How to Use a Sewing Machine – Beginners Guideline

Are you passionate about being a fashionista with immense success? If your answer is ‘yes’ then do you know what is the most important initial thing for you to do? It’s obviously a good command over how to use a sewing machine.

Although there are many online blogs on this topic yet you will find a few as reader-friendly. Considering this shortcoming, we decided to present you with something that is informative and magnetic.

As a part of our attempt, here follows a complete user-friendly guideline that enables you to use your sewing machine more effectively than ever before.

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How to use a sewing machine effectively

To make you understand easily, we have divided the entire process into two parts. First one shows how to prepare a sewing machine. While the other one introduces you to an effective use of the machine. Let’s explore the two parts separately!

Part 1: Preparing a sewing machine

The first phase of how to use a sewing machine is learning to prepare it well. Here goes the preparation detail step by step.

Place the machine on a sturdy ground

At first, set the machine on the ground like a table, counter, or desk. Be sure that the ground is stable enough not to move front and back while using the machine. At the time of setting it, make sure that the needle side of the machine is on your left. Then, use a chair or stool to sit on that is perfect for the height of the ground.

Install needle safely

Every needle has a groove that you can find in the opposite of its shank’s flat side. While setting the needle, ensure that the groove faces the same direction of the needle’s threading. Finally, securely tighten the thumb-screw after inserting your needle into the post.

Wind and insert the bobbin

A lower thread and a top thread are two dissimilar thread sources used by a sewing machine. The sources are always stored on the bobbin. For winding your bobbin, set its spool on the top of the bobbin winder. Now, wrap the thread to the bobbin and around the guide from the spool of thread. Lastly, switch on the winder and wait until it stops automatically after the bobbin being full. You may also read our dedicated article on How to Set Up Sewing Machine Bobbin.

Thread the machine

At first, you should unwind the thread spool and attach it to the needle. For doing this successfully, hold the thread carefully. Then, drag it via the guide of the thread. Keep pulling it down and on all sides of the ‘take-up lever’.

Get both the threads out

Firstly, grip the thread taut of the needle with left hand towards you. Make a complete down/up the revolution of the needle turning the ‘hand wheel’ to you using the right hand. By this time, you must have pulled up the needle thread on that has been held with the left hand so far.

The ‘bobbin thread’ is already caught when the wound needle went consecutively down and up. You will now find the wound needle looped. To take up the tail of the bobbin thread, simply drag the loop’s one side. At last, you must have the two threads’ ends, one from the bobbin and another from the needle.

Turn on the machine

Now, simply plug in the machine and press the power button. If your machine doesn’t have a power button, then it will turn on as soon as you plug it.

Part 2: Using the machine for sewing

We hope you have already learnt the detail of preparing your sewing machine. Now, it’s time to show you how to use a sewing machine through step by step process. Let’s begin!

Select the stitch length

Use a straight stitch to sew the seams. On the contrary, use zigzag one, for preventing edges from unravelling.

Practice with scrap clothes

It is better to choose a normal woven cloth to have the initial sewing experience. We strictly forbid you to use heavy fabric for first time experience.

Line up the fabric

Always pick the left side of the machine to sew bulk material. You may also pick the right side but in this case, this often causes unorganized stitching.

Lower the presser foot

Set the presser foot low using a lever. To find out the lever, just look around the flank or behind of the needle board.

Hold the bare ends of both of the threads

You should keep the bare ends of both threads held at least for five or six stitches. This ensures that the threads are not falling back into the fabric. Once you have stitched for a while, you can release both the ends. Then start controlling the machine and fabric using both hands.

Press the foot pedal

The foot pedal is just like a gas pedal of a car. The harder you press it, the more speed you get. But, it is unwise to press it tight at the beginning.

Find the reverse button

Use the reverse button to reverse your machine’s normal direction. In case, you don’t know which is the reverse button, kindly go through the guide book available with the machine.

You may find the button to be spring-loaded. In such a case, you are to keep holding the button until your reverse sewing is done.

Use the handwheel

Do you want to release your fabric from the machine? Or, move it to other parts? Then, simply use the handwheel to set the needle up.

Remember to turn the wheel proportionately. Your careless turning may be a strong reason for a broken needle.

Cut the thread

Some machines contain built-in notch to help you trim the thread. If it is not available on your machine, you can use a scissor.

While talking about scissor, we think it’s better to leave an additional suggestion for you. Always, use the sharpest scissors that doesn’t leave uneven thread end and uneven fabric end as well.

An uneven thread end will make your insertion of thread into the needle groove tougher. On the other hand, an uneven fabric end simply ruins the beauty of your creation.

Start with an easy task

Once you have gone through the above-mentioned steps of this part, it means you are now aware of using a sewing machine properly. But, don’t be overexcited and make any significant experiment with your raw experience. Instead, go through the steps repeatedly and make an expedition with a simple task. For example, you can sew a gift bag or pillow. Here are some Easy Sewing Projects For Beginners.

Final words

So, this is obvious that using a sewing machine is a mammoth task that requires patience and time. But, if you follow our guideline thoroughly, your learning how to use a sewing machine effectively will boost up. However, it is never wise to jump to using a sewing machine without being familiar with its different parts. Then, you may feel difficulty in understanding our writing.

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