Virtual sewing machine service training for the home sewist
DIY Modern Sewing
Machine Maintenance
for Self-Sufficiency
for Hobby
for Side Business
RYC is for you if:
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You own one more modern sewing machines (generally 1980+ in age) and would like to learn to safely remove the covers to clean, lubricate, and keep it in optimal working condition to extend its life
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Are tired of driving long distances for someone to care for your machine properly, or even finding someone that can service your machine
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Don't like to be without your machines while they're being serviced
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Want to save money by learning to handle routine services on your own, at home, at your convenience
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Are building a side business or retirement income by offering your services to your friends, family, and community
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You like the idea of building your skills in a charitable manner and helping others in your community.
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You like a challenge and have a thirst for knowledge and building new skills.
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$249one time fee
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One-time payment, NOT a recurring fee!
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Access to all modules and information FOR LIFE!
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All upgrades, improvements, and expansions included!
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Discounted consultation options for diagnosis and repair!
IMPORTANT - Please note that this program...
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is VIRTUAL - you can learn from anywhere, and there are no in-person classes.
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covers all modern machines*, whether mechanical or computerized. "Modern" is generally 1980 or later, but "vintage" machines with computers and electronics (i.e. Bernina 1130) can be included. If in doubt, contact us first.
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is a MAINTENANCE program, NOT a repair program. This program will not repair a broken machine or address timing or other issues.
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only covers home domestic machines - no commercial, industrial, chain stitch, sergers, over lockers, blind hemmers, multi-needle/upright embroidery machines, or longarm quilting machines.
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*excludes machines with advanced features, such as cameras, projectors, or voice command systems. Some examples of machines we will not cover specifically include: Viking Epic series, Brother Luminaire and Stellaire, Babylock Solaris and Altair, Janome M7 and M17, Pfaff Creative Icon series, Bernina 4, 5, 7, or 8 series. You can use what you learn in this program to maintain these machines, but the risk of damage or issues is much higher with these machines, and I will not offer any specific instruction or guidance on these machines.
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There are no refunds or exchanges, all purchases are final. If you are unsure about your machine, please email me first
Remove Your Covers
Learn at home - no travel.
Learn at your own pace, on YOUR schedule.
LIVE expert assistance and community support for life.
You’ve been tempted to take the covers off your sewing machine, to see what’s in there, haven’t you? I bet some of you have even tried it when something was going on with your machine and you were sure you could figure it out if you could just get inside.
I know, because some of you HAVE done it, then brought it to me to put back together.
Before I was servicing machines, I had to have my machine serviced, too.
And I hated it. I hated it for the same reasons you do – giving up my machine for the standard 6 weeks at most places (if you’re lucky!) really sucks. It costs money, and while necessary to keep your machine in good condition, it just feels… well, who wouldn’t want to spend that money on fabric instead? It has always felt like you should only have to part with your beloved only when something is really wrong, right?
Since Hancock’s closed, countless numbers of small towns in rural America have lost the one and only independent service shop they had. Furthermore, the quarantine era from Covid put so much strain on the community that many technicians retired and left the industry for good. We have less technicians available now than ever.
That means many, many people have to drive hours to find someone to handle their routine service, which means time, money, travel, and, did I mention losing your machine for weeks or months?
Actual customer machine from the Sewing Doc professional service shop
In most cases, machines really just need cleaning and lubrication to keep them in tip-top working condition. Yes, they often need timing and other minor adjustments, but in truth, most just need cleaning and lubrication.
Can you imagine having the knowledge, ability, and guidance to take the covers off, clean it out, check your computer connections, and lubricate it yourself? At your convenience? In your own home? At 5 in the evening or 3 in the morning? And only take it in when something is actually wrong?
THE INDUSTRY HATES ME FOR THIS.
But this is something that weighs on me constantly. From the bottom of my heart, I truly believe in empowering people to do things they are capable of, and with the right knowledge, I KNOW this is something you can do as well.
