edited to update:
I did not create this picture. I thought it was clever. I realize it’s not perfect. Thanks for understanding.
No, I can’t change the graphic. If you’d like to and email to to me, knock yourself out LOL
You can see the more recent updates at my new blog, here:
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Wow, I got a bunch of new comments! Sorry, I just noticed them and approved them. Apparently it was on Craft Magazine, as well as Crafting Daisies and Dvorak’s site. I am not sure where the graphic came from, it was sent to me a long time ago.
So, thanks for listening and for sharing!
Those of you wanting me to change or explode the design, I’m sorry, but I’m just a sewing mama that podcasts about parenting and sewing, I’m NOT a graphic designer or engineer. I thought it was interesting to share with my listeners. If you’d like to do a more complete graphic, feel free. I don’t go much past creating graphics using PhotoDraw.
I don’t have a ’sweatshop’ machine or industrial one, just a Singer Ergo 3. 
Nutmeg
materialmama.com
I had no idea how this worked until I found this little gem. I still wonder why they can’t make a machine that will take another spool of thread, thread it around so one can use that instead of having to wind bobbin after bobbin…..
No, I can’t change the graphic. If you’d like to and email to to me, knock yourself out LOL
Nutmeg
materialmama.com
February 9, 2007 at 8:06 pm
I recently saw this question somewhere and the response was that if you had a large spool instead of a bobbin, the machinery (the red part in your picture here) would be really big and I think also that it would be too much wear on the top thread. Each little stitch length of top thread goes back and forth through the needle a whole bunch of times before it actually becomes a stitch you see on your fabric. So if the top thread loop was bigger (to get around a spool) then the thread would have to go back and forth through the needle even more.
Does that make sense? I’m going to see if I can find a better explanation for this.
April 17, 2007 at 11:22 am
[...] found this amazing little illustration over on Meg’s site and it’s a great way to explain how a bobbin works on a sewing machine. Actually, it’s [...]
April 17, 2007 at 7:27 pm
This is fascinating. I’ve honestly exploded my brain trying to think of how that works!
April 17, 2007 at 10:35 pm
this is brilliant.
April 18, 2007 at 11:55 am
Wow! That’s an amazing grphic (and kinda hypnotic)! I had no idea that was how it worked.
November 25, 2007 at 10:17 pm
You can find more animated diagrams and explanations on the “howstuffworks.com” website.
It’s very informative and great fun!
January 10, 2008 at 7:02 am
Either this picture makes no sense or I am too stupid: how can the green thread go completely around the white axis? That must mean the white axis is floating in mid air?
Also, what is the red part connected to?
January 11, 2008 at 4:28 am
[...] 11, 2008 by windilei Found on Meg’s Site really cool animation of how a bobbin works. I like crafts and the tools to make them. [...]
January 12, 2008 at 6:57 am
>I still wonder why they can’t make a machine that will take another spool of thread,
The bobbin has to “hop” through the loop so it can’t be too big.
There are bobbin-less machines but they do a chain stitch instead of the interlock stitch. Surgers are often like this.
January 12, 2008 at 7:16 am
THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER BUY CHEAP THREAD.
Sorry, but I’ve wasted too much money on Coats & Clark.
January 12, 2008 at 8:14 am
[...] ♥ La Bella Vita « Reincarnation. Unbreakable! January 12, 2008 From here [...]
January 12, 2008 at 10:37 am
what vicki says is right – if you watch the green thread, at the “bottom” of the loop, one part is in front of the lower bobbin and one half behind, so the top thread goes around the whole bobbin. if the bobbin was larger the loop of (green) thread would need to be bigger.
January 12, 2008 at 12:07 pm
interesting, it’s actually quite hard to conceptualise how it works
January 12, 2008 at 12:44 pm
the bobbin thread could be fed through the axel of the bobbin, end of size problem. i actually dropped sewing in school ’cause i could never get the bobbin right..
January 12, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Very nice, I always wondered how that worked, thanks.
January 12, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Huh?
The bobbin is ‘floating’ in mid air, as the green thread goes completely around it.
This still does not make sense to me…
January 12, 2008 at 1:42 pm
That is a good simplification. It becomes even more brain-sprain when you realize that the bobbon in the middle has a pin all the way through it. So the top thread doesn’t _actually_ go behind the bobbin.
Then there is the entire foot plate connection. (The part that moves the fabric).
January 12, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I still don’t understand how the blue spool is supported if the green thread passes both in front and behind it.
January 12, 2008 at 2:19 pm
they do have machines that spool the bobbins for you, they are just industrial at not available at your local walmart or what have you.
January 12, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I just bought my girlfriend a sewing machine for Christmas and as she’s learned to wind the bobbin etc. I’ve been astounded the magic by which the machine works — now the mystery has been explained. Great!
