You can use them to hang pictures, use them to hold your fabric on your wall, you can use them for lots of things. GG

Eddie, be sure to also remove the unit the bobbin sits IN. You'll find more compact lint in there to vacuum. Yes, these things do require a vacuuming on a regular basis. Thanks for the reminder.

I use a pipe cleaner to clean out my bobbin. The lint seems to cling to it. I don't have a small vacuum. Maybe I should put that on my birthday list?!

ditto--We used the air briefly until we heard the same as above. I usually clean mine each time I change the bobbin. On the quilting machine, I give a quick cleaning with each change, then a thorough cleaning when I finish the quilt.

Eddie,
I have had my michine for years, and every time I have to rewind my bobbin, I clean out my bobbin area. When I took my machine in for cleaning, and oiling, the man told me it was the cleanest machine he had ever seen. He said it only had two pieces of lent in it. I felt pretty good, lol. :D Pauline

I keep my little brush nex to my spare bobbin box and clean everytime I change or refill a bobbin. I oil around once a week; I also clean after machne quilting - batting makes more lint than regular fabric. And I change needles after quilting with poly batting which blunts like nothing else!

Don't I sound good? I have to add that this is only since I got my new (to me) machine. The old one had the same needle in for ten years and used to get it's bobbin race blown into once in a blue moon if it was lucky! :oops: :lol:

I had the same thing happen after I had taken a FMQ class. I might
add that I had been using Coats and Clark thread. My teacher said
that it was made of short lengths of thread unlike the more expensive
threads. Since that time, I use better thread and haven't had the
problem again.

Back in the early 1980's I bought a sewing machine at a yard sale . I thought cool it's only $20.00 ! Had a scrap of fabric under the needle where someone had sewed on it . Took it home , plugged it in . Nothing would move ! Crap ! Took the throatplate off and my god what a mess was in there . Pieces of thread , thread wrapped around the bobbin shuttle. But I started cleaning this out and a couple hours later . I kid you not a half a paper lunch sack full of lint and thread pieces ! Some of it was so compacted that it had gotten hard . After that a good oiling and it worked fine for a few more years . Also changed the needle . Annie

Well Eddie - it sounds like you got a few of us checking our machines :). I usually do my when it's acting up--maybe now I won't wait that long. :) :)

my machines are young-uns compared to many, but I am a real believer in prevention is worth a pound of cure! thanks for the heads up, and the convincing picture! :D

I had my old Pfaff do that several years ago. I didn't know that I needed to clean under the throat plate and one day it was lifted up and wouldn't sit right and I was baffled at why. Until I figured out how to remove the throat plate. I almost had a blanket under there. I am much better at cleaning up around the bobbin now with my Bernina. I give it a quick swipe after each bobbin and a really good brushing out every 5 or 6.