by Mary Laclair

Created on: December 01, 2008

I found my OLD black and gold metal Singer the exception to the rule of threading from left to right; and actually threads from right to left. The number one article by Mrs. Georgii is excellent; and I appreciate it. It may be found at Helium dot com, or under a google search 'threading an old sewing machine'. Following her directions is easy. I made it right up to threading the needle. However, after much experimentation, I found that my OLD Singer actually worked when I threaded the needle from right to left. I tried this on my mother-in-law's older machine, and found that it did not work when the needle was threaded right to left, but indeed, as Mrs. Georgii says, that one needed to thread from left to right.

How to know when? I came up with this: Look at the last loop before the needle, the one just above the needle, the one that is actually easy to miss. I believe the thread goes into the needle from the same side as the closed part of this loop. Am I right, Mrs. Georgii?

It makes sense to me, that if threaded from the open side of this loop, the thread would easily pull out of its place in this loop during the process of threading.

When the needle was threaded, right to left, following this reasoning on the OLD, metal, black and gold, Singer, it hummed along fine; when threaded in the usual, standard left to right fashion, the needle kept coming unthreaded.

So, if you have a VERY OLD machine, and it keeps coming unthreaded on the first few stitches, you may have one, like I do, which is the exception to the rule. Try threading this kind of machine from right to left. Just look at the loop immediately preceding the needle, try threading the needle from the same side as the closed side of this last loop.

I'm going to try teaching my grand-daughter on this older machine since it does not go at airplane speeds, but rather hums along at a steady even pace, slow enough for it not to get away from her, as she learns to guide her fabric through the sewing surface. Thank you Mrs. Georgii for a fine and more complete article. In it she gives more specific guidelines for threading your older machine from start to finish. She gives directions on threading the bobbin also.

So if you just can't seem to get your machine to sew properly, whether new or old, don't junk it too soon. Proper threading can get this delicate piece of machinery running smoothly. It is sort of like a computer - one key stroke off, and you won't get the proper results.

Check out Mrs. Georgii's article; make sure you get the direction of the bobbin thread correct, thread coming from the eleven o'clock position; make sure you get the needle threaded from the proper side depending on the age of the machine; make sure the tension is at a middle of the road selection, usually between the numbers four and five, and you may find that most problems have been solved! ...and thread the needle from the opposite side of the open slot on the last loop, which is down at the top of the needle. If this 'slot' goes from front to back rather than right to left as mine does, then your needle probably threads, as Mrs. Georgii says, which is left to right. Mine happened to thread right to left. Good luck!

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