Sewing School Lesson 5: How to Thread Your Machine

From April Moffat Designs

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.

My Fav Tutorials On How To Thread Your Sewing Machine and Wind Your Bobbin With Pictures:

April Moffat Designs

Tilly and the Buttons

Ruffles and Stuff

My Fav Video Tutorials On Winding Your Bobbin and Threading Your Sewing Machine

The first video (sewing basics 1) features an older machine with a drop in bobbin and covers threading and winding your bobbin.  The Niler Tayler videos part 4,5, and 6 feature a bottom loading machine that is newer.  I like that she was a different type of machine and explains each step really in depth.  I also like that the videos are broken up into parts so that if you are only having problems with one part it will be easier to re watch.  Unfortunately the part 7 in her series is not showing how to bring the bobbin up as it says at the end of video part 6, but instead on how to measure.  I found another video that explains this better than the first video Sewing Basics 1.

Sewing Basics 1: How to Thread and Wind Your Bobbin

How to Sew with Nila Taylor Part 4: Winding the Bobbin

How to Sew with Niler Taylor Part 5: Threading the Top of Your Machine

How to Sew with Niler Taylor Part 6: Threading the Bobbin

(Her part 7: does not show the "Wedding of the Upper and Bobbin thread")

This video by Ruth's Sewing Academy shows the "Wedding of the Upper and Lower Tread better than the first video "Sewing Basics 1" ("the wedding of the threads" or bring up the bobbin thread part starts about 3 min in and uses different colored threads)

My Tips I Always Tell My Students That Aren't in the Tutorials:

1.While threading the top thread through number 3 the thread take up in the picture (below) from the Tilly and the Buttons tutorial you can move your hand wheel towards you to move number 3 (the thread take up) up and down to position it better to thread.

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.

 Homework:

Thread your machine until you can do it no problem.  Even if you get it the first try at least rethread it a few times to make sure you get the hang of it.  If it takes awhile to learn that's perfectly normal don't worry just keep trying and you'll get it.  Make sure to try winding your bobbin too!  You will need to do this often. 

If you have an problems, questions, or comments don't be shy!  Next lesson we will cover how to start sewing, then trouble shooting your machine.   Class dismissed!

Next Lesson How to Sew a Straight, Curved, or Corner Line 

Previous Lessons:
lesson 1: welcome and intro first,
lesson 2:  Guide to Buying a Sewing Machine
lesson 3: Sewing Machine Supplies
lesson 4: Getting to Know Your Machine