January 12, 2008 at 4:05 pm
[...] to say it always seemed like magic watching one work. Funny how a simple graphic can clear away the [...]
January 12, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Thanks! I’ve always wondered that as well (and I don’t even sew)
January 12, 2008 at 4:57 pm
actually, professional sewing machines do have a thing on top that winds bobbins…it starts spinning when you press on the foot pedal, so it winds as you go.
quick & easy solution: buy a cheap motor and a 9-volt battery from radio shack
January 12, 2008 at 5:00 pm
[...] what I found over at Material Mama! I get it now! The darn thing has always been such a [...]
January 12, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Most sewing machines at least have bobbin rollers so you don’t have to wrap them by hand. I learned about this in a costume design class about two years ago and my mind was blown. This stitch is one thing, but some sewing machines can run a dozen or so different styles of stitches. All the same with just movement of the needle in relation to the bobbin and/or the timing difference between the two?
January 12, 2008 at 6:19 pm
So what’s holding the bobbin in place? The thread goes around both sides, so it’s not something in the plane of the picture, nor can it be something normal to that plane.
Next time I’m visiting my Mom, I should just take apart the sewing machine. I’m sure she won’t mind….
January 12, 2008 at 7:26 pm
ok, her is how you make any size spool work instead of the bobbin.
You mount the bottom thread spool outside of the machine and send the thread into the bobbin area from the back amd the mechanism does not have to be bigger, therefore no additional stress on the machine or thread.
Jay, (Mechanical engineer)
January 12, 2008 at 7:28 pm
sorry about the typos in the last msg.
Jay
January 12, 2008 at 7:31 pm
There’s a tiny error. The needle pulls up before the red thing grabs the thread. When the needle lifts, a loop of thread stays behind from friction with the material. The red thing can then go through that loop and form the stitch.
January 12, 2008 at 8:02 pm
[...] probably all wondering why the heck I’m blogging about sewing machines. Well, I found this – How a bobbin works. This is pretty cool. Kudos to whoever made that little animation! Anyways, I don’t sew, but [...]
January 12, 2008 at 8:12 pm
another “oh-thats-how-its-done” moment …
thanks …
January 12, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Graphic is nice. However, it may not be accurate. The green thread revolves 360 degrees around the middle circle.
What holds the middle circle there? How can you attach it without stopping the green thrad from revolving?
January 12, 2008 at 8:40 pm
[...] How a bobbin works | Vía Reddit Sin comentarios| Compártelo | Escrito a las 2:40 pm [...]
January 12, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Actually, my mother’s sewing machine does, in fact, have a bobbin winder on it.
I’m not sure if that’s what you’re lamenting, but it takes a bobbin and a spool of thread and spins them to wind thread onto the bobbin, using the same motor that runs the machine normally.
Takes about 15 seconds.
January 12, 2008 at 9:29 pm
thank you. I’ve always wondered how the sewing machine works. Gonna forward this to the girls.
January 12, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Professional sewing machines have a device on top of the machine that winds a bobbin from a separate spool of thread as you work.
You wind bobbins by hand? You can just get a cheapo toy motor and a 9V battery from Radio Shack if you don’t own a sweatshop machine…
January 13, 2008 at 1:18 am
Wow, thanks for this!
January 13, 2008 at 3:17 am
Actually they DID make a machine that did just that (use a spool of thread instead of a bobbin for the bottom)!!
Eldredge made a treadle machine called the Eldredge Two Spool, a very sought-after machine by us quilters who use treadle machines.
I don’t know why the idea didn’t catch on…..
January 13, 2008 at 3:38 am
Vicky,
Your statement is very correct, but it would still be possible to have a spool instead of a bobbin by using slightly different mechanics. Sergers use spools for bobbin thread, and if you only use two spools instead of four, you can do a simple straight stich–for miles.
Nutmeg–thanks for the post!
January 13, 2008 at 4:38 am
Sorry this is not quite complete enough.
This is a 2 d projection showing string go above and below the bobbin. The bobbin still needs to be supported in 3-space, so it can’t just float in position. Something is missing. I’d like some orthogonal views as well. Maybe exploded views as well.
January 13, 2008 at 5:52 am
[...] How sewing machines work. [...]
January 13, 2008 at 8:12 am
Neat little diagram. It is quite mesmerizing, lol. Thanks for the enlightenment and for the how things work website suggestion. Oooh, goodie, another site to surf!
Hector mentioned the need to use good thread. What qualifies as good thread?
January 13, 2008 at 9:03 am
amazing!
January 13, 2008 at 5:38 pm
[...] Vía: Material mama [...]
January 13, 2008 at 9:17 pm
THIS GRAPHIC IS INCORRECT!!
