Setting Up

Setting up your working space

To set up your workspace make sure that you have a clean desk space, a chair of appropriate height, a nearby and easy accessible powerpoint and all your materials and tools ready to start creating.

Winding the bobbin

One of the first steps to setting up the sewing machine is to wind the bobbin, to do this:

1. Place the thread and spool holder onto spool pin.

2. Snap the thread into thread guide at the top of the machine.

3. Wind the thread clockwise around bobbin winder tension discs. Make sure the thread it placed snuggly between disks.

4. Thread through the hole at the edge of the bobbin from the inside to the outside. Place the bobbin on spindle making sure it is pushed all the way down.

5. Push bobbin spindle to right, holding thread end securely.

6. Step on foot control pedal and wind a few revolutions.

7. Stop winding and trim the thread end next to the bobbin.

8. Resume winding until bobbin is full by releasing the foot control.

9. Once the bobbin is full, cut the thread and push the bobbin spindle to the left.

10. Remove the bobbin from the spindle

11. When the bobbin winder spindle is in ‘bobbin winding’ position, the machine will now sew.

12. To start sewing, make sure the bobbin winder spindle is pushed to the left (sewing position).

Inserting the bobbin into the bobbin case

When inserting or removing the bobbin:

1. Raise the pressure foot and make sure the needle is fully raised.

2. Remove the bobbin cover plate by pushing the small tab to the right of the cover towards the right.

3. Insert the bobbin in the bobbin case so that when you pull the thread the bobbin turns in a counterclockwise direction.

4. With the tip of your finger on the bobbin, pull the thread through the slit at the front and toward the back of the machine. Pull out about 15cm of thread towards the back of the plate and attached the bobbin cover plate.

5. Hold the upper thread with your left hand. Turn the hand wheel towards you lowering, the raising needle.

6. If it is difficult to raise the bobbin thread, check to make sure the thread is not trapped in the bobbin cover.

7. Gently pull on the upper thread to bring the bobbin thread up through the needle plate hole.

8. Lay both thread to the back under the presser foot.

Threading the machine

1. Raise the needle to its highest point and continue turning the hand wheel toward you until the needle just slightly begins to descend. The take-up lever should now be visible.

2. Raise the presser foot to release the tension disks.

3. Place thread and appropriately sized spool holder onto spool pin.

4. Draw thread from spool through the upper thread guide and pulling thread through pre-tension spring.

5. Continue by leading the thread down the right channel, around the U-turn and up the left channel.

6. At the top of this movement pass the thread from right to left through the slotted eye of the take-up lever.

7. Bring the thread downward.

8. Pass the thread behind the first horizontal thread guide, and then behind the second thread guide.

9. Thread the needle eye from front to back.

10. Pull about 15cm of thread under the pressure foot to the rear of the beyond the needle eye.

Drawing up the bobbin thread

1. Hold the upper thread with your left hand.

2. Turn the hand wheel towards you lowering, the raising the needle.

3. If it is difficult to raise the bobbin thread, check to make sure the thread is not trapped in the bobbin cover.

4. Gently pull on the upper thread to bring the bobbin thread up through the needle plate hole.

5. Lay both threads to the back under the presser foot.

How to select a stitch

1. Turn the stitch selector dial to the left or right until the stitch you want to sew is lined up with the dot marking above the dial.

2. Set the stitch length dial between 0.5 and 4 as desired.

3. With the stitch width dial you can adjust the stitch width as desired for all stitches. For straight stitch set the stitch width dial to 0.

4. Set needle position dial to centre.

Adjusting the stitch length

Stitch length can be adjusted depending on the weight or thickness of fabrics being sewn. Generally longer stitches are used on heavier fabrics or, and shorter stitches on finer fabrics.

Turn the dial left or right to set stitch length as needed for your project. The higher the number, the longer the stitch length.

Line up your desired setting with the dot marking above the dial.

Adjusting the stitch width

When sewing zig-zag, decorative stretch patterns you can alter the width of your stitches from 1mm to 6mm. To obtain a very narrow stitch, set the dial to 1, and to obtain the maximum width, set the dial to 6. When the dial is set to 0, you will obtain a straight stitch.

Changing needle and presser foot

Changing the needle

1. Turn off the power to the machine.

2. While holding the needle with your fingers, loosen the needle clamp screw to release the needle form the needle clamp.

3. Insert the new needle with the flat side of the shaft towards the back

4. Insert the needle making sure if goes all the way up into the needle clamp. Tighten the needle clamp securely with the screwdriver.

5. Always use the appropriate needle style and needle size for the type of fabric you are sewing.

6. If the needle is showing signs of ware or causing stitch problem due to dullness, please change it.

Changing the presser foot

1. Raise the presser foot using the presser foot lifter. The presser foot release lever extends out the back of the presser foot holder. Press this lever to release the presser foot.

2. To attach a presser foot to the holder, place the desired presser foot (e.g. zipper foot for sewing zips) with its pin directly under the slot in the presser foot holder.

3. Lower the presser foot lifter and the presser foot will snap into place.

Adjusting the thread tension

For most general sewing the thread tension dial can be set between 3 and 5. Depending on the fabric you are sewing and the techniques you are doing, it might be necessary to adjust the thread tension.

For example, if your bobbin thread (bottom thread) is appearing on the top side of your fabric it may be necessary to decrease the tension, turn the dial to a smaller number.

If the upper thread appears to be loose, increase the tension by turning the dial to a higher number.

For all decorative sewing you will always obtain a nicer stitch and less fabric puckering when the upper thread appears slightly on the bottom side of your fabric.

Recommended Settings

Recommended materials

Medium weight woven (non-stretch) fabrics such as cotton, wool, satin, chambray, medium weight silk, medium weight linen, rayon, cotton velvet and silk velvet.

Stitch Options

Straight stitch

Straight stitch is the basic stitch; most common use is to sew two pieces of fabric together.
Can be sewn in reverse to secure the beginning and end of a seam.

Zig-zag stitch

Versatile stitch used for attaching ribbons and trims as well as sewing appliques as a decorative stitch.

Multi-stitch-zigzag

Used for finishing seam allowances to prevent the fabric from unravelling.
When seam finishing, the smaller step of the stitches will help keep fabric more flat than a regular zigzag.
Also used for mending tears and sewing elastic

Blind hem stitch

Use this stitch for sewing hems that are practically invisible from the right side of the fabric. For dresses, trousers, curtains etc. made with non-stretch fabrics.

Stretch blind hem stitch