Threading your machine

Threading is the single most common reason a sewing machine "doesn't work." Almost every skipped stitch, broken thread, or bird's nest under the fabric comes back to threading. The good news: once you've done it a handful of times, it takes thirty seconds.

Before you start

Lift the presser foot before you begin. This releases the tension discs so the thread can actually settle into them. Threading with the presser foot down is the #1 beginner mistake. Also turn the handwheel toward you to raise the needle to its highest point.

The top thread path

Every machine routes the top thread through the same sequence of guides, in this order. Your machine has these parts somewhere — find them once, and you'll always know where to look.

1. 1

   Spool pin. Place your thread spool on the pin (horizontal or vertical, depending on your machine). The thread should pull off the front of the spool, not the back.

2. 2

   First thread guide. A small hook or slot near the top of the machine. Pull the thread through it. Its job is to keep the thread from flopping around.

3. 3

   Tension discs. Bring the thread down the right channel and around the bottom, then back up the left channel. This wraps the thread between the tension discs — the part that controls how tight your stitch is. (This is why the presser foot must be up: when it's up, the discs are open and the thread can slide in. When it's down, they clamp shut.)

4. 4

   Take-up lever. A metal arm with a hole near the top, visible through a slot in the front of the machine. Thread it from right to left, through the eye. The take-up lever moves up and down as you sew — it's what feeds new thread for each stitch.

5. 5

   Lower thread guides. One or two small wire guides between the take-up lever and the needle. Slip the thread through each one.

6. 6

   Needle. Thread the needle from front to back (or whichever direction your machine uses — the front-to-back direction is standard). Leave about 10 cm of tail hanging behind the needle.

Loading the bobbin

The bobbin sits in a small case underneath or in front of the needle plate, depending on your machine type (drop-in or front-loading).

1. 1

   Wind the bobbin. Place an empty bobbin on the bobbin-winder pin at the top of the machine, thread it from your spool through the winder tension guide, and push the pin to the right (or engage the winder mechanism). Press the foot pedal until the bobbin is full. Disengage and snip the thread.

2. 2

   Drop it into the case. Open the bobbin compartment. Place the bobbin so the thread unspools in the direction your manual shows (usually counter-clockwise when viewed from above for drop-in machines). Pull the thread through the slot and under the tension spring.

3. 3

   Pick up the bobbin thread. Hold the top thread tail lightly with your left hand. Turn the handwheel toward you one full rotation. The needle goes down, catches the bobbin thread, and brings up a small loop. Pull that loop out — now you have both thread tails ready.

4. 4

   Lay both tails to the back. Pull both threads under the presser foot and toward the back of the machine, about 10 cm of tail each. You're ready to sew.

A quick test

Before sewing on your real project, run a few inches of stitching on a folded scrap of similar fabric. Both threads should interlock cleanly inside the fabric — no loops on top, no loops underneath. If they don't, it's almost always a re-thread. Lift the foot, pull both threads out, start over. It's faster than you think.

Common slip-ups

• Presser foot down while threading. Tension discs stay closed, thread can't settle. Fix: re-thread with the foot up.
• Skipped a guide. Easy to miss the take-up lever in particular. Fix: walk the path top to bottom and check every guide.
• Bobbin thread loaded backwards. Causes loose stitches on top of the fabric. Fix: remove the bobbin and reseat it with the thread coming off the correct direction.