Start with the manual, not the fabric. In your first hour, find the threading diagram, wind a bobbin, thread the machine with the presser foot up, put in a new universal 80/12 needle, and sew straight lines on two layers of medium-weight cotton at a stitch length of 2.5 mm. Once the machine sews a neat seam on scraps, you are ready for a first project.
What should you do in the first hour?
- Set up on a solid table. A wobbly surface makes stitches uneven. Sit with the needle roughly in front of your sternum, with good light falling from the side.
- Keep the box until the return or warranty period has passed.
- Find the accessories. Usually extra presser feet, bobbins, a seam ripper, spool caps, a small screwdriver, a lint brush and a pack of needles. Keep them together in one container.
- Read the first chapters of the manual: the names of the parts, threading, winding the bobbin and inserting it. Machines differ, and your manual beats any general guide here.
- Plug in the foot pedal and place it where your foot rests naturally.
How do you thread a sewing machine correctly?
Threading causes most first-day frustration, and almost all of it comes from two details.
- Raise the presser foot before threading the top thread. With the foot up, the tension discs are open and the thread can settle between them. Thread with the foot down and the thread skips the discs, which gives loops and nests of thread under the fabric.
- Raise the needle to its highest point by turning the handwheel toward you. The take-up lever, the arm that moves up and down at the front, must be at the top so that you can thread it.
Follow the numbered path printed on the machine, through the take-up lever and down to the needle, then thread the needle from front to back on most machines. For the bobbin, wind it with the machine's bobbin winder and insert it as your manual shows: drop-in bobbins and front-loading bobbin cases each turn in a specific direction, and the wrong direction changes the tension. Hold the top thread, turn the handwheel one full turn toward you, and pull up the loop of bobbin thread.
Which settings should you start with?
| Setting | Start at | Change it when |
|---|---|---|
| Stitch | Straight stitch | Finishing raw edges: zigzag |
| Stitch length | 2.5 mm (about 10 stitches per inch) | Basting or gathering: 4–5 mm; topstitching: 3 mm |
| Stitch width | 0 for a straight stitch | Zigzag edge finish: 3–4 mm wide, 1.5–2 mm long |
| Upper tension | The default mark, often around 4 on a 0–9 dial | Stitches look uneven on one side |
| Needle | Universal 80/12 | Knits: ballpoint or stretch; denim: 90/14 or 100/16 jeans needle |
| Thread | All-purpose polyester | Topstitching or heavy fabrics |
Change one setting at a time, and test on a folded scrap of your project fabric before every new project. Our guide to sewing machine needles and thread goes further.
What are the presser feet in the box for?
Most machines come with four or five feet. The all-purpose (zigzag) foot does most of the work. The zipper foot lets you sew close to the teeth of a zip. The buttonhole foot works with the buttonhole stitch. The blind hem foot guides an almost invisible hem. Some machines add an overcasting foot or a satin stitch foot. There is more in our post on presser feet explained.
What should your first stitches be?
- Paper first. Draw straight lines, zigzags and curves on printer paper and stitch along them without thread. It trains speed control.
- Then two layers of cotton. Line the fabric edge up with the 1.5 cm (5/8 in) marking on the needle plate, and watch the edge against the marking, not the needle.
- Backstitch three or four stitches at the start and end of each seam, using the reverse lever or button.
- Pivot at corners: stop with the needle down in the fabric, lift the foot, turn the fabric, lower the foot and continue.
- Go slowly. Press the pedal gently; many machines have a speed slider that helps.
How do you fix the most common first-day problems?
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Tangle of thread under the fabric | Top thread not in the tension discs | Rethread the top thread with the presser foot up |
| Thread pulls out of the needle at the start | Take-up lever not at the top, or tails too short | Start with the needle up and 10 cm (4 in) tails held behind the foot |
| Skipped stitches | Blunt, bent or wrong needle | Put in a new needle of the right type |
| Fabric does not move | Feed dogs lowered, or stitch length at 0 | Raise the feed dogs and set the length to 2.5 mm |
| Needle breaks | Pulling the fabric, or sewing over pins | Let the machine feed; remove pins before they reach the foot |
If stitches still look wrong, read the stitch to diagnose the thread tension: when the top thread shows on the underside, the top tension is too loose; when the bobbin thread shows on top, it is too tight.
How do you look after a new machine?
Change the needle every 6 to 8 hours of sewing, after any project in denim or canvas, or whenever stitches start skipping. Brush lint out of the bobbin area regularly; on many machines the needle plate comes off with the supplied screwdriver. Oil only where and when the manual says: many current household machines need little or no oiling. Cover the machine when you are not using it.
What should you sew first?
Pick something flat with straight seams: a scrunchie, a cushion cover or a tote bag. Our list of the best first sewing projects orders them by the skills they teach, and our guide to sewing machine basics goes deeper on threading, the bobbin and tension. When you are ready for a first garment, Sewly can draft a simple one, such as an elastic-waist skirt or pull-on shorts, to your measurements, with a step-by-step guide you can ask questions while you sew.