I had the simplest way of getting the thread off the spool: I put a push pin in the wall about 2 feet above the machine. I threaded the thread through the bottom loop of a safety pin and hooked it onto the pin. If you have curtains, you can pin the safety pin to them. Just make sure the spool of thread is directly below the safety pin so the thread comes off the top, and it is not pushed up against the wall. You go from the safety pin to the machine and thread like normal.