My Kenmore machine has the needle threader feature but I've yet to get it to work....I don't see a hook that goes into the needle eye...
I've lowered the pressure foot, raised the needle to its highest position and pushed down and turned the needle threader knob.
Any suggestions...those needle holes get smaller every week. lol.

I can barely see the teeny tiny hook on mine. Maybe push it down and put the thread across it. See if it pulls on it. It took me a few tries to figure mine out. :-)

i was just thinking about the same thing today. on my janome, i broke it the third time i used it. on my viking, i never even bothered. they're all so fragile.

i put a white paper behind the needle so i can see the eye and that lets me thread it. nothing to break.

my janome's works ... when it's in the mood. i'm still figuring out what makes it happy. so far, i know i'm wasting my time trying to use the threader on size 11s. i'll try the highest position trick next to see if that makes a difference - although i thought i was already doing that. maybe not. :?

machines. do we own them? or is it the other way 'round? :lol:

I love Love LOVE my needle threaders. Both my Brother and my Singer have them, and they work GREAT. I'm so darn near-sighted that I can't see the needle hole well.
I can't really help other than to say that I have a really hard time seeing the hook thing, too, but it's there. Make sure you hold the thread up but do not put ANY tension on the thread. I've unthreaded my needle several times before I figured this out. :oops:
Anyway, it would be worth it to me to take it back if the hook is missing. It always took me several minutes to thread needles with my old machine. My new ones, it takes about 5 seconds. :D

Using the needle up button doesn't put the needle in the highest positon like I thought it should. I can turn the hand wheel after using the needle up button and raise the needle another 1/2" or so...still it won't work.

Mine has one; its a kenmore and it is a bit tricky....I mostly use the kind for hand sewing if i need it :wink:

i've read that if you wet the hole with your finger ( i lick mine - i know - disgusting) it thread more easily. does anyone really know?

My needle threader USED to work until a certain furry girl played with my machine. Now it works when it wants to. THe little hooky thing that goes in the needle eye is bent and I cannot get it bent back to the right position. I'm doing pretty good threading myself and if I have any problems, I just use a needle threader

I don't think yoou have this problem but I realized that when I was using a singer needle on my brother machine...Then the threader didn't catch it since the needle always was abit lower.....
Make sure you have the right needle while using the threader ...
Good luck :D

another way to do it is to thread the needle before putting it into the machine. thread first, then place the needle in the machine.

That was going to be my next question...do you have to use a special needle?
I can get the needle threaded most of the time without problems....but it would be nice to get the threader to work too.

With my machine, it didn't matter what needle it was/is.

Can't help you there, my Elnas have the threader but I can do it quicker without so I don't use it.
Butterflywing-yes, wetting the hole in the needle helps tremendously. A friend of mine told me about it several years ago, I've been doing it ever since.

I have yet to have success with the one on my machine. I can never get it to work. I've tried, read the instructions, still doesn't work. I can also thread it faster without it.

I thought I would NEVER get the hang of using mine on my Bernina...I kept telling my dealer that it just wouldn't work...she kept telling me it was "operator error" :roll: ..Now I'm so used to it..it works EVERY time and very quickly...the secret was to hit the hookie thing (that I can't see) then pull the thread slightly upwards..not really pulling, just move it..kinda., then push down the button and viola'...threaded! Thank goodness for it when I'm embroidering!

It took me a little while to get the hang of the threader on my Bernina as well. but now...... I use it every time, once in a while it make take a second try to get threaded but i think it is wonderful.

My little Singer has one, that I can't make work. It just gets in the way. I'd take it off, but I can't figure out how to do that either :) :)

I have a magnifing glass at my sewing machine. If the needle threader isn't working right I can look at the little hook thru the magnifier to help me thread the machine. Works everytime.

i was inspired by this topic to take a closer look when mine "doesn't work". what i noticed is that the little hookie thing often ends up next to the eye instead of poking through it. i tried adjusting the needle position, but that didn't solve the problem. so now, i just manipulate the needle until i hear it snap through. it doesn't take much effort or time.

also ... since the little hookie thing is so ... well ... little ... the slightest bit of lint or other shmutz will discombobulate it, too. it pays to make sure it's completely clean.

i was prepared to do without (as i do on my other machines) if not for the earlier mention of it's value during embroidery thread changes. that little reminder got me to look closer. i'll take a closer look for the cause next time i haul out one of the others, too.

sure am glad this topic came up. :-)

I agree Loretta, however to give credit to the dealers when they deserve it....most of them take for granted that we know how to do all this stuff :? Now...when I walked in the dealers door..I told her that I knew NOTHING..that I didn't know how to sew and she had seen what I was sewing on previously, so she knew that I was a moron ...from the dark ages :lol: :lol: She did help me...A LOT!

On my Husqvarna, the thread goes UNDER the hook. Sometimes is works sometimes it doesn't. You have to be holding the thread at the right angle and right tension.
Often, I do it by hand; its faster. That is one thing on most all newer machines I have seen that could definately be improved.

Shellyp, after you mentioned the tiny hook (didn't know there was a hook) I played with mine today and it actually worked! Thanks! Although I'm about as fast without it. The gizmo didn't pull the thread thru very far, it took me about 10 tries to get a big enough loop on the other side to get ahold of :) . But I'm thrilled to know it isn't a useless attachment!!

Don't feel bad, I had my kenmore for years before I even discovered it had a needle threader! :lol:

Doesn't matter tho, because it is totally usless anyway!

At least the one on my Bernina works.

TIP: If you can't see to thread the needle, put a piece of white paper behind the needle. You will be able to see the hole better.

Mine works on my Husquvarna if I have the needle position on a straight stitch, but of course I always use the 1/4" needle position. I get so tired of fighting with it all the time, so usually just thread myself.

I don't always succeed with with the threader, but I have found more success by not only having the needle in the highest position, but also by moving the needle position ONCE to the right. When all else fails, I use the white- paper- behind- the- needle method.

my Janome threader works when I use the Schmetz needles --if I use a Singer needle, I have to reposition the needle.

Hmm, that's good to know. I'll try it on mine. Thanks.

sandpat, you're toooo funny. :lol:

Aunt Luc,

Some needle threaders won't work if the thread is too thick. I had to read the fine print on my Babylock to figure that one out. Other than that, needle should be in highest position with the pressure foot down.

Thanks for trying to help with getting the needle threader to work...I still haven't had any success with it yet.
Needle threaders should be more user friendly... :twisted: