How to thread a sewing machine and wind a bobbin

The two jobs every sewist does first. Your manual is the final word for your model, but almost every home machine follows the same pattern.

Pinny's tip
Always thread with the presser foot UP. It opens the tension discs so the thread sits inside them. Most "my stitches are loopy" problems come from threading with the foot down.

What you'll need

• Your machine's manual: the threading diagram for your model is often printed on the machine too.
• An empty bobbin of the right type: bobbins look alike but are not interchangeable between models.
• General-purpose thread: polyester all-purpose suits most fabrics.

Step by step

1. Switch off the machine and raise the presser foot and the needle (turn the handwheel towards you).
2. Put the thread on the spool pin and fit the spool cap so it can't jump off.
3. To wind a bobbin: take the thread round the bobbin-winding guide, wind it a few turns clockwise round the empty bobbin by hand, and push the bobbin onto the winder spindle.
4. Push the spindle across (or disengage the handwheel, on older machines), hold the loose tail, and press the pedal. Trim the tail after a few turns. The winder stops when the bobbin is full.
5. To insert a top-loading or drop-in bobbin: drop it in so the thread unwinds the way your manual shows (often anticlockwise), guide the thread through the slot, and close the cover.
6. Thread the top: follow the numbered path, from the spool across the top, down the channel, round the U-turn, up and through the take-up lever, then down to the needle.
7. Thread the needle from front to back, or use the built-in threader if your machine has one.
8. Hold the top thread, turn the handwheel towards you one full turn, then pull the top thread to bring up a loop of bobbin thread. Pull both threads to the back under the foot.

When it goes wrong

• Loops underneath your fabric? The top thread is almost always the culprit. Rethread the top with the presser foot up.
• Thread keeps snapping? Check the needle is in the right way round and not bent, and that the spool cap is on.
• Bobbin winds unevenly? Make sure the thread passed round the winding guide.

Sources

All checked 1 November 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.

1. Janome: video tutorials (winding the bobbin, threading the machine)
2. Ashley Kalfas: How to Wind Bobbin and Thread a Janome Sewing Machine (YouTube)
3. Instructables: How to Thread a Sewing Machine