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Neil Hess and his son Nathan navigate through settings on a Brother PR-600.
FORT LORAMIE - For amateur crafters and professional sewers and quilters alike, sewing machines tell a story. If tragedy strikes and a machine needs fixing in the Grand Lake area, a local man is there to save the day - and ultimately the work in progress.
Neil Hess, with the help of his family, repairs sewing machines, which started as a hobby and since evolved to a quasi-business inside the family home.
Customers drop their broken sewing machines off at craft stores. Hess will pick them up, repair them, and bring them back to the shop, where the customer will then collect them. He works with the Quilterie in Celina, Nancy's Fancys Sewing Corner in Richmond, Indiana, and Grandma-N-Me Quiltin in Portland, Indiana. He has also repaired sewing machines for home economics classes at Coldwater Exempted Village Schools and in Liberty, Indiana.
Hess has been repairing machines for 11 years, but it first started as a general interest in sewing and quilting.
"I guess the whole thing started when we went to an antique shop, and we saw a quilt and I said, 'I can do that,' and she said, 'No, you can't,'" Hess said, nudging his wife, Marsha, with a laugh. "So, anyway, I kind of got into sewing, then quilting."
Marsha, Nathan and Neil Hess all work in the sewing machine repair business.
Hess frequently visited Linda's Sew 'n So, a craft store that has since closed. Linda and Dave Huston owned the business, which has now become Made Apparel, and retired to Florida.
"It got to a point where they're getting up there in age, and it'd be nice to figure out how to fix my own stuff," Hess said. "I took classes there, learning how to sew. I started to watch Dave fix machines, so he was kind of my mentor. I started working for him."
Dave Huston taught Hess the ins and outs by repairing the older machines first.
Now, he sees machines from the 1930s to ones made in the last few years. Those machines can range from $100 to $12,000 machines, he said. In a week, he normally services eight machines, which takes about two hours per job. He's fixed as many as 15 machines in a week.
Neil Hess points to typical problem areas that need repair on a graphic of a sewing machine.
When a customer drops their machine off, they will fill out an order card, noting what they think is wrong. When Hess turns the machine on, he will listen for other issues and sometimes finds things along the way.
Most of the issues he addresses are maintenance-related, usually meaning they're user-related and just need a tune-up.
"One of the big misconceptions is that the company says they're maintenance-free," he said. "Technically, they're not, because you still got all these parts and stuff inside that need to be oiled, you got all these moving parts. I recommend every six months to a year, depending on how often you use it."
If a crafty user doesn't maintain the upkeep, the machines usually collect dirt and dust. Hess will also typically notice if the machine is out of time and needs recalibration, or that there are frayed strings inside the body, dulling needles, or that the bearings inside the machine are stiff.
Sewing machines are perfectly timed so that the needle's upward movement is synchronized with the rotating hook, allowing the hook to catch the thread loop just above the eye of the needle. If the machine is out of time, it will skip stitches and the thread can catch and jam.
Lubricating the interior parts is also a critical part of Hess' process for maintaining a well-oiled machine.
Neil Hess repairs a Singer sewing machine at his home in Fort Loramie.
"Older machines have an internal metal frame," he said. "They cheapened machines up now for like Walmart or Joann. They won't put this frame in here, so everything's all supported with the outer shell. In turn, you get a lot of wear on all the bearings and stuff. If you don't keep your upkeep, the bearings get dry and the whole machine will seize up."
Hess and his son, Nathan, service Janome, Brother and Singer machines.
The older machines, usually Singer, from the 1930s to the '60s are in a way easier to work on because there are no technical components, Hess said. As such, the machines are cheaper.
The newer sewing and embroidery machines can range in cost from $1,000 to $15,000. Because the machine is so advanced, it is capable of more stitches and design work.
The type of machine required depends on the person and their need, Hess said.
For example, someone who uses their sewing machines as a hobbyist will probably lean toward the older, less expensive machines. They are heavier because they are made out of metal, simpler to use, easier to fix and can handle tougher fabric. The machines also usually do a straight or zigzag stitch; they need oiling and are clunkier to handle but can last longer.
Someone who is serious about the craft and wants to put in the time and money will usually pick the newer, more advanced machines. They are capable of dozens of stitches and are more tech-advanced. Some machines have a tablet screen for easy viewing. The embroidery machines are self-automatic, meaning the user has to just push a button and the machine will spit out the pre-designed pattern. Because the machine is lighter, the plastic body can wear on the metal parts. The lifespan for the newer machines also is only about 12 years, because the parts are constantly evolving, he said.
Neil Hess oils the gears inside a sewing machine.
Hess said he has been seeing newer machines because some stores have a flat $75 bench fee that goes directly to Hess. If the machine is past saving, some customers cut their losses instead of paying the fee that might or might not cover the machine.
Like all businesses, each job and each day are different. Some machines are easy fixes, while others take more time.
Nathan Hess, who works as an electrician, recounted one of the wildest jobs he helped his dad with.
A woman who lived in Indiana brought her machine from England and wanted it converted to American electric.
"Over in England, they run 240V instead of 110V, so when they plugged in their machine with an adapter, their motor only ran at half speed and it was taking forever for them to sew," Nathan said. "I had to take the motor out, put a new motor in and then rewire the plug to get it to 110V. There's a motherboard and a power board. The power board ended up being universal for 110V or 240V, so I was able to just change out the plug and go from there."
The hardest job for him was grounding a machine, an older Singer, where the cord was shot.
"The lady had it in a wooden cabinet, and the lady wanted to have it grounded, so I had to run a while ground wire back to the plug," he said. "I had to rewire those plugs; that way it would have a standard ground plug."
Neil Hess said he enjoys what he does because he can figure out how things work, fix the issue and then see the customer's joy.
When a customer drops their machine off, Neil is aware that there is a level of trust in which they have faith in him in caring for what is, many times, a family heirloom.
"Right before Christmas, the serious quilters will know that they will be off on Christmas and they'll have … a machine in Florida and come back and want their machine, their baby, (repaired), Marsha Hess said. "Some of them have names on them. They name their machines and put stickers on them. He (Neil) gets a lot of notes once in a while, saying what's wrong with the machine and make sure to take care of Birdie or whatever they name it. Some of them get it (repairs) done every year and will say, 'It's time for her spa day.'"
The job satisfaction also extends to small businesses.
"This way, we're actually helping the small sewing machine businesses out, because now (customers are) going into the stores to get their sewing machine repaired," Nathan said. "They go to the store twice, and then they walk around, (maybe) buying something."
For questions about sewing machine problems or Hess' service, call 937-638-5554 or email hess.sewing.center@gmail.com.
