Sewing machine needles: a guide for beginners
The right choice of needle will help to do the job more qualitatively, and sometimes. to avoid unpleasant problems. This overview will help you understand how a sewing machine needle works, and guide you in choosing exactly the right needle for your project.
If you’re just starting to sew, check out the “Very Simple” section in our eCatalogue. There you will find patterns for skirts, tops, and other things that even a beginner can sew.
Sewing machine needle design
A sewing machine needle has three main parts. The bottom section is the point, then, above that is the rod that makes up the main length of the needle, and on top is the bulb. The bulb is the thickest part of the needle that is attached to the machine needle holder. At the back of the bulb, there is a cutoff, a flattening, that helps install the needle.
The long groove is the recess that runs down the front middle of the needle. The upper thread runs through it: the groove helps guide it.
The short groove at the bottom helps the thread penetrate the material.
The eye is the hole where the upper thread is threaded.
The thickness of the pin, the grooves on the pin, the point, and the eye of the needle may vary depending on the type of needle. These differences are needed so the needle works better with different types of threads and materials.
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Types of needles
This point is about the most popular types of needles, which are designed to work with different materials.
An all-purpose needle
A universal needle may not give perfect results on absolutely all materials, but on many. for sure. Its point has a sharp enough tip to pass through the fabric well. At the same time, it is not sharp enough to damage the fibers of many types of knitwear. To be sure that your project can be worked with a universal needle, test it on a scrap of your fabric and if you are satisfied with the result, go ahead.
Microtex
The Microtex needle has a particularly sharp point. It is ideal for silk, microfiber fabrics, and other delicate needles.
Jersey / Needle for Knitwear
The tip of this needle is not sharp, but rounded. It does not tear or cut into knitted fabrics, but expands them: the fabric remains whole and there are no holes near the stitching.
Stretch
The tip is rounded, like a knit needle, but not as much. It is suitable for stretchy fabrics.
Denim needle
Denim, or denim, is a material that is usually dense, with a strong weave of threads. This special sturdy needle with a reinforced point and sharp tip is suitable for it. By the way, if you don’t have a faux leather needle handy, you can try this one.
Needle for leather
This needle has a sharp, cutting point. It can be used for all types of leather, including synthetic leather, oilcloth and other similar materials.
Needle for quilting
These needles with a fine point are suitable for quilting and quilting.
Cordonette/Topstich
Needle for quilting with thick threads. The eye of the needle is enlarged for thicker threads.
Embroidery needle
This needle has a big eye and a slightly rounded tip. Suitable for machine embroidery on a variety of materials.
For sewing with metallic threads / Metafil
This needle has a tapered point and an elongated eye to prevent the thread from being frayed.
Double needle / double needle
With this needle, you can sew elastic stitches with two parallel stitches. This is useful, for example, for decorative trim or hemming knitted products.
Fabrics, knits, threads, needlesTutorial for beginners
Needle size
There are two systems for designating the size, i.e. thickness, of a needle:
In any case, the bigger the number, the thicker the needle.
A general rule for needle size: the thicker and denser the material you sew with and the thicker the thread you sew with, the larger the needle size you need.
Often manufacturers specify the size in both systems. Plus, two-pin (three-pin also exist) pins have pin spacing in millimeters.
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How often to change a needle in a sewing machine?
The sewing process dulls any needle. A blunted needle will create problems in your work, for example, it can damage your fabric. That’s why needles need to be replaced with new ones on a regular basis.
You often see advice suggesting that before starting each new project, you should get a new needle, but it is rather unspecific. It is also estimated that the average needle life is 8 hours sewing time. But it is unlikely that you will work with a timer to measure the stitching time. Plus, some people sew faster and some sew slower.
So the easiest way to find out if the needle is blunt. before you start a new project to try her sewing on a patchwork of the fabric from which the product is planned, and assess the quality of stitching. If your stitching loops, puffs or skipped stitches appear on the fabric, it’s a sign that the needle has worn out.
