Terms of use
Read these before you take a screwdriver to a machine.
Stitch Manual publishes general maintenance and troubleshooting information for home sewing machines and sergers. By using the site you accept these terms.
Working on your machine is at your own risk
Unplug the machine before you clean it, oil it, change a needle, remove the needle plate or adjust anything. Needles and hooks are sharp and moving parts can pinch. Follow your own machine's instruction book where it differs from anything here; machines vary between production years and regional versions, and the maker's book for your serial number is the final word.
Hook timing, needle bar height and similar adjustments change how the machine forms a stitch. If you are not confident, stop and take the machine to a sewing machine technician. Adjusting a machine that is under warranty may affect that warranty.
Electrical work is excluded
Nothing on this site tells you how to repair cords, plugs, motors, foot controls or circuit boards, and nothing here should be read that way. If wiring is cracked, crumbling or bare, do not use the machine until a technician has rewired it.
Accuracy
We take part numbers, needle systems and procedures from manufacturer documents and established parts sellers, and we correct errors when told. We cannot promise every page is free of mistakes or that a part listed will fit every variant of a model. Check a part number against your machine before you buy.
Limitation of liability
To the extent the law allows, Stitch Manual is not liable for damage to a machine, injury, or loss arising from use of this information. The site is provided as is, without warranties.
Trademarks
Singer, Featherweight, Slant-o-Matic, Brother, Janome and Juki are trademarks of their owners. We use them only to identify machines. We are not affiliated with any of them.
Our content
The text and drawings on this site are ours. You may print a page for your own use at the sewing table. Please do not republish it elsewhere without asking at hello@stitchmanual.com.
Last updated October 9, 2026.