How to Rewind Bobbins on an Old Singer

Modern plastic bobbins are cheaper, but no one has really improved on the design of these metal bobbins.

In the last decades of the 19th century, a sewing machine was the most exciting purchase in the lives of most middle-class women because it meant they no longer had to hand-sew every garment. These vintage machines were often handed down as family treasures. Many metal-bodied machines from the 1950s are still around for a different reason: they never stopped running. You might not even recognize the bobbin winder on an old Singer. It looks like a little wheel tucked into the side of the machine. This type of bobbin winder is simple and easy to use when you know how.

Things You'll Need

• Thread
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Pull the bobbin winder forward. It is a little rubber wheel located on the right side of the machine.

2. Disengage the hand wheel by loosening the knob in the center of the wheel. This keeps the needle from going up and down as you wind the bobbin. Place a spool of thread on the spindle and loop the thread around the metal hook located on the top of the machine over the bobbin winder.

3. Wrap the thread around the bobbin several times. Hold the loose end of the thread in your hand. Push the bobbin winder up until the rubber wheel is against the hand wheel.

4. Press the foot pedal so the hand wheel turns and spins the bobbin winder. If it does not turn the winder, press the winder against the wheel more firmly. You may let go of the end of the thread after a few turns.

5. Stop when the bobbin is full and cut the thread.