As you may know, the Sewing Doc Academy is something very important to me. It is geared toward hobbyists that want the knowledge of fixing and restoring machines, but also for those interested in a side business or retirement income.
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But the Remove Your Covers program… this is for everyone.
This series is meant to teach home sewists how to clean and lubricate their machines to keep them running, extend their life, and stay armed with more knowledge to avoid spending time and money unnecessarily.
I’m not implying that dealers are trying to pull one over on you, per se, I’m saying that this industry has been working one way for an eternity, and that way is not at all designed in your favor. The less knowledge you have, the more power they keep. Let’s work on shifting this paradigm together.
LEARN THE SDOCS METHOD
The exact same procedures we use every single day in our professional service shop
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Proper chemical cleaners, materials, lubricants, and tools needed to maintain machines
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How to safely and correctly remove the covers from modern machines without damaging computer boards or electronics or breaking any parts
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How to remove lint, debris, threads, lubricant build up and anything else from inside the machine
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How to lubricate properly, for those machines that need it, and how to know when and where
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Common or known issues with various brands and models (i.e. machine seizes completely)
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How to put the covers back on the machine
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How to test sew and balance tension correctly
This workshop covers most* modern HOME DOMESTIC sewing machines. You can use it to learn to clean and lubricate any number of machines without limit. In some cases, you may have a machine that isn't already covered in our material - in that case, we will assist you personally to make sure you know how to safely get into, clean, and lubricate your machine.
This workshop does NOT cover sergers, commercial/industrial machines, embroidery-specific components, chain stitch machines, or any specialty machines. If you are unsure if this is the right workshop for you, please feel free to email us with your machine brand, model, and any questions we can answer.
What do I get in this program?!
LIFETIME ACCESS
On-demand learning library
This is the starting point in learning how to properly clean, lubricate and keep machines going. Our library lays out basics and common practices that walk you through our SDOCS method while learning skills but also becomes a reference for you when you need it. New videos and expanded learning material are constantly being added.
Quarterly LIVE (starting in January 2023)
We will host a LIVE cleaning and lubrication of a modern machine and you'll be able to ask questions in real-time as you learn to remove the covers of your machine and do it yourself. Replays of these sessions will be available as well as an archive of all previous sessions.
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Business Tools on-demand library
Here you will find all of the forms, documents, and business-building information that took my business from hobby to sole income over the last 13 years. I share all of my successes, and failures, and guide you in building your own side business or retirement income. In the future, this will NOT be included, it will be a separate, paid membership to guide you through starting and building your own service-based business.
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Goal Setting Survey
When you first enroll in the program, we'll ask you to complete a short survey to have a better understanding of what you'd like to accomplish and make a plan for the best route to get there. This helps us to know how to best guide you to meet your goals.
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One-on-One Consultation (at reduced cost)
Occasionally, you may find a need to work with us one-on-one on a specific machine or issue. Normally our consultation prices start at $49, but we offer a reduced rate of $15-25 for a 30-minute session depending on the nature of the call.
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Facebook & Other Private Group
While we are in the test phase of this program over the next few months, we will have a private Facebook group and community group on our private service where we can communicate and offer guidance. Once the test phase of this program ends, these groups will be closed.
$249one time fee
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One-time payment, NOT a recurring fee!
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Access to all modules and information FOR LIFE!
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All upgrades, improvements, and expansions included!
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Discounted consultation options for diagnosis and repair!
2-Payment Plan Available!!
Here's the big secret: with some guidance and direction, YOU can clean and lubricate your machine yourself… and for most machines, this is all they'll ever need unless something breaks or timing needs to be reset.
Cleaning your own machines saves you money (the starting rate in our shop is $82 for a mechanical machine and $125-170 for computerized machines. Those bills really add up!
Knowing how to maintain your machines saves you time - for the last year, the turnaround time in our shop stayed at 8 weeks, and that was just for ROUTINE service, not big repairs!
