Now I know what to call it......
 

...the lint in the feed dog area! This article is great. I laughed until I cried when I got to that part! Hope you enjoy it...:o

http://www.nationalquilterscircle.co...hine-10-steps/

Years ago when I was just learning on my moms straight stitch, I found the felt-like-rug and thought it was supposed to be there. Guess maybe she did too because she never removed hers. Maybe she thought it was a protection of some kind.lol

LOL from me too. I did the exact same thing years and years ago, before I knew anything quilting related. I brought home a straight stitch black Singer, and absent mindedly started oiling and cleaning and found one of those things in the feed dogs, and wondered "why don't all machines have this protective stuff in them"......I guess I'll have to go out to my sewing room and check all my old Singers to see if I ever came back to it and cleaned it up.

Wow, that is a lot of fluff. My fluff never gets larger than dust bunny size, so I call them dust bunnies.

I know what you mean.....I started sewing at age 10, and I don't remember ever seeing my mom clean our machine or have it serviced. And we replaced a needle when it broke, and I didn't know any better until I started embroidering by machine (before I started quilting). I think that is how it was with my mom too. I need to go down to see if her machine needs cleaning today, and I know her bobbin winder doesn't work anymore. I need to check that out too..... Is there ever enough hours in the day?

great reminder... I think my machine is due for a cleaning. Thanks for sharing this tute.

Something similar happened to me when I was about 12, My mother said I couldn't use the SM until it was oiled. Soooo I proceeded got the manual out n read, removed all "dust bunny's/felt like rugs from under the feed dog plate and oiled anything that moved. Gears looked a little dry so dad gave me some grease he used for farm implements. When MOM got home she about had kittens. I didn't know any better AND I WANTED TO SEW. The next time she used the SM it worked better than ever. She forgave me. We continued to use tractor grease on that old machine until she traded it for a T&S.

I had about 12 years of feed dog felt on my machine and never knew I was supposed to clean my machine. So I got a new machine. When I learned you were to clean it, I took the old one in and it works like a dream. I'm up to 3 machines now, but no feed dog felt in any of them. I'm so glad I'm not alone in what I thought. I don't feel so silly now.

Me too, klgreene. I really thought that was supposed to be there for some specific purpose, and if I admitted that I removed the faceplate, that I was in trouble.

Sap, I love it....I can just picture all that greasy goop on the gears and innards of that machine! No wonder your mom was mad! So glad it turned out to be good though.....:)