i position the needle where i want to start, hold the needle thread gently, lower the presser foot and then turn the handcrank one full rotation of the take up lever.
then i tug on the needle thread until the little loop pulls through. i stick a pin or unopened scissors in that loop and pull the thread out. like threading the machine you know?
then i sew three or four stitches, backstitch and then sew down five or six stitches and either clip those threads or do it later....
i think it took me 10x longer to describe that than to do it!
aileen