Recently, I had to take a short break from my longarm quilting. Just like your car, it was only for a few hours, while my local Handiquilter technician, Joe, performed routine maintenance. Instead of every 3 months or 5,000 miles, my longarm needs maintenance every 24-months or 10,000,000 stitches. I put about two million stitches a quarter on my machine. If you figure a stitch length of 12 stitches in an inch, that is almost 2.6 miles of quilting each quarter a few inches at a time.

When Joe had my machine open, I couldn’t resist taking a look. He showed me the bearings that needed to be oiled. Apparently, some machines have sealed bearings – like my Viking. Sealed bearings do not need oiling. Others need special oil and grease to keep them running smoothly. In addition to oiling and greasing, they clean the machine and make sure that all of the parts are intact and working properly.

It is really fascinating to see the inside of the machine to understand how it works. I am glad I had the opportunity.

How often your machine needs maintenance? Does it need maintenance? Do you know?

Happy Quilting!

Laureen