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LIESEL'S PRACTICAL POUFBUNNY AREA
on Petticoat Pond
2. LOADING THE BOBBIN
On the machine there is another spindle that you can put an empty bobbin on. This spindle’s whole purpose in life is to wind thread onto a bobbin from the spool of thread you bought at the store. Your manual will show you how to route the thread from the store spool of thread to the bobbin. This usually involves routing the thread around and under things. The route changes from model to model so follow the picture in your manual exactly. The thread ends up going through a hole in the side of the bobbin so it gets pinched between the bobbin and the spindle when you put the bobbin on the spindle. This holds the thread to the bobbin while the winding gets started. Once the bobbin is on the spindle with the thread through the hole there is usually some sort of latch that needs to be operated sometimes it moves a small curved plate down between the inside edges of the bobbin. The plate makes the thread wind onto the bobbin flat. On other machines I’ve seen there is a small arm that is in front of the bobbin that moves back and forth in front of the bobbin as the bobbin turns. On these machines the thread goes through a hole or slot in the arm on its way to the bobbin. The arm moving back and forth is what makes sure the thread winds flat onto the bobbin. Next you need to "shift" the machine out of sewing gear into bobbin winding gear. There is usually a knob in the middle of the wheel on the right side of the machine that does this. You hold the wheel with on hand and turn the knob with the other hand. With the knob turned all the way in one direction the needle will go up and down when you turn the wheel. That’s how you want it set when you’re ready to sew. With the knob turned all the way in the opposite direction the needle doesn’t move when you turn the wheel. This is the way you need it set when you are loading a bobbin. Now turn on the power and GENTLY press on the peddle. The electric motor with start slowly turning the wheel and if all else has gone well the bobbin will be turning too. Thread will be winding onto the bobbin from the spool you got at the store. On most machines the latch that is holding the bobbin will release when the bobbin is full. Otherwise just stop the machine when the bobbin is full. Do not overfill the bobbin. The thread on the bobbin must not be higher than the edge of the bobbin. If the bobbin is to full you wont be able to put it into the machine. Cut the thread between the bobbin and the spool. Take the bobbin off the spindle and put the machine back into sewing gear. The bobbin will supply the second thread the machine needs to sew with. There is a plate, usually silver colored, on the base of the machine where the needle does the sewing. The plate is usually made up of two or more separate plates. Usually the plate at the front or at the left is made to be easily removed by just lifting it up or sliding it one way or another. See your manual for a picture on how to remove the plate on your machine. Under the plate is where the bobbin lives.
I’ve seen several different ways that the bobbins get put into the machine so again you’ll have to check your manual, but watch for two things. One is that the thread will go under some sort of spring that pinches the thread a little. There will also be some way to adjust how hard the thread gets pinched. This is the bobbin thread tension adjustment. Don’t do anything with the adjustment now. Just note where the adjustment is. Many machines use a small screw to make this adjustment and the machines come with a tiny screwdriver for this purpose. If your machine uses a screw for this purpose you will need to locate the screw driver because later on you may need to adjust this bobbin thread tension. When installing the loaded bobbin in the machine be sure to put the thread into this tension adjustment exactly as shown in your machines manual. If the thread is not in the tension adjustment the machine will not sew right. Also the manual will show how to route the thread to the top of the plate while replacing the plate to it’s home. This is also an important step. Give an inch or two of extra length to the thread that ends up on top of the plate. If this length is to short the machine will lose its thread before it starts to sew and you will need to remove and reinstall the bobbin before you can try again. If things have gone well you now have a loaded bobbin installed in the machine.
ON TO SECTION
THREE>>>>>>>>>>>>