How to Load a Bobbin | Sewing Machine, by Howcast on YouTube. 2 min 53 s.
- Video length
- 2 min 53 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Thread the top of your sewing machine fully first. The bobbin thread only comes up cleanly when the needle thread is already in place.
Pull a short tail of thread from your wound bobbin, about 10 cm, so you have something to hold later.
Check your manual to see if your machine takes a vertical front-loading bobbin or a horizontal drop-in bobbin. The steps below are for vertical front-loading machines.
Open the bobbin cover or swing the arm aside to reach the bobbin casing.
Drop the bobbin into the casing with the thread running counter clockwise. Turn the casing so the notch sits to the left.
Pull the thread under and through the notch so it runs the same direction as the casing. Tug the tail gently and the bobbin should turn.
Hold the small lever out on the casing to keep the bobbin from falling out, then slide the casing into the machine.
Line up the notch on the casing with the matching notch in the machine and push until it clicks and stops turning. Release the lever.
Hold the needle thread with your left hand and turn the handwheel toward you one full turn. The bobbin thread should rise through the throat plate.
Pull the bobbin thread out and lay both threads back under the presser foot, pointing away from you.
Tips and common mistakes
If the bobbin spins the wrong way, the thread will snag and break, so check the counter clockwise direction before you close the cover.
Keep the casing lever held out until the casing is fully seated, or the bobbin will roll out onto the floor.
If the bobbin thread will not come up, turn the handwheel toward you, never away, and check the top is threaded correctly.
Top-loading machines drop the bobbin straight into a slot under the needle plate, so follow your manual rather than these front-loading steps.
Questions
Which way should the bobbin thread face?
For a vertical front-loading casing, the thread should run counter clockwise and pass through the notch so it moves the same way as the casing. If it runs the other way, the thread will catch.
Why won't my bobbin thread come up through the plate?
The top is usually not threaded right, or the handwheel was turned the wrong way. Re-thread the needle, then turn the handwheel toward you one full turn while holding the needle thread.
Do all sewing machines load the bobbin the same way?
No. Front-loading vertical bobbins use a removable casing, while top-loading machines drop the bobbin into a slot under the needle plate. Check your user manual for your model.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
