check the safety clutch. When the safety clutch has been disengaged, it’ll continue to feed material however it will not develop the correct stitches that you need to complete your project. Once this happens, here is how to re-engage the safety clutch:
    • You take your left index finger, pressing it on the silver button here in the bed of the machine, and you want to turn the hand wheel in the reverse direction, the clockwise direction, until you feel your finger go down into this cog, and then once that happens you’re gonna hear a CLICK sound. That ensures that you have engaged your safety clutch. So now when we have put the safety clutch in-time, we need to sew off the machine and make sure that we have taken care of the correct problem.
    • If the machine is still skipping stitches, or only feeding the material, you could have problems with hook timing. Setting the hook timing can be a bigger challenge than it seems to someone who is not familiar with hook timing of their machine. In conclusion, when you get in a bind with your machine, remember to check the Five Key Components which are…
      1. Is the machine threaded correctly?
      2. Is the needle inserted correctly?
      3. Is the needle the correct size for the material we are sewing?
      4. Is the bobbin placed in the machine correctly?
      5. Has the safety clutch been tripped?
    • If this does not resolve your current issues, call us, we will be glad to assist you in keeping you in stitches. Thank you for watching! I am Johnny with Bill’s Sewing Machine Company. If you have additional questions please reach out to your Trivantage sales rep or customer care team.

Video 3: Needle, Threading, & Bobbin

This video goes over the most common machine parts of an industrial sewing machine including the needle thread adjustment, torsion spring, thread guide, needle bar, thread guide, presser foot, stitch length indicator, the reverse lever, the feed belt, hand wheel, and more.

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    Video 3 Transcript
    • Hi, my name is Johnny Bentley and I am an industrial sewing machine mechanic with Bill’s Sewing Machine Company. I have experience writing and developing programs for industrial sewing machines. I will be sharing helpful tips & best practices for your sewing machine to help you maximize your productivity in the lifetime of your machine.
    • When it comes to triaging industrial sewing machine malfunctions, there are five key components to look at before you call a certified sewing machine technician:
      1. Is the machine threaded correctly?
      2. Is the needle inserted correctly?
      3. Is the needle the correct size for the material we are sewing?
      4. Is the bobbin placed in the machine correctly?
      5. Has the safety clutch been tripped?
    • Let’s talk about proper needle placement and size, proper machine threading, and bobbin placement:
      • The Needle
        • We have six points to this needle: the Shank (1), Shaft (2), Thread Groove (3), Scarf (4), Point (5), and the Eye of the Needle (6).
      • Installation of the Needle
        • The scarf needs to go to the inside on this machine. We’ll install this needle here into the machine. I’m going to maintain the scarf to the inside, and we’re gonna secure the screw and tighten it up, and that’s it.
      • Thread Placement and Proper Usage of the Thread Stand
        • The thread stand is very crucial. You’d want this not to happen in your sewing room - if the thread is misaligned you can cause problems with your machine not stitching correctly. This needs to be directly underneath the spool of thread being used.
        • You never want to take and switch this thread over here to this side. You always want to maintain the thread underneath the eyelets that you’re using, always. What we’re gonna do is thread the machine now at this point.
      • Threading the Machine
        • I’m gonna try to hit every eyelet as the manufacturer recommends. If you miss part of the threading of this machine, it can cause the machine to malfunction, poor stitch quality, needle-thread breakage, and possibly breaking a needle.
        • Improper cutting or trimming of the thread can cause a problem as well. As you start your new seam, you’d want to trim the excess thread after you start, that way all of this thread cannot get caught in the hook assembly and cause problems.
      • Winding a Bobbin
        • Take your bobbin and install it on the bobbin winder and you would want to take your thread off your thread tension there. Wind it around your bobbin, activate your bobbin, and while you’re sewing you can be winding your bobbin, keeping that going.
        • Now size and compatibility of the bobbin cases going into the hook assembly - You’ll find this is the hook from this machine right here. If you try to put a smaller bobbin, this is not correct, you just want to use the correct bobbin for this particular machine and this happens to be the correct bobbin that snaps in place and stays together.
    • Those are the needle, thread, and bobbin components. Check before you call a service technician, make sure it’s correct. Thank you for watching, I hope you learned something new today, if you have additional questions, please reach out to your Trivantage sales rep.