The top (needle/green) thread is punched through the fabric under tension (from the tension discs). The rotating Hook (red) picks up the top thread as the needle withdraws, then pulls the thread in a loop OVER the top of the bobbin i.e. both parts of the thread loop pass over the face of the bobbin. The tension discs release to prevent the threads from breaking due to friction.
After the half-way point of the loops’ travel over the bobbin, the tension discs on the upper thread close again and the top threads’ take-up arm pulls the loop tight, carrying the bobbin thread (blue) up to the underside of the fabric and locking it against the fabric. How far it pulls the bobbin loop up is a function of how much top thread tension you ‘dial in’ to your machine. More for thicker fabrics, less for thinner and for embroidery/buttonholes. This is why bobbins must be threaded into the machine before you start to sew: the threads must be in the correct sequence for the system to work.
You can see all this in operation by leaving the bobbin cover off your machine and winding a stitch through by hand. Internally, the sequence is all worked out by cams (this includes the action of the feed dogs and presser foot, too).
Two different designs of bobbin can be used in domestic machines: front mounted or top mounted. Front mounted bobbins (see the graphic above)need a case to support the bobbin which includes a bobbin thread tensioning mechanism; top mounted bobbins generally drop into place under a transparent cover in the needle plate and must be threaded through an integral tension mechanism.
Front mount advantage- the top thread loop rotates in the same plane as the needle, so there is far less friction on the thread as it’s pulled through the needle. Disadvantage- you cannot easily check when you’re running low on bobbin thread.
Top mount advantage- the transparent cover lets you easily check your bobbin thread capacity. Disadvantage- the top thread must be rotated by the hook at right-angles to the needle, putting a lot of drag on the top thread as it passes through the needle.
BTW: Better quality machines and most industrials have front mounted bobbins. (Something to look for when you buy a machine!)
January 14, 2008 at 12:17 am
After re-reading my post, I feel that I didn’t explain myself very well.
With regard to the top threads’ path around the bobbin, the hook (red) picks up the loop of the top thread (green) then turns the thread around bobbin case; one half of the loop slides across the face of the bobbin case, the other half is dragged around the outside of the hook in a shallow groove. This has the effect of twisting the upper thread around the bobbin thread (a half-twist, actually). The top thread slides off the hook as it completes its circuit and is then tightened around the bobbin thread and pulled into place by the take-up arm (the ‘feed’ thread from the supply spool is held ststionary by the tension discs to make the take-up arm pull the needle thread up)
Sorry for the confusion!
January 15, 2008 at 10:18 am
[...] How a bobbin works Nice graphic. I always wondered how this worked. (tags: reference) [...]
January 15, 2008 at 5:33 pm
[...] graphic, which I found on John Dvorak’s blog but originally came from here, finally makes it (mostly) clear to [...]
January 15, 2008 at 8:14 pm
[...] Material Mama has posted a fantastic little GIF that shows how a basic straight stitch is created in your sewing machine. [...]
January 16, 2008 at 7:38 pm
In response to SadPanda – the thread goes over the top of the bottom on a horizontal bobbin machine or along the side of the bobbin away from the post on a machine with a vertically positioned bobbin. The view above would be like looking from the side with the post. Run a machine a few stitches without the bobbin cover in place and you’ll see it.
January 17, 2008 at 3:56 am
[...] Scott’s Thing – Phoenix Wright Flash Rym’s Thing – How a Bobbin Works [...]
January 19, 2008 at 5:02 pm
[...] How a bobbin works « Material Mama Podcast [...]
January 20, 2008 at 5:47 am
great graphic. Thank you. I have just been given an old ‘Magic’ Singer sewing machine and cannot thread up the bobbin. Can’t find a manual or anything about this machine online to assist. Anyone heard of this machine?
January 21, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Dear Nutmeg,
Can you kindly edit the demo.
Nice demo, very simple although a little slower would have helped more. However what SadPanda first pointed out first and then by Nick Radonicsew is valid. There is a small mistake which Steve R has tried to explain. If at all it is not clear, I would like to put it in simple words.
As the red hook of the bobbin cover drags the green thread around the blue thread, both the sides of the green thread passes in front of the round in the middle.
In other words, the green thread never passes behind the round face of the bobbin in the middle, it is always in the front.
Otherwise it would be practically impossible unless you hire some magician to have the bobbin floating (pun intended).
Anyway nice work.
Regards.
January 29, 2008 at 6:36 pm
DOES NOT THE HOOK ACTUALLY GO BEHIND THE NEEDLE IN MOST MACHINES?
January 30, 2008 at 12:01 pm
[...] por fin he encontrado la respuesta en un post de hace casi un año en Material Mama. No saben lo agustito que me he quedado después de resolver mi duda eterna. ENTRADAS [...]
January 31, 2008 at 12:03 pm
[...] Visto Material Mama [...]
January 31, 2008 at 10:02 pm
[...] Quizá esta sea una pregunta que se ha convertido hasta en existencial y la respuesta no llegaba, hasta ahora: [...]
