Remember this solution

Here's a new one for you. I noticed that my SM would hang when I was doing
FM. Not constantly, just every few miles, and not a crisis; raising the
needle and giving a little yank would free it up without harm to the
stitches. I asked our Irene if she thought there could be a burr on the
feeddogs.
Wow. What a woman. Irene has only 80 SMs or so and I figured she'd
encountered every SM problem there was. She suggested I study the needle
plate for a rough spot and told me how to harmlessly smooth it.
Much to our surprise, DH and I discovered that both of my Berninas have
what I'd guess we'd call a defect at the hole where the needle enters the
throat plate. Both of them. At Irene's suggestion, a lot of gentle sanding
with a slightly modified manicure emery board took care of the problem.
I rarely break a needle, not even yearly, but if you are a member of
the group that does, check the needleplate for a rough spot occasionally.
Easy to smooth and annoying during FM. Polly

On Feb 18, 9:06 am, "Polly Esther" wrote:
Here's a new one for you. I noticed that my SM would hang when I was doing
FM. Not constantly, just every few miles, and not a crisis; raising the
needle and giving a little yank would free it up without harm to the
stitches. I asked our Irene if she thought there could be a burr on the
feeddogs.
Wow. What a woman. Irene has only 80 SMs or so and I figured she'd
encountered every SM problem there was. She suggested I study the needle
plate for a rough spot and told me how to harmlessly smooth it.
Much to our surprise, DH and I discovered that both of my Berninas have
what I'd guess we'd call a defect at the hole where the needle enters the
throat plate. Both of them. At Irene's suggestion, a lot of gentle sanding
with a slightly modified manicure emery board took care of the problem.
I rarely break a needle, not even yearly, but if you are a member of
the group that does, check the needleplate for a rough spot occasionally.
Easy to smooth and annoying during FM. Polly

Hi Polly - I bought a couple of sheets of Emery fabric from Nancy's
Notions to use for this purpose. It can be scissor trimmed to the
needle-plate hole size and because it is fabric it can be moulded to
smooth around the sides of the hole at the same time. I have also
used it to buff a slightly used machine needle to extend its sewing
life.
Another maintenance reminder: it might be time to give your acrylic
rulers an oiling to rejuvenate them.
jennellh (change the mail to news)

I've been successful in replacing the worn off lines on my favorite rulers
but never heard about giving them a bit of oil. What's that about? Also,
is there any sort of TLC for cutting mats? Polly

"jennellh" wrote Hi Polly - I bought a couple of sheets of Emery fabric
from Nancy's
Notions to use for this purpose. It can be scissor trimmed to the
needle-plate hole size and because it is fabric it can be moulded to
smooth around the sides of the hole at the same time. I have also
used it to buff a slightly used machine needle to extend its sewing
life.
Another maintenance reminder: it might be time to give your acrylic
rulers an oiling to rejuvenate them.
jennellh (change the mail to news)

On Feb 18, 11:25 am, "Polly Esther"
wrote:
I've been successful in replacing the worn off lines on my favorite rulers
but never heard about giving them a bit of oil. What's that about? Also,
is there any sort of TLC for cutting mats? Polly

"jennellh" wrote Hi Polly - I bought a couple of sheets of Emery fabric
from Nancy's



Notions to use for this purpose. It can be scissor trimmed to the
needle-plate hole size and because it is fabric it can be moulded to
smooth around the sides of the hole at the same time. I have also
used it to buff a slightly used machine needle to extend its sewing
life.
Another maintenance reminder: it might be time to give your acrylic
rulers an oiling to rejuvenate them.
jennellh (change the mail to news)- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I use a couple drops of sewing machine oil and rub all surfaces
(including the edges) of my rulers gently with flannelette scraps then
buff to dry with kleenex. They really shine again and all the grime
is gone. The material that the rulers are made from is petro-chemical
in nature and the oil is the perfect cleaning solution for them plus
small scratches are also disguised. For those who may think that the
oil might be harmful to fabrics later - it is not, providing that the
ruler is completely dried off before use.
As far as cutting mats go - I have used styrofoam packing chips (toe
separators) sometimes to remove embedded lint - also the stone product
which is sold for this purpose. I don't ever rotary cut batting and I
rarely work with flannelette so I haven't experimented with other
household items for the care and restoration of my mats. I shall have
to do some more research and get back to you. I have been able to
remove lint from a mat almost immediately using my thumb tip before
the self-healing aspect closes the cut in the mat.

jennellh (change the mail to news)

Thanks for the tip, Polly!
--
Michelle in NV
http://community.webshots.com/user/desert_quilter

"Polly Esther" wrote in message
...
Here's a new one for you. I noticed that my SM would hang when I was
doing FM. Not constantly, just every few miles, and not a crisis;
raising the needle and giving a little yank would free it up without harm
to the stitches. I asked our Irene if she thought there could be a burr
on the feeddogs.
Wow. What a woman. Irene has only 80 SMs or so and I figured she'd
encountered every SM problem there was. She suggested I study the needle
plate for a rough spot and told me how to harmlessly smooth it.
Much to our surprise, DH and I discovered that both of my Berninas have
what I'd guess we'd call a defect at the hole where the needle enters the
throat plate. Both of them. At Irene's suggestion, a lot of gentle
sanding with a slightly modified manicure emery board took care of the
problem.
I rarely break a needle, not even yearly, but if you are a member of
the group that does, check the needleplate for a rough spot occasionally.
Easy to smooth and annoying during FM. Polly