Vintage Sewing Machines: Filling the Bobbin

Vintage Paramount sewing machine: How to fill the bobbin

Morag wrote me to ask how to fill the bobbin of her vintage Imperial sewing machine model 703. I could not find a photo of a front facing Imperial 703, but found a similar Paramount. Nevertheless filling the bobbin is common among most sewing machines, though the parts might be in slightly different places.

Filling the bobbin is necessary for any sewing machine. The bobbin needs to be filled with even and the right amount of thread tension, or your sewing line will come out uneven. Otherwise filling the bobbin is pretty easy.

If the thread is threaded into the sewing machine needle you will need to pull it out of the needle and tensioning mechanism.

1. Put the spool of thread on your spool holder. This is the same location used when sewing or filling the bobbin.
2. Pull the thread down and through the thread tensioner. The thread tensioner is simply two disks that are lightly held together under spring tension. The spring tensioner should not be too tight.
3. From there thread it around the bobbin. The bobbin will have a hole. Put the thread through the bobbin hole and wrap the thread around the bobbin a couple of times.
4. Place the bobbin on the bobbin holder. Start your machine, or roll the large wheel to see the direction of the bobbin holder. If you put the bobbin on the holder in reverse your thread will quickly come off your bobbin.
5. With even and slow speed, start your machine, or roll the large wheel, rolling more thread onto your bobbin. When the bobbin is full, stop and cut the thread.
6. Install the bobbin into your machine, rethread the needle, you are now ready to sew.

Vintage Paramount sewing machine: How to fill the bobbin