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Needle Storage Lifecycle
Lastly, this is a great idea for storing needles. Make a similar pad of convenient size for you and put a sign on it. Let the horizontal line be the needle numbers and the vertical line be their purpose. As long as the new needles are stored in their factory boxes, you won’t mix them up. But if you’ve taken a needle out of a box, worked it, and it still sews well, don’t put it back in the box. There it will get mixed up with new ones, and you’re not likely to know which one is the one you’ve already sewn with. Instead, find a place for it on a pad: a square with the appropriate size and purpose. Stick a needle in there and store it until the next time you use it. And when it’s time to use it again, put a tailor’s pin in its place so you won’t forget where it belongs.
How to replace a needle with a sewing machine?
And the right hand loosen the screw of the needle holder with the screwdriver included with the machine. On modern machines, the screw is also loosened without a screwdriver, as if unscrewing the black little faucet.
Hold the needle with your left hand, fix the needle clamp screw with a screwdriver, or do it by simply tightening the screw by hand.
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All tightening procedures must be implemented as carefully as possible, because it is quite easy to break fragile elements. It is recommended that you hold them in during the process. While trying to fix the needle, it should bump into the baffle on top of the fixing screws.
How to change a needle in a sewing machine
As a rule, the manual supplied with the machine contains a detailed guide for installation and needle selection, but it happens that it is lost.
For those who use electromechanical models of sewing machines, and they are now represented by a wide range of companies Janome, Singer, Brother, etc., it is important before changing the needle in the sewing machine, unplug the device from the mains. After this, the following must be done:
- lift the needle clamp to its highest position;
- by hand or using a screwdriver to unscrew the screw;
- Remove the old needle (if it was installed);
- put a new one in its place;
- hold it in place and tighten the retaining screw.
It is important to know which side to insert the needle into the sewing machine.
Design and varieties of double needle
The main distinguishing feature of the twin needle is the presence of two blades attached to the bulb with a jumper. Thanks to this design it is possible to sew 2 stitches at the same time. Such a construction makes it possible to form 2 absolutely identical stitches with the same distance between them along the entire length without much effort.
WARNING! Double needles designed for old-style machines and new domestic machines have a slight difference in structure. Not every skilled worker will notice that the grooves. recesses on the needle blades are a few millimeters longer or shorter than usual (especially if she doesn’t know about their presence), but the capricious technique immediately identifies this feature and refuses to sew. So when buying be sure to focus on this nuance.
These are usually marked with two numbers separated by a slash. Where the larger value corresponds to the needle number, and the smaller to the distance between the points.
Needles with a distance of 4 to 6 are used:
- for undercutting the bottom seams;
- for sewing on s and flaps;
- For sewing connection seams to improve the aesthetic appearance.
Patterns with blade spacing of 1.6, 2.0, 2.5 more often used to form decorative decorative decorative stitches. Using threads of different colors or shades allows you to achieve a highly artistic effect, with a minimum of effort.
Of particular interest to many seamstresses is the combined twin needle, one blade of which is ordinary, and the second winged. This design is indispensable for hemming tablecloths, napkins, or trimming lightweight clothing.
Repair of neck machines (zigzag) such as Seagull
Looping thread in the stitching, as well as the characteristic knocking during their work, perhaps the main difference between sewing machines with zigzag, such as Chaika, Podolskaya 142 all models. In short, the looping in the stitching is due to uneven thread tension along its path: a broken compensating spring, rusty foot sole, incorrectly set the hook course, etc.п. However, it is impossible to set many parameters on your own, without experience. Therefore, if you have poor quality stitch, pay attention, first of all, to the condition of the needle, the tension of the lower thread in the bobbin case and whether or not the tensioner of the upper thread works correctly. Very often children like to take it apart and put it back together, and after such repairs, the machine stops working.
Repair sewing machine Chayka sometimes have to quite often, and it is not associated with a broken parts, then details that she just how very strong, and with razregulirovaniem interaction of some nodes sewing machines, mainly a hook course. Virtually all of these tips for sewing machine repair Chayka can be used for other models of domestic machines.
First of all, check the hook hook spout with a magnifying glass, it should not have any nicks, rusty spots. If there are any nicks, they must be removed by a fine file and polished to a shiny finish, otherwise the thread will be constantly trapped behind the traces of a file, and loops will appear from the bottom. Only do it carefully, so as not to blunt the tip of the hook spout.
