SEWING SAFELY
*Always sew at a speed you are comfortable with. Use a speed adapter, if your machine has one, to keep the speed at an appropriate level.
*To prevent injury, ALWAYS turn the machine off when you are adjusting or changing the needle or the presser foot, or when you are threading the machine or adjusting or inserting the bobbin.
*At all times when the machine is stitching, fingers should be at a safe distance on either side of the presser foot (approximately 2cm) and NOT directly in front of the needle or presser foot. This is particularly important when using certain feet e.g. a zipper foot, where the needle is more accessible.
*Use the ‘needle up/needle down’ function, where appropriate, if your machine has one.
*Let the machine ‘feed dogs’ move the fabric – don’t force the fabric through the machine.
*Take your foot off the pedal AS SOON AS you stop sewing, every time. This will prevent you from unintentionally starting stitching, which could cause damage to your project or injury to yourself or others.
*Always keep cords untangled and out of the way to avoid a trip hazard.
*Turn the sewing machine off at the side switch before it is unplugged.
*Always cover your machine after use.
*Do not sew with bent or broken needles in your machine.
*Change your sewing machine needle regularly – check your machine manual for guidance.
*Place all pins and needles in a pin cushion when not using them and when you are pinning patterns or fabric adopt an ‘in – out – in’ method to prevent pricking your fingers.
*Don’t sew over pins – stop and remove the pins just before you reach them with the machine needle.
*Consider the direction of your pins when pinning fabric for machine stitching, so that pin heads are facing toward you during stitching, so that they can easily be removed, reducing the risk of fingers getting caught by the needle.
*At the end of your project double check to make sure all pins have been removed.
*Irons used for pressing sewn items and seams etc should be used with care to prevent injury and should always be unplugged when not in use.
*Always leave scissors closed and far from the edge of the table, to prevent them falling and causing injury
*Always cut in the direction away from your body.
*To avoid injury from dropped sharp items, wear closed toe shoes.