Can you still see to thread your sewing-machine needle?

I have two machines with automatic needle threaders which both work well..... except with invisible thread! I also find it difficult to thread invisible thread manually. I've solved the problem by rubbing the last few inches of thread over a Sharpie pen or an ink pad, just enough to colour it a little so that I can actually see it to thread it! Then of course I cut the coloured end off before sewing.

It's important to me to have the needle threader working properly on my quilting/embroidery machine because the thought of manually threading the needle perhaps 20-30 times while doing an embroidery design would drive me crazy!

Elegran I replaced the needle threader on my Brother machine by following a YouTube video. It was quite easy to do albeit a bit fiddly. Apparently they're often forced out of alignment by everyday sewing glitches - heavy thread, a broken needle, thread tangles etc. But do have a go at replacing your threader, it's worth the effort to have it working again. I now keep a spare one handy ready for when it goes again.

My automatic needle threader wasn't working , so I took the needle out and inserted a new one and it was fine again. I've concluded that the needle must have been slightly bent although it was sewing fine!

I have a needle threader on my machine but I have to make sure the needle is at its highest. The overlocker is a different kettle of fish as it must be threaded in the right order, upper looper, lower looper, and then the needle or needles if using both. I find it helps to put a piece of white paper behind the needles as the holes then show up clearly.

lixy

grandtanteJE65 That's a great idea, thank you for the clear instructions.
Who said ingenuity is on the wane?!

Thanks for those kind words. I was afraid reading my post through that the instructions were about as clear as mud or at least as fuzzy as the photos! Sorry about that!.

I doubt it had much to do with ingenuity more a case of "Neccesity being the mother of invention."

I do have a modern Pfaff machine with a needle threader that works like a dream, but for heavy materials nothing beats old Mrs Singer from 1926.

I discovered a while ago, that turning off the machine's internal light and turning on a table lamp to the left of the needle makes threading it a little easier,

I suspect Gransnet is an untapped source of igenious ways of dealing with the small problems of old ( or older) age.

I have used both the darning needle/ needle threader combination and the white card, both fairly satisfactory. I have even removed the needle, threaded it up as for hand-sewing and put it back in.

However I recently bought a new machine and it has an automatic threader. (Toyota) It took a while to master; the trick is to make sure the needle is at exactly the right height.

There are probably a few tips on YouTube. I think I spend more time watching people sew on YouTube than I do actually sewing myself!

I never did get round to getting my sewing machine out last night, but I did thread a needle with black thread.

I held the needle up in front of my computer screen with a document with a white background on it. The brightness of the screen made threading the needle incredibly easy.

LadyGracie

My machine has an automatic needle threader too, how it is supposed to work is beyond me.
It can’t all be down to user error, or can it?

I've been machine sewing since I was 14 and never encountered a temperamental needle threader until a couple of years ago!

My machine has an automatic needle threader too, how it is supposed to work is beyond me.
It can’t all be down to user error, or can it?

Neither did mine. I thought it was slightly out of true, so I pushed it very gently to straighten it up. It now doesn't work at all. I bought a replacement, but have not been brave enough yet to remove the other one and put on the new.

The needle threader on my new machine doesn't always work (it could user error) so the tips could be very useful, thank you.

I use white card behind the needle when threading the machine I have which doesn't have a needle threader. It is very effective.

That’s a good tip, thank you. I’ve never mastered the needle threader on my machine and currently use a strong magnifying glass.

StarDreamer, yes sometimes holding a different coloured card behind the needle helps too.

Hi thanks for this. I use an old machine and sometimes if it's too dark to see the machine needle clearly I unscrew the needle, thread it from the thread that's on the machine, then screw it back in already threaded, being careful not to twist the thread around the needle.

Would it help to place a sheet of coloured card behind the needle in some way when threading the needle? Perhaps red card?

I am wondering if the hole would be more visible that way.

The sewing machine that I do most of my sewing on has a needle threader. I have never had a problem with it

In France, where we are now, I have a much older machine. Lovely sewer but no needle threader. I haven't used ot for a while, but it is coming out tonight for a small job. I will report back.

My favourite machine is 49 years old and I have to use the metal threader, my not so favourite but newer machine has a needle threader and works well, but I don’t like using the machine.
Hmmmm 1st world problems

Had my machine for 35 years, so no automatic threader. I can just about thread the needle, but it's trial and error, because I can't really see the hole. I DO have a big, strong magnifying glass that was my mums though, so suppose I should use that!

grandtanteJE65 That's a great idea, thank you for the clear instructions.
Who said ingenuity is on the wane?!

My machine gas an automatic threader too but have never managed to get it working, so thanks for the helpful suggestion.

My machine has a built-in gadget for threading the needle, but the way you need to use it is about a fiddly as threading the needle the normal way! It would help if the machine light ws in a position that would shine on the needle from your side, not on the finished seam that you eventually manage to do after you get the thread through.

Great tip, thank you. I've started to struggle when trying to focus on the needle, I'm hoping my new specs will assist when I pick them up next week. I do so much sewing, I'm hoping I will be able to continue long into old age

That is a useful tip.

That's the way I thread mine. I have a self threader but can't always get it to work. Last time I used my machine I only wanted to mend an inch of seam that had come loose - took me 15 minutes to thread the needle and 20 seconds to mend the seam