New Information On Sewing Machine Maintenance

       I do the bare minimum when it comes to sewing machine maintenance.  None of my sewing machines are under warranty so I don't take my machines in for service unless they are truly broken.  I really good about cleaning out the lint in the feed dog and bobbin area after a big project and I will change my needle pretty often, but I don't oil anything on my computerized machines unless it's specifically mentioned in the owner's manual.   The other morning I went on the internet looking for information on oiling my Martha, Bernina 1530.  I found this youtube video on how to clean and oil a Bernina (not specifically a Bernina 1530) but a really good video and super helpful.

Link to video on how to clean and oil your Bernina sewing machine.

      I had about 15 minutes before I had to leave for work so I did a little maintenance on Martha.  I took my feed dog plate off, my needle out, and my bobbin assembly apart, brushed out all the lint, oiled the hook, and replaced my needle.  The video recommends you oil your hook every 3 to 5 bobbins.  I usually change my needle and do a full clean out about every 8 hours of sewing, but I never knew that I should oil my hook.  I did notice that after I oiled the hook, the machine seemed to run quieter and smoother.  It might be wishful thinking, but I think Martha is a little happier these days.  

Just What I Need, More Organization

      I found another area of my life that needs a tiny bit of organization.  I will be keeping a car maintenance diary of all my car repairs for my new 2015 Kia Soul that I purchased last August.  I usually just keep my receipts in a file in date order for the current car I own and I keep those receipts for as long as I own that vehicle.

    I would love a place where I could look at the maintenance history at a glance instead of digging through receipts, so I am going to keep a diary for my maintenance on this car on the computer.  I will create a document in Notepad showing the date, cost, description, and where the maintenance was performed.  I will also make a note of the reason for the maintenance, i.e., routine or collision.  I normally have all my routine maintenance performed at the dealership so that's an easy one.

    Yesterday I had car maintenance done in the parking lot of my work address which was pretty cool.  I had to have the windshield replaced on my new baby because there was a big crack in it.  I heard something hit it last Friday while I was out running errands at lunch.  The crack showed up on Saturday .  I called the insurance company getting the paperwork started for having it replaced on Saturday afternoon.  I live in a state that has free windshield replacement as long as you carry comprehensive insurance on your vehicle.  My insurance company uses Safelite to do this work and Safelite has a mobile unit.  They will come to your work place to do the work in the parking lot so you don't lose any work time.  It's a neat service, the only drawback to this is that the weather has to be clear, they don't do this work in the rain, unless you have access to a parking garage or a covered area.  I was worried because I woke up to rain this morning, but it cleared up about an hour before Safelite was due to arrive.  Boy, was I lucky today.

   I'm starting my car maintenance diary now.