Poll: Machines Winding Bobbin from Needle Thread
 

I thought it would be interesting to know which sewing machines can wind a bobbin without unthreading the machine. In other words, the thread coming from the needle can be used (routing under a metal presser foot) to wind the bobbin in place.

I have a Viking Platinum 750 and it performs this operation beautifully. I almost never wind a bobbin directly from a spool anymore. It is sooooo convenient and is my favorite feature on this machine. I'm almost certain that the entire Viking Platinum line can do this.

Please list your machine and whether it has this capability. Do you use it? Like it, love it or hate it? Lol

I have the same machine and agree totally. The only time I wind from the spool is when I'm changing thread colors for whatever reason. My favorite feature on the machine, though, is the auto tension adjustment with the needle up/down function next in line.

Happy sewing!

Viking ruby and Viking Hclass both wind without unthreading.

My Singer 758 Touch and Sew can only wind a bobbin through a threaded machine. The bobbins are top-load. I think all of the touch and sews are like that.

i have several machines without this feature. i can wind a bobbin without rethreading, though. i take the spool off of the spindle and set it aside with the thread still threaded through the machine. then i put a different spool on the spindle threaded to the empty bobbin and wind away. when done, i put the original spool back on the spindle winding up the excess that was needed to move it away. if the first part of the threading is shared, that is undone first, threaded with bobbin thread and then the original put back.

I have 3 Vikings and I love the bobbin winding feature. It drives me crazy when I use my other machines. Boy we get spoiled

Well that's an option I've never even dreamed of...needless to say, I don't have it!

My Bernina 440QE uses a separate motor to wind a bobbin, so you can actually wind a bobbin while you are sewing or embroidering, but from a second spool or cone of thread, of course. I have never tried to wind a bobbin using the same thread that is going through the needle - not sure I would want to. Usually I wind bobbins from a different spool than the one I'm using for the top thread anyway. But the machine is so easy to thread - and the needle threader works so well - I don't feel a need to avoid re-threading.

I have the Janome 6600 and it has a separate motor so it can operate at the same time as sewing, but you would need to use a different spool of thread.

I wonder if the "from the needle" bobbin winder is specific to Viking?? Cool feature.

Well, I've learned something new today. I've never had a machine that would do that, but I've never really seen the problem with unthreading the machine either. I'm pretty sure I could thread my machine blindfolded by now.

I believe that feature is possible only with top-loading bobbins. There are pros and cons to top-loading versus front-loading bobbin mechanisms. Not sure that anyone has done a comparison of newer machines, but I know that when they first came out top-loading bobbins were said not to produce as nice and even a stitch as front-loaders. Having never had the option to wind bobbins through the needle, can't say this is a feature I would be looking for in a new machine. Having needle-down and the ability to change needle position with a tap of the foot (features on my vintage Bernina) are much more important to me.

Edit: I should add that my machine has two spools for thread. When I wind bobbins the needle doesn't move, so it's quite easy for me to wind a bobbin without unthreading the machine; it just requires using two spools of thread -- one for the needle thread and one for the bobbin thread.

My Baby Lock Espire/Symphony does this too but I prefer to wind from the bobbin. I keep a spool of thread on the back thread pin and wind as I need to.

Prism, the top-loading bobbin machines can do great stitches these days.

it never occurred to me.

i read a little while ago (maybe on leah day's blog?) that she uses bobbin changes as a chance to sweep out the lint from the dogs etc.

now i do that too and it;s amazing how much stuff can build up in there, especially if i am machine quilting with a flannel back!

aileen

Viking Interlude 445, love that feature.

my machine winds the bobbin on the top,so I take the thread and cut it from the needle if I'm going to use that spool. If using a different spool, I place the vertical holder on the machine, spool and then fill my bobbin. I think my old Singer used to wind the bobbin in place though.

I don't have this feature, but have a separate bobbin winding mechanism so can wind my bobbin without unthreading just put another spool on top and go as it is separate from the needle so can continue to sew. I like my bobbin winder

My Pfaff's will do this, but I still prefer to do it the old fashioned way and then I also do several bobbins at once. I tend to use 1 spool for the needle thread and 1 spool for the bobbins. Works for me.

I have several Berninas and always need to rewind. I just purchased a separate bobbin winder, verdict still out.

My very old pfaff and a new pfaff both do this. I was told by the dealer that it's not the best idea as it's supposedly harder on the machine?

I have never heard of this before!!

I have the 6600 like someone else just mentioned, so I can wind a bobbin separately from my sewing thread. I thought THAT was cool....It would be awesome if I could wind a bobbin from the needle too.

How does that even work? Do you have to manually wind some of the thread on to get it started?

I'm really curious about this now! I might have to go by the Viking dealer and ask for a demo. I can't imagine how this works. I love good engineering!

I leave my needle threaded when I wind my bobbin on my Viking Ruby. Did it that way, also, on my older Viking Liky and Rose. In fact, until this thread, I had no idea there was any other way to wind a bobbin...I figured all machines did it the same way! I guess I do learn something new every day!

My 25+ year old Singer 6217 has top loading bobbins and winds while in place with the thread from the needle. There is no other way to wind these bobbins. They have no center hole, but a spring mechanism instead in the center. Even though this is now (one of) my back up machines, it still works well, and I never had any problems with winding the bobbins.

I've done that too, with my Janome 7700. Mostly, though, I wind a bunch of bobbins and have a whole tray of them ready to go--at all times. Once in a while, I stop and wind up a bunch of bobbins--usually when I am trying to clean up the room.

My Viking Sapphire has a separate bobbin winding post for a spool of thread. I do not have to unthread my machine to wind a bobbin.
The thread just wraps around a small thingy and over to the bobbin.
You can wind from the needle my instructions say but I wont do it.

None of my machines do this.