It seems that my probable new machine has an "awesome" drop-in bobbin system. Wish I knew what that meant for me!! Um, what exactly is a bobbin and what is its purpose? I know what they look like and that they are different from the thread spools. Do I need to use one?
I did a Google search, but I need someone to dumb it down a bit ...
LOL! You definitely a need a bobbin. Don't worry - this will be dumbed down because I am no expert. You wind the bobbin with the same thread you are using to sew your project. It goes in the bottom of the machine and its thread comes up and joins with the thread from the spool and "sews" your pieces together.
You definitely need/want the bobbin LOL It is that two-thread, one-from-the-top-one-from-the-bottom that creates a lock stitch. Children's sewing machines generally don't have a bobbin, and use just one thread to create a chain stitch. One pull on that and your entire sewing comes undone!
Yup, I'll explain the sewing machine, and you can explain the howitzer
ETA: about that "drop-in" bobbin - it means you can wind the thread on it while it sits in place. On old machines, you used to have to remove the bobbin, put it on a little spike to wind it, and then put it back in place and rethread the #&%##& thing.
When you hand sew, your needle goes down through the top and back up from the bottom. I machine needle can't do this, so it needs a separate thread on the bottom that joins with the top thread (the one in the machine needle) like Jennifer said.
Usually, you wind the bobbin and stick it on a spindle underneath the sewing plate of the machine. It has to go a certain direction, or it doesn't work. This is the advantage of the "drop-in". However, it isn't hard at all to do it the "old-fashioned" way. I don't use my machine enough to do it all from memory, but the little pictures and arrows always show me how to thread it, and I can be sewing with minimal set-up.
I'm glad you are looking at machines. No one appreciates hand-sewing more than I do, but I think it will take the fun out of quilting pretty fast.
Yup, I'll explain the sewing machine, and you can explain the howitzer
DEAL!!
Quote:
I'm glad you are looking at machines. No one appreciates hand-sewing more than I do, but I think it will take the fun out of quilting pretty fast.
Yeah ... even just sewing around the edges of the folded star is starting to get cumbersome. I changed my plan and my folded star will now be a pillow. I've handsewn pillows before, but it wasn't easy and I didn' enjoy it. I am looking forward to all the projects I'll be able to finish sometime this DECADE using a machine!
That drop-in bobbin is key. The other kind comes with this case thing. You have to wind thread on your bobbin and then get the bobbin in this case thinginy (I suck at this) and then get it thread up under your needle. I'm a big fan of drop-in bobbins.
Keep in mind that I've never owned a sewing machine! 
I know what they look like and that they are different from the thread spools. Do I need to use one? 
Linear Mode
