Sewing Maintenance Tips

[MartySews2]

Most of us (if not all) know that it is important to keep your sewing machines and sergers (if you have one) clean by doing that task at the end of each project. But, how many of us take time to clean our scissors and seam rippers? I have found that cleaning my scissors is just as important as cleaning my machines. It keeps them sharper longer and reduces wear and tear on them. The way that I do it is to open them and at the joining screw, add a drop of clear sewing machine oil on both sides. Then using a kleenex, wipe the around the area to remove any excess oil. On the underside of the screw is a little half moon (only way that I know to describe) when the scissors are fully opened. Wipe that "half moon" over and over to remove any built up residue. Our scissors get a lot of wear from fabric, fibers and sizing. I rarely sharpen my scissors because I have found that if they are sharpened too often, the blade is worn down from the friction of the sharpener. For my seam rippers, I use a soft cloth and a drop of clear sewing machine oil to wipe them down. Like scissors, they can get dull from the threads, the fabric and frequent usage. Just a sewing tip.
Marty