Dust Bunnies

Sara's mention of thread nests reminded me that it is time to clean the dust bunnies that collect in the bobbin area of my sewing machine. My machine is a Singer 403 from the 1960s which means it is entirely mechanical...no computer components. In fact all of my machines are 1960s or older. Nary a new machine in the house. That means that I can take them apart, clean and oil, and have them up and running again within a half hour.

In the case of dust bunnies...there really is no preventative. I've tried cheap threads and expensive threads. All accumulate lint in the bobbin area to one degree or another. I notice that especially when I am machine quilting for the needle is punching down through two layers of fabric as well as a cotton batt and you know that every time it takes a downward punch, it drags along with it minute quantities of lint.

I generally like to check for lint every time I change the bobbin but I will admit there are many times when I am too lazy and think "next time".

So tonight I'm showing you how I clean out that lint. A small artist's brush will "catch" the lint and drag it out of the nooks and crannies of the machine's innards. Once I have it as clean as the brush will get it, I'll sometimes take a can of pressurized air and give it a squirt. I probably wouldn't do that if I had a newer machine that has areas that I myself cannot access...tiny bits of lint might not be healthy to the computerized gizmos, for instance.

Ooops! Gotta go. Have my machine clean. Have a new bobbin in. And I'm ready to make another log cabin block.