Sometimes the bobbin (on which the lower thread is wound) can be the cause of sewing machine repair. Yes exactly repair, because inexperienced “craftsman” often disassemble and reassemble all the knots, when it is enough just to replace the old metal bobbin with a new plastic one. If the edges of the metal bobbin are jagged and the bobbin case itself is clogged with fringes of thread, the lower thread will come out jerking, and the upper thread in the stitch will occasionally loop at the bottom.
Often the reason for referring to a sewing machine repairman is that the upper thread is poorly regulated. You tighten it almost all the way, and the tension is still too weak. Look, perhaps between the plates tensioner accumulated frizz from the thread, which prevent the full compression of the washers. Perhaps the tensioner is loose (Chayka).
But still most often a sewing machine type Chayka malfunction in the parameters of the shuttle and needle. This is a complicated type of sewing machine repair, more precisely the settings, but for general familiarity it is desirable to know the main reason why all the “troubles” of sewing machines occur.
Broken sewing machine needle. how to avoid it: 7 tricks and tips
When a sewing machine needle breaks while sewing, which is most often the case, it can mean more than just having to replace the needle and redo the seam. The tip of the needle can bounce right back at the needlewoman, and it can also fall inside the mechanism of the machine and damage something. In many cases, needle breakage can be avoided. To avoid it, follow these tips whether you are sewing a dress with thin chiffon, a pair of denim jeans, or a coat of heavily textured fabric.
Make sure the needle is appropriate for the type of material
Match your needle to the type of material you are sewing. For example, if the material is too dense and the needle is not sharp enough to pass through it easily, the needle may break. Also, a needle that is too thin for the selected material can break. To learn more about needle types and what they are suitable for, click here:
Sewing machine needles: a beginner’s guide
Before starting, check that the needle is not damaged
Before you start sewing, make sure that the needle is okay: it is not bent and the point is not damaged. It is better to get rid of such needles right away.
Check if the needle is inserted correctly
Also check that you inserted the needle correctly in the needle holder and that it is securely fastened before you start sewing.
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Do not pull the fabric too hard when sewing
The photo above is an illustration of what not to do. If you pull the fabric too hard while sewing, the needle left in the material may well break.
Slowly move the material toward the needle at the speed it moves itself, helping it slightly. Do not stretch the fabric by pulling hard on the back, behind the needle, or excessively in front of the needle.
Clean the sewing machine regularly
Needle breakage can also occur because the area under the needle in the sewing machine is clogged with lint, which must be cleaned regularly. Clean your machine regularly, especially. if you work with fleece, voluminous coat fabrics, velvet or other materials with pile.
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Additionally check the needle in some situations
Stop and check the needle just in case if:
If any of these conditions occur, stop work and check to see if the needle or point is bent. Replace the needle if necessary.
Monitor the quality of your needles and replace them on time
And, of course, try to use good quality needles from reputable manufacturers. Also, remember to regularly replace any needles that have dulled.
Needle knot
The needle is not clamped in the needle holder because:
a) if the thread in the needle holder is stripped, thread MZ or M3.5. If this is not possible, use a new needle fixture (another brand may also be used). It is not difficult to make one yourself;
a) if the lower end of the needle is shaped like a cylinder and has the same diameter along its entire length, it is possible to dislodge the needle holder and save the needle;
How to use a sewing needle
Needle in a sewing machine is the most important detail, since the adjustment of almost all parameters in the shuttle is conducted in relation to its work. Despite its fragility, the needle is the most dynamic effect when sewing. Type of needle, its condition and position affect the quality of stitching. Every seamstress needs to know more about the needle than the machine as a whole.
The needle must necessarily match the type and thickness of the fabric; similarly, the thickness of the thread must match both the needle and the fabric. Their approximate correspondence is indicated in the table of selection of a needle and thread on a fabric, included in the instructions of the manufacturer for each machine. The tables are about the same, so if you don’t have a manual for your machine, you can use any other one (see. Chap. 4).
It is necessary to learn how to select thread and needle for a given fabric within the limits of his point of the table. You must take into account that threads and needles of the same number can be of different quality. For example, of the five spools of thread you currently have, three of them will produce a quality stitch and two will not. The table is only a guide, but in practice you must choose for yourself, taking quality into account, by trial and comparison, according to your experience, intuition, and aesthetic considerations.
