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Prerequisites

To complete this tutorial you should be familiar with basic sewing .

Instructions

Threading a home sewing machine is a fundamental skill for anyone who sews. Proper threading ensures that your machine runs smoothly, avoiding skipped stitches, thread breakage, or jams. While specific machine models will vary slightly, the basic principles are generally the same.

Prepare the Sewing Machine

  1. Before you start threading, make sure your sewing machine is turned off to avoid accidental injury.
  2. Turn the handwheel toward you to raise the needle to its highest position. This also raises the take-up lever to its topmost position.
  3. Lift the presser foot lever, which is located at the back or side of the needle area. Raising the presser foot releases the tension discs, allowing the thread to pass through them easily during threading.

Winding the Bobbin

  1. Put your thread spool on the spool pin, which is usually located on the top or back of the sewing machine. Use a spool cap if your machine has one to hold the spool in place.
  2. Pull the thread from the spool and pass it through the bobbin winding guide (often a small tension disk on the top of the machine).
  3. Insert the thread through one of the holes on the empty bobbin from the inside out. Place the bobbin on the bobbin winder spindle, which is usually found on the top right side of the machine. Push the bobbin winder spindle to the right to engage it.
  4. Hold the thread tail while you press the foot pedal or start button (depending on your machine) to begin winding the bobbin. After a few turns, you can let go of the tail, and it will wind automatically. Stop when the bobbin is full. Cut the thread and remove the bobbin from the spindle, pushing the spindle back to the left to disengage it.
  5. Open the bobbin cover, which is typically found under the needle plate (for front-loading bobbins) or on the top near the needle plate (for top-loading or drop-in bobbins).
  6. For top-loading bobbins, drop the bobbin into the bobbin case with the thread unwinding in the direction specified by your machine (usually counterclockwise). Pull the thread through the slot and under the tension spring until it extends a few inches.
  7. For front-loading bobbins, place the bobbin in the bobbin case, ensuring the thread runs in the correct direction (often counterclockwise). Pull the thread through the slot in the bobbin case and under the tension spring. Insert the bobbin case into the machine, making sure it clicks into place.

Threading the Upper Thread

  1. Pull the thread from the spool, ensuring it passes through the first thread guide (often located at the top of the machine).
  2. Pull the thread down along the right side of the tension disks in the direction of the first thread guide. This is often part of a U-shaped path that leads down and then up toward the take-up lever.
  3. Put the thread through the take-up lever from right to left.
  4. Bring the thread back down toward the needle, guiding it through any additional thread guides (such as a guide just above the needle).
  5. Thread the needle from front to back or left to right depending on the style of your machine. Y

Pull Up the Bobbin Thread

  1. Hold the upper thread (needle thread) gently with your left hand.
  2. Turn the handwheel toward you, lowering the needle and then raising it back up. This motion will pick up the bobbin thread.
  3. Use a small object, like the edge of scissors, to pull both the needle and bobbin threads to the back of the machine, under the presser foot.
  4. If you have a top-loading bobbin, close the bobbin cover. For front-loading, ensure the bobbin case is securely in place and close any additional covers.
  5. Turn on the machine. Run a few stitches on a scrap piece of fabric to ensure that the machine is threaded correctly and that the tension is right.

Further Reading

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