Bernie Tobisch - Sewing Machine Reference Tool

Publisher: Amy Barrett-Daffin

Creative Director: Gailen Runge

Acquisitions Editor/Editorial Compiler: Roxane Cerda

Managing Editor: Liz Aneloski

Editor: Lynn Koolish

Technical Editor: Debbie Rodgers

Cover/Book Designer: April Mostek

Production Coordinator: Tim Manibusan

Production Editor: Jennifer Warren

Photography by Bernie Tobisch, unless otherwise noted below

Author photo by Milton Taylor of Imagery Photography on cover

Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my wife, Shelley, who has been there through thick and thin. Its not easy living and working with someone, and she has managed to stick with me. Her patience, her enthusiasm, her work ethic, and her rose-colored goggles have been an immeasurable help to me. Im looking forward to the next twenty years of adventure!

Thank you also to our great clientele. You have become family, and I appreciate your support more than I can say!

To all the shop owners with whom its been my pleasure to work, thank you.

Last but definitely not least, to Glen Zoerb, who hired me into this business and taught me a thing or two, my heartfelt thanks!

Introduction

I have been a sewing machine technician for 42 years and have enjoyed every minute of it. I couldnt have found a better career to match my personality and skill set. I have had the opportunity to work on every kind of sewing machine from 200-needle mattress quilters to the latest household computerized embroidery machines.

For the last 20 years, my focus has been on household machines. Along with my wife, Shelley, I have taught many hundreds of classes. She teaches the techniques, and I relate them to the sewing machine. This has worked very well and has been a lot of fun for us.

Over the years, I have come to understand and appreciate that most sewists have a very strong relationship with their sewing machine. The connection is not like one with a toaster, microwave oven, or dishwasher. This is much more personal. Ive heard it said that in a fire, the sewing machine would be the first item to be saved. I have seen this relationship be the source of much joy and the cause of many tears.

In our many classes, I have started to see myself as somewhat of a relationship counselor and always do my best to reestablish trust and understanding. But at times where there were irreconcilable differences between sewist and machine, I have also had to facilitate separation and divorce.

My goal with this book is to help you gain a better understanding of your sewing machineits needs and what it is trying to communicate to you.

I hope that this new understanding will allow you and your machine to become best friends. I have tried to include enough styles of sewing machine so you find one that is similar to yours; but as always, the manual that came with your machine should be the final authority. If you dont have a manual, many manufacturers have downloads available from their websites.

About the Author

Bernie Tobisch was born in Germany and moved to Canada as a young boy. He grew up in Saskatchewan and moved to Alberta in his early twenties, where he began his career as a sewing machine technician with Singer. He became a dealer after a few years and continued to service machines. In the late 1980s, he moved to the Vancouver region, opened up shop, and has been there since. He has a daughter, Bonnie, and son, Gord. He also has one grandson, Dylan, whom he thinks would make a great technician!

Bernie is happily married to his wife, Shelley. They met in the sewing machine business and have worked together for the past 20 years teaching classes on precision piecing, machine quilting, and getting to know your sewing machine. He also still services sewing machines.

Bernie enjoys sailing and fishing, and if he ever retires, he would love to sail off into the sunset to repair his boat in exotic locations!

Troubleshooting Guide

Tension in the Relationship

Bad tension can ruin any relationship. You are trying to sew a simple seam and are getting a nest of thread under the fabric. You might be using two colors of thread, and you are seeing the bobbin thread being pulled to the top of the fabric. Last week, when you were working on this project, the tension was perfect. What is your machine trying to tell you today?

Your expectations are not being met, and that is frustrating. The key is knowing what you are dealing with. Is the machine misbehaving, or is this simply a misunderstanding?

Lets explore how tension mechanisms work.

TOP TENSION

The top tension mechanism is actually a very simple thing. It really doesnt want to give you any grief, and it rarely does.

Basically, two metal discs provide the tension on the top thread. On one side, a spring regulates the amount of pressure to the thread. In the photo, I am using two pie plates to symbolize the metal discs. My hand on one side represents the spring. The harder I push, the more tension there is.

Tension discs

That spring is controlled by a dial or, in the case of some computerized sewing machines, by the computer itself. Increasing the number increases the amount of pressure on the thread. Decreasing the number lessens the amount of pressure on the thread. The control dial can be found on top of the machine on some brands and on the front of the machine on others. On older machines, you might find the dial on the left side. On machines where the tension is controlled by the computer, there will be an icon on screen that allows adjustment when touched. Your instruction manual will indicate where the tension control is for your machine.