Before inserting a needle into the machine, determine its type and check if it is warped, blunt, or defective in any other way. е. you need to investigate 4 parameters. needle type, curvature, bluntness, defects.
Needle type.
Needles with a round bulb (Fig. 37, pos. 4) are used on industrial machines. These machines have a half circle (circular) needle groove that matches the shape of the bulb on the needle. A domestic machine has a U-shaped needle groove in the needle bar, which corresponds to the shape of a flask with a flattened blade. The needle groove is placed against the bottom of the U-shaped plane and pressed down with a screw.
This design of the needle bulb and groove in the needle bar enables the seamstress to position the needle correctly. If the needle is misaligned when it is inserted, the screw will clamp the needle in the correct position. If you put in a domestic sewing machine (straight-line) needle with a round bulb, where the groove in the needle bar has a flat bottom, the needle will move forward or backward (on the plane of the cylinder is unstable). This can also cause the needle to hit the presser foot, the needle plate, etc. д. These reasons indicate that a circular needle must not be used on a domestic machine.
Fig. 37. Sewing machine needle arrangement:
| 1. short groove; | 5. long groove; |
| 2. notch above the eye; | 6. ear; |
| 3. Flask groove; | 7. point |
| 4. bulb; |
The needle bulb has inscriptions (designations) which can be used to distinguish the type of needle. Domestic needles come in three types:
(a) With the letter O, the designation on the flask O-90,0-100 and t. д., where O is the type of needle (produced in Odessa), the numbers 90,100,120, etc. д. indicates a needle number (diameter in the middle, expressed in hundredths of a millimeter). 90. 0.90 mm; 100. 1.00 mm; 120.1.20 mm;
b) with the letter P (produced in Podolsk), marking on the bulb P-65, P-90 and t. д.;
c) with the letter K, the designation on the flask K-65, K-90 and t. д.;
d) with the word “ORGAN” (production of India);
e) with a needle number designation 90/14, where 90 is the new needle designation, and 14 is the old needle number designation (produced in India);
f) with the notation number 9014 (made in Brazil) and t. д.
Each needle type listed above has a complete set of numbers (65, 70, 75, 80, 90, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130). Remember: the type of needle the machine is set to, that’s the needle you should sew with! To change to another needle type, the machine has to be readjusted. For example, the machine has been adjusted to a domestic-made needle (0, type “K”). Her bulb thickness is practically 1.670.01 mm. You put (as a special case) a needle with a flask thickness of 1.68 mm. The clearance between the hook and the needle in the vertical plane is set at 0.1 mm (as usual). The needle broke, an Indian-made needle 0. Her bulb thickness is 1.53 mm. The clearance between the hook and the needle became minus 0.05 mm, as the needle became 0.15 mm closer to the hook. The nose of the shuttle started to hit the needle. The needle and hook spout will break in this case.
The needle must have a flattened bulb. Never install a needle with a round needle bulb on a machine that has been adjusted for a needle with a flat needle bulb. The thickness of the round bulb 0 is 1.96 mm. The thicker part of the bulb has a cut side, this cut is called the flattened side. When setting the needle into the needle bar, put the needle flush to the left and the long groove to the right side of the needle thread guide (this rule for Podolsk straight-stitch machine 2M cl.).
If the machine is adjusted for Indian needles, a domestic needle may cause skipped stitches in the stitching. However, it must be recognized that the Indian needles give better stitching, if, of course, the machine is adjusted to this needle.
Remember! In all sewing machines, the needle should be installed so that the long groove on the needle faces the direction of the needle thread guide (See. Fig. 37).
Sometimes they take a round needle and sharpen the flatness on the bulb themselves. Such a needle will not sew! Why? Yes, because a homemade ski can not meet the three requirements:
a) the thickness of the cut off part of the bulb must be strictly defined;
b) The plane of the flats must be strictly parallel to the longitudinal axis of the needle;
c) the plane of the flattening should be on the opposite side of the longitudinal groove (180°).
If you sharpen the flat needle by hand, you will not be able to meet all these requirements! Needles are made on precision machines with accuracy measured in microns (thousandths of a millimeter).
