A bobbin is an essential part of your sewing machine. Learning how to load a bobbin is a must-have skill because all the standard sewing machines use the same concept of top and bottom threads.
In this article, you will learn how to put bottom bobbin in sewing machine, from loading a bobbin to inserting the bobbin case into the machine.
What is a Bobbin on a Sewing Machine?
A bobbin is a cylinder or spindle on which thread is wound to make the bottom thread of a sewing machine. The main purpose of a bobbin is to hold the thread and prevent it from tangling. You can find plastic or metallic bobbins.
Bobbin is wound with thread and placed underneath the plate to form the bottom seam. The top thread picks up the bobbin thread and interlocks to create stronger and neat seams.
NB: Make sure that your bobbin don’t have cracks or slits because it will give you problems like thread breaking when sewing.
Also, bobbins should be of the proper size for your machine. Most machines come with several bobbins. However, if you want to buy more, check your user’s manual to confirm the right bobbins to purchase.
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to load a bobbin.
How to Load a Bobbin with Thread
To wind your bobbin, you will need a spool of thread and an empty bobbin. You should never refill a half-full bobbin, instead use an empty bobbin whenever you need to change.
Place your spool of thread in the spool pin and secure it with a cap. Pass the thread through the pre-tension disc. Then use your hand to wind the thread around the bobbin several times to hold it in place.
Place the bobbin in the bobbin winder shaft and turn it clockwise until you hear a click. You can trim any excess thread tail. Then start winding by turning on your machine, and pressing the foot peddle.
If your machine is automatic, just press the button and the machine will do the work. When the bobbin is full, stop the machine. Make sure that the bobbin is wound tightly, because when loose, it may not fit in the bobbin case.
You should also not wind excess thread. The thread should be the same level as the two wheels of your bobbin. Now you can load your bobbin into the sewing machine.
There are two ways of loading a bobbin in a sewing machine depending on the machine’s make.
- How to load a bobbin for drop-in mechanism
- How to load a bobbin – front load mechanism
You should check your sewing machine’s manual to see the type of bobbin load it uses. However, you can use either of these two mechanisms for your model.
How to load a front load bobbin in a sewing machine
First, raise your presser foot and the needle in the highest position. Turn off your machine. Open the bobbin area by removing the extension table. Remove the bobbin case by flipping the hinge arm, rotate, and pull it out.
A bobbin case holds the bobbin in place. It also controls the tension of the bottom thread. A bobbin case has several parts; a slot, tension spring, delivery eye, and a finger.
Loading a Bobbin in a Bobbin Case
Insert the wound bobbin in the bobbin case. Pass the thread through the slot until it gets in the delivery eye. Pull about four-inch of thread. Check that the thread unwinds in a clockwise direction.
To check the tension of your thread, hold the thread and suspend your bobbin and bobbin case. For the correct tension, the thread should unwind two to three times then stop. If it doesn’t unwind at all, the tension is too tight.
If you suspend and the thread unwinds non-stop, the tension is too loose. Pick a screwdriver and adjust the tension spring if needed.
Your bobbin is well placed in a bobbin case. Now let’s learn how to put a bobbin in a sewing machine
How to Load a Bobbin Case
Hold the bobbin case with its latch, be careful to turn it so that the bobbin doesn’t fall out. Put the bobbin case inside the shuttle. The finger should point up like a 12 o’clock. Tilt it a bit until you hear a snap sound.
And there you go your bobbin case is well placed. To check if the bobbin is correctly put in place, slowly turn the handwheel towards you. The needle should move downwards without hitting the bobbin case.
To raise the bottom thread, slightly hold the needle thread and turn the handwheel. The bobbin thread will loop around the needle thread. Pull the two threads through the foot and to the back
How to load a bobbin( drop-in mechanism)
It’s also known as the top-loading bobbin. The bobbin is inserted from the top side of the machine. Raise the needle and presser foot.
Note that the bobbin case sits horizontally below the needle compartment. This does not require you to remove the bobbin case each time you want to load a bobbin.
Push the release button to remove the bobbin cover. Pick the already wound bobbin. Make sure that you drop it in such that the thread unwinds in a counterclockwise direction.
Hold the bobbin with one finger and pull the thread with one hand. Pass the thread through the notch. Turn the handwheel gently toward yourself to pick the thread up.
Pull the two threads and feed them through the presser foot and to the back.
Finally
Learning how to load a bobbin is crucial because every standard sewing machine uses the same mechanism of top and bottom thread to create stitches.
Whether your machine has front-loading bobbin or drop-in bobbin mechanism, it is good if you learn how to do it right to obtain neat and strong stitches for your sewing projects.
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