We’ve all been involved in situations where a wardrobe malfunction has led us to feel incredibly embarrassed. Remember the time when your pants tore open during a casual walk in the park or when you broke a zipper in the loo just before an important presentation. You don’t even want to think about it, and we understand.
The only reason we’re asking you to recall these past awkward moments is to help you avoid such embarrassing situations in the future. How can you do that? By carrying a handheld sewing machine with you. People today are extremely lucky to have portable, handheld sewing machines; these machines can save people from embarrassment each time they suffer from a wardrobe malfunction. No matter what type of wardrobe malfunction occurs, the handheld sewing machine will fix it.
Unlike the conventional sewing machines that we use at home, handheld sewing machines are portable and compact which makes them ideal for quick hemming. Once you learn how to use a handheld sewing machine, you can confidently walk out of your home without any fear of a wardrobe malfunction. Following are the steps that show how to use a handheld sewing machine.
1. Get the Handheld Sewing Machine Ready
The first and foremost thing that you need to know is that the handheld sewing machine operates on batteries. Therefore, the very first step in using the portable sewing machine would be to load the batteries into the machine.
Typically, the batteries used in this type of sewing machine are AA batteries. However, the number of batteries requires varies from one sewing machine to another. The bottom compartment of the sewing machine is generally where the batteries need to go. Once the batteries have been inserted into the machine, the next step would be to set up the bobbin.
2. Set Up the Bobbin
In sewing, the bobbin refers to a small wheel or reel design made out of plastic, wood, or metal that holds the thread. Unlike a traditional sewing machine, the handheld sewing machine uses only a thread to sew. Therefore, you can use to locate the holder of the bobbin on the side to appropriately position the thread. Slide on the bobbin after you’ve pulled off the bobbin holder and the spring beneath it. Next, position the spring carefully over the hole for the holder of the bobbin. Follow this up by sliding the holder of the bobbin and then position the bobbin into place.
3. Thread the Needle
To allow the thread to exit the bobbin clockwise, position the thread in the bobbin on the handheld sewing machine’s side. Pull the thread’s end away from the bobbin and toward the sewing machine’s front. Position the thread’s end into the separate header that came with the sewing machine.
Fix the threader’s threaded end through the handheld sewing machine needle’s eye. Remove the threader after pulling the thread through the hole. At least two inches of thread should be left hanging from the needle’s eye.
Remember, the thread travels from the bobbin via the needle arm’s first-thread guide; it passes through the tension’s control two plates. Additionally, it passes through the second thread guide at the needle arm’s end. The given needle threader should be used by the seamstress to feed the thread into the needle’s eye.
After you’ve fed the thread via the threader and the needle’s eye, turn the rotary once; this will allow the thread to go beneath fastening plate of the sewing machine. Finally, you should pick up the fastening plate and utilize its seam ripper to pull out the thread from beneath the fastening plate.
4. Sew the Fabric
Till the time the arm of the needle is raised, turn the handwheel on the handheld sewing machine’s side in either direction. Pick up the presser foot using one hand while using the other hand to position the fabric underneath. To ensure the needle is directly over the location you want to begin the seam, place the fabric in the preferred position.
Using one hand, firmly grip the handheld sewing machines and press the power switch. After you do this, the machine will start to sew. Use the other hand to guide the fabric through the sewing machine. Switch off the power and stop sewing.
Sewing the fabric is extremely easy; it’s the threading part that’s tricky. After you thread the sewing machine, you should lift the fastening plate and place underneath it the fabric. Make sure you position the fabric where you want to start stitching.
It is important to note that the handheld sewing machine will not sew from left to right; instead, it only sews in reverse. To give some gentle tension, use your left hand to hold the fabric and then use the power switch on the top to turn the machine on. The fabric will make its way through the machine on its own.
5. Secure the Stitches
The fifth and final step in this guide on how to use a handheld sewing machine is securing the stitches. Once you have completed the row of stitches, you need to ensure that the stitches cannot untangle. In traditional sewing machines, this is done using a reverse stitch. However, things work a little differently in handheld sewing machines.
In a handheld sewing machine, you should raise the arm of the needle by turning the rotary wheel. This should be followed by picking up the fastening plate, pulling out the thread, and using a seam ripper to cut it. After this, the rotary wheel should be turned once again; this will allow the needle to go up and down an additional time which will create a loop in the thread on the fabric’s backside.
Next, pick up the fastening plate and pull out the fabric. Find the loop on the fabric’s backside and then pull it; this will allow the thread’s trailing end to travel from the fabric’s front to its back. This will secure the stitching and prevent it from untangling.
Our Final Thoughts
You can now avoid embarrassing situations caused by a wardrobe malfunction by carrying a handheld sewing machine with you. Being a portable machine that is ideal for traveling, the handheld sewing machines require little storage space and can be used on the road, in the office, on-board a bus or train, and in many other places.
In addition to the above, a handheld sewing machine is a good choice for people who need to sew from time to time but do not want the inconvenience that comes with a full-sized sewing machine. Although the handheld sewing machine looks different from a full-sized sewing machine, it can perform similar functions.
The handheld sewing machine offers many different ways of operation and you can take it with you wherever you go; you can take it to work, on a road trip, to the mall, and any place that you’re invited to. It can quickly sew a piece of fabric in situations where you need to fix a piece of cloth in a hurry. In other words, it is the best thing that you can carry to fix clothes in a hurry. Finally, it is easy to use this extremely useful sewing machine. You can use the machine by following the steps given above in this guide on how to use a handheld sewing machine.