How to distinguish between a factory-made and a homemade needle? Very easy! The factory-made flisk has a smooth surface, whereas the homemade one is rough and rough with pronounced sandpaper stripes and all three requirements mentioned above are violated and can be seen with the naked eye.
Curved needle.
Hold the needle by the bulb and swirl it quickly against a dark background. If the point of the needle stays in one point, it is not crooked. A crooked needle is difficult to straighten, so it is better to replace it with a new one.
Blunt needle.
Hold the needle by the bulb with your left hand and turn it. Use the right thumbnail to guide the needle from the bulb to the end. If the point of the needle is bent at the tip, the nail will detect this defect. A magnifying glass (loupe) is the best way to check the sharpness of the needle tip. Look at the point of the needle point with a magnifying glass. If a white spot is visible, it is a blunt needle. A sharp needle does not have a spot at its tip.
A blunt needle can be sharpened. To do this, rotate the needle in your left hand and sharpen the tip of the needle with your right hand at an angle of about 15° to the needle. Sharpening should be done with a flat diamond file. Time for this operation: 15-20 seconds. Then sand the sharpening point with emery paper. A blunt needle causes machine banging, the fabric being drawn into the hole in the needle plate, thread looping at the bottom, thread being pulled out of the fabric, uneven stitching, etc. д.
Needle with other types of defects.
Whether the needle is crooked, blunt, or both, it is defective. But straight and sharp needles can also be defective. Most frequently the eye of the needle is punched obliquely through a rabbet or a long groove. The eye of a quality needle installed in a 2M machine., The point of the needle is perfectly aligned with the axis of the platform. When checking the needle, position it so that the plane of the flats is horizontal, then the eye must be vertically pierced, t. е. at an angle of 90 °. Any deviation from the specified angle is a marriage. When installed in the needle bar any needle in any machine has free movement, swinging in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the platform. The needle can be moved to the center of the hole in the needle plate by rocking it. But it happens that in the hole of the needle is pressed to the front 1, back 2, right 3 or left 4 side ( Rice. 38 ). In the first case, remove the needle bar and use a simple flat file and a piece of hacksaw blade to mill and saw through the back side of the inner groove of the needle bar, where the needle is inserted. Turn little by little, each time trying on, until the needle comes to the center of the hole.
Fig. 38. Position of the needle in the circular hole of the needle plate (straight-stitch machines):
| A. front side facing the seamstress; | B. back side; |
| 1. The needle is pressed against the front side; | |
| 2. the needle is pressed against the backside; | |
| 3. the needle is pressed against the right side; | |
| 4. needle is bent to the left side; | |
| 5. normal position of the needle |
In the second case, proceed along the same lines as the first, only the front side of the needle hole in the needle bar must be sharpened.
In the third case, grind deep into the left side of the groove.
In the fourth case, bend the lower end of the needle bar to the right.
It should be well understood that the needle in the hole of the needle plate must not touch its sides. Occasionally, there is a hardened needle plate that cannot be machined. In this case it is necessary to put its end on an open flame (to heat it up to crimson color), then slowly cool it down and. It is possible to cut a hole in the needle plate with a round diamond file, but this is a time-consuming process.
The hole edges of the needle plate are often severed by multiple strokes of the needle. In this case, use the angle of a hacksaw blade to chamfer, cutting off all the sharp protrusions. Then grind the hole with a round file. This will increase the diameter of the hole, but will have smooth edges, and the thread during the sewing will not break.
It happens so that the wall of the hole of the needle plate breaks on the right side. In this case, you can fix the defect in three ways:
a) Replace the needle plate with a new one;
b) weld the breaking point by gas welding on both sides, then sharpen and tin the upper side. Put the plate back in place and screw it down. Insert a straight and sharp needle into the needle bar. Carefully turn the handwheel so that the needle makes a visible mark on the plate. Remove the plate, mark the place of the needle puncture and drill a hole 2 mm in diameter with a drill bit. Chamfer both sides;
c) Saw off the remains of the torn ring (temporary measure). Make the edges smooth. This method of solving the problem is acceptable, although it has some reservations.
