Learning To Sew: Getting The Machine Ready To Sew

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Are you interested in learning how to sew? This article is the second 'unit' in the learning to sew article series. Follow along, let's learn how to use your sewing machine together!

Recommended read: Learning to sew article series

Before you can sew, you have to set up your machine. This article will guide you through step by step on how to get your machine ready to sew.

   1. Attaching the presser foot

Start by pressing the presser foot/needle exchange key, and using the screwdriver that came with your machine, attach the presser foot you would like to use for your project. Make sure that it has been tightened as much as possible and is not loose. 

Presser foot/needle exchange key: this key will lock all the and button functions, this will prevent the operation of the machine while you are charging the needle, the presser foot, etc. 

   2. Inserting the needle

Start by pressing the presser foot/needle exchange key, and using a new sewing machine needle, place the flat side of the needle to the back of the machine, push the needle all the way up and tighten with the screwdriver, ensuring the needle is not loose. 

   3. Threading the machine

Using a sewing machine thread of any kind that works for your project, thread the machine. 

Please note that not all machines have the same exact way to thread the machine, although most are quite similar. 

Your machine should have little diagrams on it on how to thread it and should have numbered thread guides that can help you understand how to thread your machine. 

Thread guide: thread guides are the tension disks that your thread needs to go through to sew properly. 

Either place the thread in a cup, on a thread stand or in the built-in thread holder. Raise the presser foot, raise the needle and press the presser foot/needle exchange key. 

Take the thread and pass it under the thread guide and under the thread guide cover to the front. 

Take the thread and thread it through the thread channel in the thread guide numbered order. Make sure that the thread is passed through the take-up lever. 

Take-up lever: this is thread guide number four and is at the top of the thread channel. As you sew it goes down and up in time with the needle. 

Put the thread behind the needle bar thread guide and make sure that the thread is slid to the left of the needle bar thread guide tab. 

Lastly, thread the needle. 

How to use the auto threader:

First, make sure that the needle and thread you are using are compatible with your needle threader. The needle threader cannot be used with the twin needle or wing needle, specialty threads are not recommended to be used with the needle threader, and the sewing machine needles should be sized at or somewhere between 75/11-100/16.

If needle threader can’t be used or you do not have an auto threader, feed the thread through the eye of the needle from front to back by hand. 

To use the automatic needle threader, take the end of the thread and pass it through the notch of the auto threader thread guide, pull the thread and place it into the slit of the threader, the slit of the threader should be marked as thread guide disk number seven. 

Cut the thread with the thread cutter that should be on the left side of the machine and lower the needle threader lever, after the thread has been fed through the eye of the needle and slowly raise the needle threader lever. Carefully pull the end of the thread that passed through the eye of the needle to the back of the machine. 

Keep in mind: Make sure that your needle is all the way up or the threader will not work. Don’t be afraid to push down on the needle threader lever! You have to give some force to push it all the way down!

Press the presser foot/needle exchange key and you are done threading the machine! As you start to learn your machine it will become easier and easier to thread it.

   4. Winding and installing the bobbin

Please note that not all machines have the same exact way to wind/install the bobbin, although most are quite similar. Your machine should have little diagrams on it on how to wind/install the bobbin and should have numbered thread guides. 

To wind the bobbin, take an empty bobbin and place it on the bobbin winder seat and slide the bobbin winder shaft to the left until it snaps into place. Make sure that you are using the correct type of bobbin for your machine. Place the thread in a cup, on a thread stand or on the built-in thread holder.

Pass the thread under the thread guide, under the thread guide cover and over to the front. 

Take the thread and pass it under the hook of the bobbin winding thread guide three and under the pretension disk circle it counterclockwise. 

Pretension disk: the circular disk beside the hook on the bobbin winding thread guide three

Pull the thread and wind it yourself around the bobbin a few times clockwise. When winding yourself make sure you are going clockwise around the bobbin or else the thread will get wrapped around the bobbin winder shaft. Pull the thread through the guide slit in the bobbin winder seat to cut it. 

Using the speed controller you can adjust the speed to wind the bobbin. Press the start/stop button or press down on the foot controller to start winding the bobbin. 

When the bobbin winding stops or starts to become slow, press the start/stop button or remove your foot from the foot controller to stop. 

Cut the thread and slide the bobbin winder shaft to the left until it snaps into place. Remove the bobbin and install it. 

To install the bobbin, press the presser foot/needle exchange key, raise the needle and raise the presser foot lever. 

Remove the bobbin cover and insert the bobbin into the bobbin case, make sure that the bobbin thread unwinds to the left. While lightly holding down the bobbin with one hand, use the other hand to guide the end of the bobbin thread around the tab of the needle plate cover and take the thread through the slit in the needle plate cover, continue to guide the thread through this slit and cut the thread with the cutter.

Reattach the bobbin cover and press the presser foot/needle exchange key!

You can leave the bobbin thread like this and sew, or you can pull up the bobbin thread. 

To pull up the bobbin thread, follow the same steps but do not cut the thread with the cutter and don’t reattach the bobbin cover. Lightly hold the upper thread and press the needle position button twice or do a full rotation with the handwheel.

The bobbin thread should loop around the upper thread, gently pull the upper thread up to pull out the end of the bobbin thread. Proceed to pull up the bobbin thread and pass both of the threads under the presser foot towards the back of the machine. Reattach the bobbin cover. 

Congrats! Now that you have learned a lot more about your sewing machine, make sure that you take a break after all that good and fun hard work! 

Continue to practice the steps in this article, and once you're confident with getting your machine ready to sew, and you're ready, head on over to 'unit 3' where you will learn how to sew on paper with thread.

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