Needle threader for sewing machines: what is it and how to use it?

People whose visual acuity is not one hundred percent do not quite clearly see in detail the end of the thread and the eye of the needle in order to push one into the other. But even when a particular person with vision is okay, he balances his actions, however, laziness and lack of patience prevents him from threading a needle. This is where the needle threader is needed.

Whatever the sewing machine, and whatever sewing is automated or completely manual, you are unlikely to want to return to manually threading the thread into the needle after meeting the needle threader. The exception is only needles with a semi-closed eye. They grab the thread without twisting - by fitting the end of a needle with interlocking grooves. Externally and remotely, such a needle resembles a single-wire connector in an electrical patch cord, into which any of the wires of a multi-wire cable “clogs” without stripping the tip of the wire itself from insulation.

The needle threader is an auxiliary tool that allows you to thread the needle several times faster. It does not matter whether it is a simple needle for manual sewing or a special needle inserted into the needle holder of the needle bar of the sewing machine. And in fact, and in another case, this device will help. The needle threader will be appreciated not only by elderly and visually impaired people, but also by craftsmen who embroider using floss, woolen or acrylic threads. The fact is that the thread needs to be threaded several times, put it like a loop in the eye and so on - here the needle threader is almost indispensable. In addition, with manual work, the needle threader helps to accelerate when the master often changes the thread.

Hand threader - a device that manually pulls a wire loop into the eye of a needle and picks up the thread. Sometimes it is supplemented with a magnifying glass, a thread cutter (additional blades). The handle is naturally suitable for conveniently holding the device in your hand. The automatic retractor is located on a typewriter. When he presses the button, he himself inserts a wire loop into the eye of the needle already installed in the needle bar and picks up the thread loop.

Both of them are used at each change of the upper thread in the sewing machine. On some models, for example, in the Janome J925s machine, the needle threader is already included in the package of delivery of the entire product. Other models have only installation space for most typical versions of the needle threader - it is not included in the package, but you can purchase it separately.

If you immediately started high-speed sewing on a sewing machine, in order to To use the needle threader, do the following.

• Set the needle to the upper position by turning the handwheel of the sewing machine.
• Fold a small loop. To do this, the thread is wrapped around the cranked clamp of the needle holder. At the same time, press the lever that raises the needle threader tip. The hook allows you to drag the thread through the eye, and the lever, in turn, lowers the hook and pushes the thread toward the needle.
• As soon as the working part of the needle threader comes into contact with the needle, direct the hook with the thread into the small cavity located on the hook itself so that the thread catches on to it.
• Release the lever so that the loop passes through the tip of the needle. The pressed lever is no longer needed.
• Grasp the end of the loop and pull it away from the tip of the needle.

The thread is threaded into the needle, you can start sewing. Be sure to check that the needle is correctly positioned before threading the thread into it. In fact, putting the thread on the hook of the needle threader is much easier and faster than manually, without this device, putting it in the eye. But the automatic fixture has a significant drawback - when carelessly threading a thread, this hook is much easier to damage than breaking the needle itself, otherwise you have to use its manual version.

First generation needle threaders, for example, included with Janome 1221 / 90A. They do not have a strong enough hook that pulls the thread into the eye of the needle - it is very easy to damage it. Newer, second generation, are installed in many models of sewing machines. The threading process is easy to bring to perfection, and they are equipped with a much stronger hook, easily bent back (the alloy from which the working part of the device is made allows bending this hook more than a dozen times before it breaks).

If you became the owner of a sewing machine without a needle threader - perhaps this was your choice, since reliability, speed and other key parameters of the device turned out to be much more important than having a hook that accelerates the pulling of the thread. The device itself can also be purchased after the “break-in” of the sewing machine. Some craftsmen even make this hook on their own.

Auto-threaders from Japanese and Taiwanese suppliers are a significant segment of the market for these devices. So, Bohin 81980 fits all needles. To thread a needle, a single press of a button is enough. Kawaguchi brand retailers have a search magnet for finding fallen needles, and a knife is also included. This model makes it possible to drag three floss threads into almost any needle.

Cars of brands Astralux, Brother and Bernina do not have the needle threaders included in their set. They will need any replacement model of this device.

Sewing machines that have two or more simultaneously working needles use a longer (sometimes built-in) needle threader, passing threads from once installed needles to each other next to each other. Appearing for the first time on multi-suture devices for industrial use, The “compound” needle threader has also taken root as an accessory for home two- and three-needle machines.

Such a device is also suitable for a device such as overlock - multi-needle machines, or ordinary machines with an “overlock” nozzle, which are sweeping the edges of matter subject to rapid swelling. The hook of such a needle threader is not only suitable for needles - with it you can pass the bobbin thread through the shuttle of a regular sewing machine.

If at first, before threading the thread itself, the needle was installed incorrectly or not raised to the upper position, then the automatic needle threader will be useless. A needle whose eye is not positioned correctly will allow an automatic needle threader with thread to pass through. In addition, sewing with a needle set in this way will be noticeably difficult. Anyway Adjust the needle so that the axis of the eye does not face you when you are sitting at the table where the sewing machine is standing.

Do not use a thread that is too thick with respect to the needle. You just can't refuel it. And by using force, you will damage both the needle and the needle threader. In addition, the thread and needle that do not correspond to the thickness and stiffness of the material will lead to the fact that sewing will be significantly difficult or even impossible. When choosing a needle threader, rely on the data specified in its description.

See how the automatic needle threader works in a sewing machine in the next video.