We service all brands and models of machines.

Kent Sechrest is our full time Lead technician. His schedule changes, but he is normally in Enid on Mondays and Wednesdays. Wichita on Thursday and Fridays and travels to Newkirk and Mcalester once a month. Call for an appointment to get your machine serviced the same day, and to find out his schedule.

We also Sharpen Scissors.

We are very thankful to have Kent Sechrest serving with us repairing and servicing machines that need a little bit of care. Kent is the former owner of Stillwater Sewing & Vacuum, the Viking dealership in Stillwater. He attended the “Flag Ship” Gold Star Training becoming one of only less than 60 technicians achieving this certification. Having completed the rigorous service training and intensive written and machine repair examinations required, Kent became a member of the prestigious Viking Gold Star Service Program on April 13^th, 2005. He is the only Gold Star certified technician in Oklahoma. Needles and Notions will now be able to provide the highest level of sewing machine service in the country and is the only authorized Husqvarna Viking dealer in Northwest Oklahoma. He is fully qualified to service all brands and models of machines and brings 19 years of sewing machine service with him.

 Additionally, during Pfaff Convention in San Francisco August 2006, Kent passed Pfaff's rigorous testing to become a  Pfaff "Technical Advantage" Certified technician. Technical Advantage is Pfaff's Highest Service Certification. He achieved this by taking written tests by diagnosing and repairing intentionally altered machines, proving he can provide the highest level of service.

Kent is an excellent tech and we are very pleased to have him serving with us.

For more information stop by or call the Shoppe at 580-237-5920. You can also email Kent

Kent with his Gold Star Certification.

Kent's Hints

Allow me to share some things about sewing machines that might help you.

Updates

Check your update. These are the current computerized machines software versions: We will update your machine for you at no charge.

Husqvarna Viking:

Pfaff:

2056/2054	02.02.01
2058	03.01.08
2140/2144/2170	01.05.07
Creative Vision CV update sheet   CVupdate instructions	14278 (added 8/13/08)

Surge Protectors/Power Conditioners

I recommend a good quality surge protector for your sewing machine. But that's not all, even better is a power conditioner. A power conditioner protects your sensitive electronics from  low voltage and high voltage fluctuations. A low voltage power condition is called brown. Brown outs can be just as harmful to our sensitive electronics as power surges. Line conditioners will reduce voltage spikes and their strength to do that is rated in joules, the more joules the better the protection. We now carry the power conditioner that Pfaff and Viking supplies to us that meets Pfaff's stringent requirements to protect our machines. Although we don't expect you to need it our power conditioners come with an insurance policy that if anything ever was damaged by lightening that was plugged into them. 

How Often should I service my sewing machine?

I get that question a lot. The answer lies in 2 factors, time and usage. You have to be the judge of whether or not your machines need to be serviced. I'll try to give you some ideas to help you keep your beloved equipment in top running condition.

Heavy user? If you use your machine every day, you are a heavy user. You should be able to perform basic lint removal, feed dog, bobbin case, hook area and needle bar area cleanings daily. If you have a more complex machine like most newer top quality brands, they aren't made to be disassembled and oiled by the user, they need someone experienced to take the machine apart. Now, just because the owners manual doesn't show you where to oil the machine doesn't mean the machine does not use oil. All sewing machines use oil. However the newer machines of today use special bearings, called sintered bushings that hold oil and don't need daily oiling, however, with time and use that oil dissipates and needs to be replenished. Heavy users need to have their machine serviced at least every six months. If you are that person , You really don't need me to tell you that because you already are in more often because issues are arising more frequently due to heavy use.

What's a closet machine? It's a machine that spends all it's time in the closet. Is that your machine? If so, the oil in the machine still needs to be replenished even though the machine is not being used. At the very bare minimum every three years, Machines that aren't frequently used and are not kept serviced, can seize up and cease working. Many times the damage is irreversible, or very time consuming (read expensive) to reverse.

Most sewers fall somewhere between a heavy user and a closet machine owner. The average sewer should probably have their machine serviced annually to keep their machine in top working order. A dirty machine can experience excessive wear. A machine with too little lubrication also will begin to stitch poorly and wear out prematurely. 

How about my embroidery unit, should it be serviced too? Actually, embroidery units are said by manufacturers to not need regular servicing. Now if your embroidery unit has a specific problem, we need to address it. But after you have 250 hours of embroidery on an embroidery unit, I recommend having it serviced. I do readjust the belt tensions that loosen with use and the gears get dry and need lubrication as well as clean out lint, thread and other foreign material that does work it's way into the embroidery unit..

Please feel free to email me if you have a question about your machine's needs.

(more hints to be added)