For those of us who have been sewing for a while, using a sewing machine is second nature.

However, if you are just starting out, it can be overwhelming.

Here’s an overview of sewing machine basics to get you started.

Space

You may not have the luxury of having a dedicated sewing room or even a dedicated surface to sew on.

So, while I think looking at the ergonomics of your seating position and such is important, there are two more important things to consider.

1) Can you reach the foot pedal?

It should be on the floor or some solid surface. And you should be able to comfortably reach it with your foot.

It’s a lot like driving a car. You need to push the pedal to make the machine go.

2) Do you have enough space for your work?

When sewing, the bulk of your project will sit on the left side of your needle. And whatever you sew will go behind your machine. It’s a good idea to have space on whatever surface, both to the left of the machine and behind it, for your project to sit on as you sew..

Otherwise, gravity will continuously try to pull your work off the table and out of the machine.

OR, if you’re bumping up against a wall, you could fight with getting enough space to move your fabric through the machine without parts of what you are sewing getting stuck under the needle when you don’t want it to.

General Controls

The top three controls on your machine will be thread tension, stitch selection, and the reverse button. Check your manual for how these work on your machine.

Reverse

Well, for me, the reverse button is probably 4th after the foot pedal, but I already talked about that.

You’ll likely use your reverse button to back tack to start and end seams. This helps prevent the seam from coming undone. So, knowing where that button is and how it works is important.

Tension

When properly threaded, the thread will go between a set of tension disks before being threaded through the needle. The thread tension dial will control the clamping, if you will, of the thread by the tension disks.

In MOST machines, these disks are only engaged when the presser foot is down. (Maybe that should be an honorary control on your machine, the presser foot raise/lower lever).

If you get the tension wrong, you can have bad stitches, broken threads, or even jams.

Stitch Selection

Use an appropriate stitch for what you are sewing. For most things, a simple straight stitch is adequate.

But if you are finishing the edges of a piece of fabric, you will want something that can overcast the edge like a zig-zag or overedge, or overlock stitch.

If you are sewing a knit or stretchy garment that needs its seams to stretch when worn, you need a stitch that stretches. For many applications in activewear, you can use an overlock (overedge or overcast stitch) specifically for this purpose. But if you need a straight stitch, a lightning stitch is a good option. You might even have a straight stretch stitch.

Check your manual for the stitch options on your machine and how to set them. And when in doubt, test your stitch on scrap fabric.

Machine Needle

This little seemingly innocuous chunk of metal can single-handedly make or break your sewing experience.

Always pick a needle that is appropriate for the fabric you are sewing. Sometimes you only know that you need a different type after testing on scrap.

And never sew with a damaged or bent needle.

And sometimes, a needle wears out without any obvious damage.

If you are starting to have jams, skipped stitches, or other weird things happen. Change your needle.

Needles are consumables. They need to be replaced.

Sewing Speed

Always sew at a speed you are comfortable with.

You control the speed of the machine, that is, the rate at which the needle goes up and down with the foot pedal.

Some machines have a slow sew speed setting or a dial you can dial back the maximum speed the machine will go.

Don’t confuse machine stitch speed with how fast the fabric will go through the machine.

If you have a very short stitch length, the fabric will go through the machine a lot slower than if you have a very long stitch length.

If you are pressing the foot pedal, and the needle is going fast, but the fabric isn’t going through the machine fast. Don’t pull it. Check your stitch length first.

Sewing Don’ts

And that brings me to 4 things to avoid when using a sewing machine.

Don’t pull the fabric through the machine.

Let the machine do the work for you. That’s what the feed dogs are for. They will pull the fabric through the machine at the correct stitch length.

If you pull it through, you can have uneven stitches at the least and broken needles or other machine parts at the worst.

Don’t sew over pins.

Sewing over pins is a great way to damage your needle. Even if you don’t break it, you might just nick it and then it’ll snag all the fabric you try to sew with it after.

Plus, it’ll nick or damage the pins. And while, yes, pins and needles are consumables, you don’t need to speed the process of degradation along.

Don’t distort the fabric as you sew.

Avoid stretching fabric out as you sew, unless the instructions call for it.

Avoid, as much as you can, straightening curves or curving straight seams.

The resulting seams will lie flatter and look better if you don’t distort the fabric as you sew.

Don’t get your fingers too close to the needle.

The chances of you actually sewing through your finger is slim. But it can happen.

More likely, you’ll smack your fingers or knuckles with the screw heads and what not that is on the needle assembly. And trust me, that does not feel good.

If you are just learning sewing, picking projects that are a little larger can help you keep your fingers further away. For most projects, intricate, detailed sewing with your fingers all up close to the presser foot isn’t required. When it is, be extra vigilant to keep your fingers safe.

Summary

That’s a quick overview of using a sewing machine.

For more information on the sewing machine check out some of my other articles here: Sewing Machine