Needles of varying degrees of rust must not be used! They ruin fabric, especially fine and delicate fabric, and the stitching is poor and ugly.
The movement of the needle must be perfectly vertical. This is the rule for all sewing machines and especially for zigzag stitches. When adjusting the needle centered on the needle hole relative to the front and back edge (see. Figure. 67), when B = D, it should be borne in mind that many machines, especially “Seagull” PMZ, needle when moving in the hole needle plate is shifted forward or backward (tilted forward or backward) in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the platform. This is a manufacturing defect of the machine builders. Therefore, when adjusting the needle in the needle plate slot, the formula B = D must be observed for the beginning of the needle entry into the hole.
Needles can be long or short. The difference in length is 1-1.5 mm. Such needles do not affect the quality of the stitching, since in all cases the distance from the top of the needle to the eye is the same. However, long needles are more likely to hit the hook, so they are harder and more dangerous to work with. These needles are not reliable in operation. It is better to work with short needles.
The surface of the needle plate must always be smoothly polished. Plate, covered with rust, but cleaned with emery paper, can not be used, as sinks from rust will delay the progress of the fabric when sewing.
Often, systematic needle strokes cause the needle plate to bend in the middle. A warped plate must be straightened, otherwise fine fabrics will warp when sewing.
On some sewing machines (“Chapel”-30, “Panonia.” etc.) sometimes the upward movement of the needle from the lowest extreme position is extremely slow relative to the rotation of the hook (from the extreme position). In fact, this is a particular case of inconsistency of movement of the hook and needle. By the time the hook meets the needle loop-twist is undersized, and the hook does not catch it, forming a skip stitch in the stitching. In this situation, the only correct solution is to increase the needle lift by turning the crank, located on the left side of the crankshaft, by 3-5° clockwise.
Needle bar drive and thread tensioner are fixed to the crank. To make the adjustment method easier to understand, look at the following illustration 39 two crank positions (number 1 represents the vertical movement of the needle bar, number 2 is the rotation path of the needle bar feed attachment point on the crank).
Fig. 39. Adjustment of needle lift acceleration from the lowest extreme position (machines “Chapel”-30 cl., “Panonia”):
| 1. vertical movement of the needle bar; | 2. rotation angles of the big cam; |
| A0. initial point of the needle bar drive before adjustment; | |
| A0. A2 arc of cam rotation before adjustment; | |
| A’0-A’2. projection of the arc to the vertical (equal to 5 mm); | |
| A3. initial point of the needle bar after adjustment; | |
| A1-A3. arc of cam rotation after adjustment; | |
| A’1-A’3. projection of the arc onto the vertical (equal to 7 mm) |
First position (before adjustment):
A0. original attachment point of the needle bar lever on the crank at the lowest point of the needle. Let’s rotate the handwheel by 20° of the central angle. We obtain the arc A0-A2 of the path of point A0 on the crank, but A’0-A’2 is its projection onto the vertical of the needle bar. This is the distance by which the needle rises. In this example it is 5 mm.
Second position (after adjustment):
Loosen the two screws that secure the crank to the crankshaft. With the handwheel braked, turn the crank by 10° clockwise. Fasten screws. The A0 point is now moved to A1. A1 is the initial point at which the needle bar drive is mounted on the crank. Lower the needle bar to the extreme lower position, so the needle will be in the same position.
Turn the handwheel by 20° of the center angle, point A1 has moved to point A3, t. е. A1-A3 is the arc of movement of that point, but A’1-A’3 is its projection onto the vertical of the needle bar, the distance by which the needle has risen from the lowest end position. The actual value in this example is 7 mm (2 mm more).
In practice, the needle bar is at point B when the needle is in the fully down position. And if you take radius OB =14 mm (which is close to the real one in machines) and put all the data on the above theoretical calculation, the results will be striking: the needle lift speed increases by half!
There are two factors to consider in this operation:
1) After having turned the crank clockwise by the required angle with the handwheel stationary, it is necessary to return the needle bar to the extreme lower position (without touching the handwheel);
2) When you turn the crank and lower the needle bar, the needle bar stays stationary, i.e. е. it does not change position.
In practice, it is necessary to rotate the arm 3-5°. When you turn a larger angle, there is a misalignment of movements of the shuttle with the thread tensioner, which causes a breakage of the upper thread.