Video 4: Do You Have the Right Machine for Your Project?

It’s important to choose the correct sewing machine for the type of fabric you are using. This video describes three basic types of industrial sewing machines: a drop-feed machine for lightweight sewing, a needle-feed sewing machine for medium to heavyweight fabrics including light upholstery, and a heavy-duty compound walking-foot industrial sewing machine for thick fabrics, heavy upholstery, and leather. Whether you need a single needle-feed machine or a heavy-duty sewing machine, this video will help you pick the right one.

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    Video 4 Transcript
    • Hi my name is Johnny Bentley and I am an industrial sewing machine mechanic with Bill’s Sewing Machine Company. I have 44 years of experience with industrial sewing machines. I am excited to discuss best practices for your sewing machine to help you maximize your productivity in the lifetime of your sewing machine.
    • In the industrial sewing machine industry, there are three basic types of sewing machines to choose from. Determining the right sewing machine for your business will ensure less mechanical breakdown, increased productivity, and help produce a better end product.
    • You have a drop-feed machine, which is a lively machine used in sewing apparel & garments such as lingerie, lightweight upholstery, and masks.
    • You have a needle-feed machine, like this Juki 1541S, a medium to heavy weight machine which is used for heavier materials such as canvas, upholstery, automotive, and awnings.
    • Finally you have a compound walking-foot machine like this Juke 1508. This is a heavy weight machine designed to handle multiple layers of leather, canvas, and upholstery fabrics.
    • The industry that you are in will determine the type of machine you need to fulfill your customer’s orders. If you need help determining the appropriate machine for your business, contact your Trivantage sales representative.

Video 5: Basic Cleaning and Machine Maintenance

This video covers basic cleaning and maintenance of industrial sewing machines, using a Juki as a model. Keeping sewing machine parts clean and well maintained will extend the life of the machine and allow a user’s industrial sewing machine to operate more efficiently. Tips and tricks include how to clean the rotary hook area with canned air or compressed air, check the oil pan area, keeping the sewing machine lubricated and oiled with both yellow oil and clear oil, monitoring oil reserves, applying type A sewing machine grease to the rock frame area, and more.

Trivantage is your one-stop shop for specialty fabric and hardware. From marine fabric to upholstery fabric and hardware, we have what you need for all your indoor and outdoor projects.

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    Video 5 Transcript
    • Hi my name is Johnny Bentley and I am an industrial sewing machine mechanic with Bill’s Sewing Machine Company. I have 44 years of experience with industrial sewing machines. I am excited to discuss best practices for your sewing machine to help you maximize your productivity and the lifetime of your machine.
    • Let’s talk about basic cleaning & maintenance of a sewing machine. It is important to allow your machine to operate more efficiently. Here are some areas of cleaning:
    • The rotary hook area needs to be cleaned every day. You want to clean the assembly with either canned air or compressed air that you may have.You’d want to take your needle plate off to be able to clean underneath the presser foot as well.You also have an oil pan in the bottom of the machine. You’d want to kinda clear this area with a paper towel and just kinda keep everything nice and clean. Pretty much at the end of every shift you’ll want to do this.
    • So let’s talk about maintenance and why it’s important. You need to oil and lubricate your machine for best performance. We have two types of oil here. We have a yellow oil which we use in the top of the machine, where these red dots are, and also where shafts meet bushings.
    • We have a clear oil here that we use in these oil wells that we use in the top of the machine. Also we maintain an oil level in a reservoir here at the bottom side of the machine. We want to continue monitoring that each and every day, so you should check the yellow oil about every 8 hours. Also, you’d want to monitor the oil reservoirs at least every 8 hours as well, just to maintain the oil levels. If you have machines that have been sitting for several days without activity, you’d want to check those levels before you start your sewing machine for the next job.
    • So we also have sewing machine grease that applies to this machine here. It is a Type A grease, and this grease should be applied every 3 to 4 months. We use that in this area around the rock frame area here and we do that each and every 3 or 4 months.
    • Thank you for watching! I am Johnny with Bill’s Sewing Machine Company. If you have additional questions please reach out to your trivantage sales rep or customer care team.