Cleaning and lubricating your own machine means you'll never have to trust it with another unknown repair person and you know that it will be treated with loving care.
Having the proper knowledge and a guide will save you from the pitfalls of terribly WRONG information on the internet - free information is great, but not when most of it is bad.
If you are looking for a side gig, retirement income, or a passion that can turn into a career, this is your first step! The skills I teach here are the same skills I used in the first 6-7 years of my own business.
Who is behind the Sewing Doc brand?
Hey there,
I'm Andi Barney of Sewing Doc machine service and repair, and Sewing Doc Academy. I'm a master technician and I've owned and operated my own service shop, located in Cumming, Georgia, for over 13 years now. A large part of our service shop focuses on vintage and antique machines and restoration, but we are also an authorized shop for Brother, Viking, and Janome. I started just like you, curious and a little intimidated, but now I couldn't imagine my life without sewing machines!
Paul Barney (is our electrical, motor, and restoration specialist. He also specializes in Customer Service.
You have Questions, We have Answers....
Q: Do I have to pay a fee every month?
A: At the launch of this program, the entry fee is a one-time-only fee. So when you pay $249, you have access to the modules for life.
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Q: When does the workshop end?
A: This is the best: it doesn't! It lasts forever… or as long as you need it to! There is no end or timeline for this course, so you jump in any time and come back to it any time you need to.
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Q: Who is this course for? Can just anyone take it?
A: Yes! This course is for anyone interested in learning to clean, lubricate, and care for sewing machines. Young, old, retired, people that work full-time, people that are just curious, hobbyists, people with lots of machines, people that only have one machine, people wanting side/retirement/full-time income. Everyone is welcome!
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Q: I'm not good with tools, will I be okay taking this class?
A: YES! If you don't feel confident using tools, I promise, you're going to be okay in this course. I wouldn't have considered myself "mechanically inclined" when I first started working with machines, either. Many of us are, and we just don't know it yet. There is actually very little done with tools in the class. This workshop will be a source of empowerment and confidence for you, I can promise you that! In my in-person classes (before Covid), I had ladies insist that they bring their husband because they were too afraid of the tools, but I encourage EVERYONE to give it a try because I promise you, you can do it.
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Q: What machines are covered in this course?
A: This workshop covers almost all "modern" home domestic sewing machines, including those with computers. It does NOT cover any commercial/industrial machines, sergers, embroidery-specific components or embroidery-only machines, chain stitch or specialty machines. There are a handful of extremely complex machines we will not handle in this workshop such as the Viking Epic, Brother Luminaire or Stellair, Bernina 5, 7, 8, 9 series (and a few others), or Janome M7 or M17. Those machines required specific tools and program codes for service and are beyond the scope of this workshop. Please check with us first if you are unsure about your machine.
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Q: If I have an issue with a machine, can I contact you for help?
A: Yes, the instructor is available during regular hours. During the testing/BETA phase of the program, you will have plenty of additional help available. After the program officially launches, you will still have guided help, and there is an option for paid consultation for issues outside of the scope of this program.
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Q: Do I need any special programs or equipment to participate in any part of the workshop?
A: The short answer is no. All you really need is a cell phone, tablet, or computer to view the on-demand classes and work your way through the workshop.
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Q: Will this course teach me to service other people's machines?
A: YES! You will build skills that allow you to offer your services to your local community. We prefer not to use the term ' full service' as this implies timing and other adjustments have been made, which are not taught in this workshop. But the first 6-7 years of my service business used the skills in this workshop, VSMM program, and Troubleshooting program - I didn't adjust the timing or make complex repairs until later on in my business.
Q: I don't live in the United States, can I sign up for this course?
A: We do have folks from Canada and the UK in other workshops, and we welcome other countries. However, we are limited in this capacity at this time, as sewing machines, cleaners, and lubricants available in other countries are often very different than the US, and I cannot promise that we'll be able to assist you with these things we are not familiar with.