How do I change a sewing machine needle?

Two minutes, and the two mistakes people make are both easy to avoid.

The method. Raise the needle to its highest point with the handwheel. Lower the presser foot — it steadies things and stops the needle disappearing into the machine. Loosen the needle clamp screw, usually by hand or with the small screwdriver supplied. Remove the old needle. Insert the new one and push it all the way up until it stops. Tighten the clamp firmly.

Mistake one: not pushed fully up. A needle sitting even half a millimetre low changes its relationship to the hook and produces skipped stitches. Push until it physically stops.

Mistake two: the wrong way round. Domestic needles have a flat side on the shank. On the great majority of machines the flat faces the back. Check your manual — a needle in backwards will not stitch at all.

Two habits worth having. Put a scrap of folded paper or fabric over the needle plate hole while you work, so a dropped needle cannot fall into the machine. And dispose of old needles in a sealed container rather than a bin.

And change it at the start of every project, not when it breaks. It is the cheapest maintenance there is.