February 4, 2008 at 2:26 am
That was really cool to watch! I’ve been sewing forever, but its still neat to see, thanks! Diana Adams
http://www.Sewing-Notions.com
February 29, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I really do think these are good ideas…BUT…
My daughter wants to know how they work..not just about a bobbin
March 10, 2008 at 10:25 am
[...] How a bobbin works with animated GIF of the process. Visualizing this has always bothered me; I am soothed. [...]
March 11, 2008 at 4:08 pm
March 21, 2008 at 10:48 am
Hi
Do all sewing machines need a bobbin as I have a singer kids one and I cannot find where the bobbin goes and the instructions do not say…:(
Thanks!
March 24, 2008 at 4:13 pm
I’m not at all sure that the green thread would still wrap around the blue thread if both halves of the green thread slide along the FRONT of the bobbin- However, SadPanda is completely correct in observing that the animation doesn’t hold up as it stands. I STILL DON’T KNOW HOW THIS THING WORKS!
March 24, 2008 at 4:25 pm
After thinking for a while: Maybe the whole Bobbin mechanism IS free floating inside of a housing (which is not shown in the animation). This would enable one half of the thread to pass behind the Bobbin. The housing could rotate the Bobbin either through a magnetic field (the Bobbin being like an anchor in an electric motor), or through rubber friction wheels in the walls of the housing, and running over the threads when they pass by.
March 28, 2008 at 1:53 pm
[...] There are two ways that a bobbin assembly is made. The drop in, where the bobbin is perpendicular to the needle or the vertical assembly, where it is parallel with the needle. I’ve sewn on both, and I have to tell you that the better machines are made with the Drop-In Assembly. The Vertical Assembly moves around too much and causes jams, screwy tension, unthreading and horrible headaches and might cause your kids to learn swear words (jsut kidding, but I’ve been known to use a few when sewing with these ugh). I’ve talked to machine manufacturers about the issue, and they swear up and down that there is nothing wrong with this, but of the kids who have machines like this, they pick it up right away (I love the young minds). And check out this cool post about how a bobbin works! [...]
April 4, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Steve R, get over it. This animation is close enough.
May 14, 2008 at 3:30 pm
wow what a wonderful example the bobin demonstration really helps me be aware of what is happening with my machine thankyou
June 10, 2008 at 9:14 pm
OMG I’m hypnotised….
June 15, 2008 at 1:20 am
Wow, I thought it was good.
Can anybody help me. I havent used a sewing machine is almost 20 years and I cannot figure out if Im doing the bobbin correctly. I tried to find a video for a side loading bobbin then when I think I may have it loaded correctly it will not feed correctly with the top thread it just knots up and I am wasting so much thread. I then remembered I have to hand start it and have about two inches of the thread together then start sewing. Well I dont know if the bobbin is load correctly, where do I put the thread from the bobbin? How to get bobbin thread and top thread to stitch together? Anyone know any website with videos for his since I know no one that can physically help me? My email is pbannon1@msn.com
June 15, 2008 at 4:03 pm
This is a neat animation — I have to rewatch it ever now and then because it just doesn’t stick in my mind!
September 24, 2008 at 8:50 pm
you guys are soooooooo STUPID.
no, nothing floats in mid-air.
the red part, is connected to the machine itself,
so that you can load and unload the bobbin, and so that you can make these stiches.
and the inner white circle is the bobbin.
seriously, its common sense.
October 13, 2008 at 8:18 am
‘attsoff !
January 27, 2009 at 3:47 pm
In my machine, the red thing doesn’t complete the rotation. The hook fetches the thread, revolves about 180 degrees, then stops, releases the thread and reverses back to the starting position again.
Sebastian (#65), you’re right. The bobbin and its housing fit snugly in a hollow space, but the only part that’s actually attached to the rest of the machine is a sort of crescent shaped part that conveys the motion of the motor to the bobbin housing. Together, the crescent shape and the outermost part of the housing form a circle that has two slits in its perimeter, allowing the green thread to pass.
Hard to explain, but it really is an interesting, beautiful machine!
June 22, 2009 at 8:23 am
[...] of patients 500 years in the past leads to lots of questions and several theories. * How a sewing machine really works. This simple graphic clears up what I’ve been wondering for many years. * How well [...]
August 19, 2009 at 5:07 pm
A machine that sews with a spool of thread for the bottom thread is called a “Chain Stitch” machine (a serger is one type of chain stitch machine) vs. the “Lock Stitch” that you have. With most chain stitch machines if you break one thread it can unravel the stitches quite easily.
The reason the bobbin is so small is that the top thread actualy goes all the way around behind the bobbin (between the hook basket and the hook base) to complete the stitch.
It’s easier to understand if you turn your machine over slowly by hand while watching the process.