This method of adjusting the needle lift acceleration from the lowermost position is especially appropriate for machines that do not have crank mounting screws recessed in the crankshaft. But in principle it is possible for all machines. We can not exclude the following: the factory has not set the crank on the optimal mark, and the above method (method) allows you to find the only acceptable point.
This is not a cheat? This sewing machine really sews?
This guide is for you if you have never used a mini sewing machine before and are just getting started with sewing. In this tutorial I will tell you the pros and cons of this sewing machine, show you how to thread the sewing machine and give you some sewing tips.
This mini sewing machine really does sew. If you are looking for an inexpensive, portable and simple sewing machine, this is the machine for you. It can be used for sewing pants and other simple sewing tasks. However, you will be limited to only one straight stitch. This machine has no flyback function, so to strengthen the stitching, you will need to turn the fabric and sew in this place in the opposite direction once again. This machine doesn’t take up much space, it’s very small. It can even run on AA batteries.
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be a pro and know how to use this mini sewing machine!
- Mini sewing machine
- Thread (I do not recommend using the threads that come with the machine. Only if you don’t have any more)
- Empty metal bobbin
- Threadspinner
How to get started on a mini sewing machine:
Connect the power supply
I replaced the thread and fabric that came with this sewing machine with my own.
Connect the power supply or batteries (inserted from below), connect the foot pedal.
Be careful! When the power is turned on, the machine turns on, if you accidentally press the foot pedal or the on/off button, the machine will start sewing.
Wind the thread onto the bobbin
Next you will need to rewind some thread from the main spool onto the bobbin. You will need the spool of thread you intend to sew with and an empty bobbin. Place the spool of thread on the spindle at the top of the machine (it is retracted, but can be pulled out as needed). Release the bobbin winding pin (it is in the middle of the handwheel). It is released by pressing with your index finger and turning counterclockwise. Pass the end of the thread through the bobbin and place the bobbin on the bobbin winding spindle. Hold the thread with your other hand to provide tension as the thread winds onto the bobbin.
Press the foot pedal or press the on/off button to start winding.
Stop when the correct amount of thread has been wound onto the bobbin. Remove the bobbin from the pin and cut the thread. Insert the bobbin winding pin into place.
Thread the upper thread
Place the spool on the spool pin on top of the machine (you can also thread the upper thread from the bobbin, which is attached to the front of the machine body (see “Threading the upper thread from the spool”). photo below).
Follow the thread guides to thread the spool.
Insert the thread into the needle
To thread the needle, pass the end of the thread through the needle hole from left to right. I find that threading the needle is much easier if you use the needle threader.
Pull the thread so that the upper thread does not sag and leave the end of the thread loose.
Loading the bobbin into the sewing machine
Hold the bobbin so that the thread is on the right side and the thread is wound clockwise on the bobbin.
Lower the bobbin into the bobbin case so that it remains lying flat. Place the thread in the groove provided.
Pick up the bobbin thread
To pick up the lower thread, hold the upper thread in your left hand, pulling slightly toward you. At the same time, turn the handwheel toward you with your right hand. This will move the needle down and you will notice that the upper thread is going through the bobbin. Once the needle is all the way down and up again, pull the upper thread toward you and you will see the lower thread rise with it. Grab the bottom thread with your fingers or pull it out with something long and thin.
Place the ends of the thread from the back of the machine. Close the bobbin hole cover, and you’re ready to sew!
You are ready to sew!
Here are a few tips to help you sew successfully with this mini-machine.
Tip
Use the handwheel to sew a few stitches into the fabric before you press the foot pedal and start sewing. This will keep the thread from pulling out. This happened to me until I adjusted this way.
Tip
This machine doesn’t have a reverse. I usually use the reverse on a large machine to secure the stitch. If you want to secure the stitching, I recommend turning the fabric and then stitching along those stitches.
Tip
When you get to the end of the stitching, keep sewing to pull out a longer thread, which you can cut and leave a long enough tail for the next stitching. This machine doesn’t really like it when we pull the thread out of it.
I hope this tutorial and additional tips will be helpful to you. Have a great mini sewing session, see you next time!
