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Who invented Spring Cleaning? Well, there are many cultures that lay claim to that, Hebrew, Iranian, Chinese. Where ever it came from, it does make sense. Could the reason so many cultures have rituals and celebrations that incorporate spring cleaning be that this is the best time of year for it? With the warmer temperatures and longer days it’s good to refresh our homes. Throw open the windows and hang washed linens outside in the breezy sunshine to dry. And let’s not forget our quilting space. Whether you have a quilting studio, a sewing room, or a corner of the family room, it’s time to do a little Spring Cleaning Quilting Style. This easy checklist will help you get it done in a snap!
1. Tidy up.
I’m not going to tell you who’s studio this is. Just tidy up. Put things away. Organize. Find a place for the things you love. Discard things that don’t bring you joy.
Wait! Everything sewing related brings me joy. Even my seam ripper collection. This might be harder than I first thought.
2. Vacuum
Vacuum everything! Quilting creates huge amounts of lint and dust. Dig out those accessories for your vacuum cleaner and get in all the nooks and crannies, your longarm frame, table and tracks, your wheels. You’ll also want to take your machine off the carriage and flip the carriage over. There are small spaces where lint can accumulate under there too. While it’s upside-down, examine the carriage wheels. Check for stray threads wrapped around the wheels. Take out the bobbin case and vacuum out the bobbin area. Take the throat plate off and vacuum under there. (You can do this on your domestic machine too!) You’ll need a small screwdriver.
3. Microfiber cloths
Wipe all horizontal surfaces with these. Table, tracks, top of machine, cone holder, bed of machine. Then hold a cloth against each of your wheels and move the machine back and forth. You will be surprised by the build up of compressed lint that you will clean away. (By the way you should clean your wheels regularly, not just once a year! I clean for each new quilt.)
While doing this, take a close look at your wheels to see if there are any threads wrapped around them. Both sets, on the machine and on the carriage.
Wipe the fingerprints from your display and Pro-Stitcher tablet.
No cleaning solutions or potions are needed for any of this. Just a microfiber cloth.
4. Organize your tools
I use the HQ Tool Tray. It sits atop a small bookshelf at the end of my frame. I want all the tools I use on the daily handy and accessible. Take a few minutes to organize things and weed out the things you aren’t using.
5. Schedule a “spa day”.
For your longarm machine. Check when the last maintenance was done on your machine, then give your HQ retailer a call. If you don’t know who that is, you can find one here. Handi Quilter’s recommendation is to have your machine serviced once every 2 years or 10 million stitches which ever comes first. This will keep your machine in tip-top running condition.
6. Schedule a quilting day.
For you! After all that hard work, you deserve a little fun!
Are you in for Spring Cleaning Quilt Style? Please share your organizing tips in the comments. We are in desperate need!
Quilt Every Day!
by Mary Beth Krapil
How do I find how many stitches my machine has or how many since the last service?
Janet, it depends on which machine you have. You can find that information in your user guide. If you don’t have a copy, you can find the user guide for your machine online at https://handiquilter.com/manuals/
How do you pull threads out of the wheels that are under the carriage? I always wipe my table before quilting but threads still get wrapped around those wheels. I’m not sure where they come from or how to prevent it from happening.
Teresa, lift your machine off the carriage. It’s a good idea to have a friend help and do it as a team. Set it down on the frame. Flip your carriage and you’ll have easy access to the wheels. It’s a good idea to do this occasionally even if you can’t see anything on the wheels. Lint can hide between the wheels and accumulate over time.
Fro prevention, be sure to snip all loose threads on the back and front of the quilt top before loading onto the frame. And be sure your backing is free of loose threads and fraying edges. While quilting, when you snip thread tails be sure to have a place to collect those threads where they won’t get a chance to get wound around your wheels. Some quilters use a piece of batting on ther shoulder, some have attached a paper cup or coffee filter to the machine to collect those threads. I simply have a little bin on the floor at both ends of my machine.