How to Thread a Sewing Machine

Ask anyone who has just bought their first sewing machine what frightened them most, and threading usually tops the list. The thread seems to wander through a maze of hooks, discs and levers, and one missed step leads to tangles, skipped stitches or a nest of thread under the fabric. The reassuring part is that almost every home machine follows the same basic route. Once you understand why each step is there, threading becomes a quick routine rather than a puzzle.

Before you start, keep your machine's manual or the diagram printed on the machine itself nearby. Models differ in the details, and the manual always has the final word.

What you need

• A spool of good-quality all-purpose thread
• An empty bobbin that fits your machine
• Small scissors
• Good light, and a pair of reading glasses if you use them

Switch the machine off while you thread. It keeps fingers safe if the foot pedal is nudged by accident.

Step one: wind the bobbin

A sewing machine stitches with two threads: one from the spool on top and one from a small bobbin underneath. Most machines wind the bobbin from the same spool.

1. Place the spool on the spool pin and fit the cap if your machine has one.
2. Take the thread around the bobbin-winding guide shown on your machine.
3. Pass the end through a hole in the bobbin from the inside out, then push the bobbin onto the winder shaft and click it into place.
4. Hold the loose end, press the pedal gently for a few turns, then trim the tail and carry on until the bobbin is full or stops by itself.
5. Snip the thread and slide the winder back.

Step two: put the bobbin in

Machines have either a drop-in bobbin under a clear cover beside the needle plate, or a front-loading bobbin case behind a small door. Check the direction the thread should unwind; many machines show an arrow. Guide the thread through the small slot or spring as shown, leaving a tail of a few inches.

Step three: thread the top

This is the path that causes the most trouble, so take it slowly.

1. Raise the presser foot. This opens the tension discs so the thread can seat properly. It is the step most often forgotten.
2. Raise the needle to its highest point using the handwheel, always turning it towards you.
3. Follow the numbered guides from the spool across the top, down one channel, around the U-turn and back up.
4. Hook the take-up lever. Make sure the thread passes through the eye or slot of this lever at the top of the U-turn. If it is missed, the machine will jam almost at once.
5. Bring it down through the last guides just above the needle.
6. Thread the needle from front to back on most machines. A built-in needle threader, if you have one, saves a lot of squinting.

Step four: bring up the bobbin thread

Hold the top thread loosely in your left hand. Turn the handwheel towards you for one full turn so the needle goes down and comes back up. As it rises, a loop of the bobbin thread should appear. Pull it up with scissors or a pin, then lay both threads towards the back under the presser foot. You are ready to sew.

Quick fixes for common snags

Make it a habit

Thread the machine fully from scratch a few times in one sitting, even when nothing is wrong. Repetition turns the route into muscle memory, and before long you will do it without looking at the diagram. When stitching goes strange, re-threading both top and bobbin is the first fix to try, and it solves a surprising share of problems.

If you are still deciding whether sewing is for you, our piece on reasons to learn to sew makes the case for picking up the hobby. Once threading feels easy, the rest of the craft opens up quickly.