Why needle stop up matters for your first sewing machine
You know what feature completely changed my sewing experience? Let me show you why needle stop up makes such a difference, especially for new sewers…
What is needle stop up?
Most basic sewing machines nowadays come with the basics – zigzag, a buttonhole maker, and some fancy stitches. But there’s one feature that I think is very important, especially for new sewers, that they don’t all come with: needle stop up.
Needle stop up means that every time you stop stitching, the needle always returns to the top position.
Obviously this is important so you can take your fabric out easily. But there’s another reason that’s even more important…
Why the take-up lever position matters
Have you ever wondered why sometimes your thread gets tangled when you remove your fabric? Here’s why –
The complete stitch cycle on a sewing machine goes from the take up lever (the arm that moves up and down at almost the same time as the needle) from it’s highest position, down to the lowest and back up to the highest position.
Needle stop up makes sure that every stitch cycle is complete.
The problem without needle stop up
Without needle stop up your machine can stop anywhere in the stitch cycle.
On machines without needle stop up, when you stop sewing, sometimes the needle stops all the way into the fabric. Sometimes it stops up. You really have no idea where it’s going to stop.
If the needle stops partway into the fabric and you just raise it enough to remove your work, something frustrating happens. The fabric doesn’t want to come out. It’s very hard to pull. And if you pull hard enough, you’ll see multiple threads where there should only be two.
That’s because the take-up lever wasn’t all the way up to complete the stitch cycle. Once you raise the take-up lever all the way to the top using the handwheel (always turning it toward you), now you have just the two threads like you should.
The alternative to needle stop up
Now obviously you can turn that handwheel every time you stop and raise both the needle and take-up lever all the way up. That’s how I learned to sew. I had a machine that didn’t have needle stop up, and I became accustomed to that extra step.
But I can tell you that 30 years ago when I got my current machine with needle stop up, it was life changing. It was so much nicer to eliminate than extra step.
And for new sewers, it’s an extra step that might not be ingrained yet. Then you end up with tangled threads and don’t know what’s going on. That’s why I recommend for all new sewers to try to get a machine that has needle stop up.
Making informed choices about your machine
Understanding features like needle stop up helps you choose a machine that supports your sewing journey. If you’re interested in finding out more about features that might be on a new basic sewing machine, I have a free download that explains what those features do and the reasons you may or may not need them.
When you understand how your machine works and why certain features matter, everything becomes clearer. No more mystery tangles. No more fighting with stuck fabric. Just peaceful creating.
Happy sewing! 😉
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