From April Moffat Designs

Welcome to class. New to sewing school?  Get caught up:
lesson 1: welcome and intro first,
lesson 2:  Guide to Buying a Sewing Machine.
lesson 3: Sewing Machine Supplies
lesson 4: Learn About Your Sewing

This is Lesson 5 in our Sewing School series.  Today we are going to cover how to thread your sewing machine.  So now that you know more about your sewing machine from our last lesson, Getting to Know Your Sewing Machine, it's time to learn how to thread your machine.

I found so much great info and tutorials online that I didn't feel the need to create my own tutorial here.  I also think it can be helpful to sew a few different sewing machines as it can be confusing if your sewing machine looks different than the one being demonstrated on.  I have picked tutorials with different types of sewing machines, so hopefully you can find one close enough to yours that it makes sense. If not, I would suggest watching other videos on you tube until you find one that makes sense to you.

Tilly and the Buttons

2.  I think Niler Tayler gives a great example of how to put a bobbin into a bottom loading sewing machine (top loading bobbins are called drop in bobbins), but there is one thing I tell my students that seems to really help that she did not say.  Make sure to look at the shape of the bobbin case and the shape of where the bobbin goes.  It should be obvious that they mirror each other, so just position them together and push in and as Niler explains in the video you can hear a noise like a pop.

Ruffles and Stuff

3.  When I bring the bobbin thread up I hold the upper thread with my left hand (this helps to pull up the thread after "that something special" happens, and I use my right hand to move the hand wheel towards myself (just like in the last video by Ruth's Sewing Academy).  I tell my students to go slow and wait for something special to happen and when you see it stop turning the wheel and bring it through with a pen or scissors.  The below pictures is what that something special (your bobbin thread catching with the upper thread) looks like.  You can also see this something special happen very clearly in the last video by Ruth's Sewing Academy.  student's often have a hard time learning this part.  Once you get a feel for what that "something special" looks like bringing your bobbin up will be super easy.

A great image of  "that something special" From Ruffles and Stuff  when you see this and pull on the upper thread (in pink) you will see the next picture

When you see this just pull the green (bobbin thread) through and you ready to sew! See the full tutorial at Ruffles and stuff for more details.