How to Thread a Sewing Machine

Here's the right way to thread your machine (without losing your mind)!

The trick is knowing the path — and the purpose — of each step.

Threading your sewing machine can be intimidating.
But once you understand what each part does, it suddenly feels simple.

First things first: always raise your presser foot.
That releases the tension discs and makes sure your thread seats properly later.

Now, put your spool on the top pin and pull the thread across the top of your machine.
You’ll usually see little arrows or a numbered path — follow those!

Down the right, around the tension dial, back up through the take-up lever (the metal arm that bobs up and down as you sew), then down again toward the needle.

Here’s the key step most beginners miss: make sure your thread is actually in the take-up lever.

If it’s not, your stitches will skip or your thread will snap.

Once you’re down near the needle, thread through any guides, then into the needle from front to back.

If your machine has a built-in needle threader, use it!
Otherwise, take a deep breath, steady your hand, and go slow.

Then drop in your bobbin, pull up the bobbin thread (hold your top thread and rotate the handwheel toward you), and pull both threads toward the back.

That’s it!

You just learned one of the most fundamental skills in sewing.

Next time, you’ll do it from memory — and it’ll take 20 seconds flat.