Free Sewing Machine Fix-It Chart (PDF)
Two pages to keep beside your sewing machine: what to try, in order, when it skips, nests, jams or breaks thread - and which needle and thread to use for each fabric.
Download the free PDF 2 pages, US Letter, prints well in colour or black and white. No sign-up.
What is on the chart
Page 1, the Fix-It Chart, covers the ten problems home sewists meet most: skipped stitches, a nest of thread under the fabric, breaking thread, breaking needles, a bobbin thread that will not come up, fabric that will not feed, puckered seams, loops on top, a jammed handwheel and a noisy machine. Each has three fixes in the order to try them - cheapest and most likely first - and a note on when the problem needs a service shop.
Page 2, the Needle & Thread Cheat Sheet, gives the needle size and type, the thread and the stitch length for ten fabric groups, from chiffon to leather, plus the stitch lengths for seams, topstitching and basting.
Want it interactive? The Sewing Machine Doctor shows the same fixes on a 3D machine you can turn, and the Needle & Thread Finder draws the needle and fabric to scale.
Questions
Is the sewing machine chart really free?
Yes. Download it, print it and keep it by your machine. It is free for personal use; please link to this page rather than re-uploading the file.
Will it fit my sewing machine brand?
The fixes are the general order most sewing machine manuals give, so they suit Brother, Singer, Janome, Juki and most other home machines. Where your own manual says something different for your model, follow the manual.
Can I print it in black and white?
Yes. The chart uses dark headings and numbered steps, so it reads clearly on a black-and-white printer too.