Practice Sewing on Paper, then Scrap Fabric
A short set of exercises that build control of the foot pedal and fabric guiding before you sew anything you care about.
What you will learn
- Foot pedal control
- Guiding straight lines
- Steering corners and curves
Why start with paper
Sewing on paper without thread lets you practice speed control and steering with no thread to unpick. The needle punches holes you can see. Straight rows of holes show how well you guided the paper.
Controls differ by model. Before the paper exercises, remove the upper thread and the bobbin if the machine is threaded. Switch off and unplug before changing the needle or threading.
What you need
- Several sheets of lined notebook paper.
- A universal needle in size 80/12 (new needle).
- Scrap woven cotton, about 8 in (20 cm) square, in two or three pieces.
- A thread in a contrasting color for the fabric stage.
Exercise 1: straight lines on paper, no thread
Fit a new needle. Do not thread the machine. Set the stitch selector to straight stitch and the stitch length to about 2.5 mm.
Raise the presser foot. Slide a sheet of lined paper under it, line up the first ruled line with the needle, lower the foot and sew along the line slowly. Keep the line right under the needle.
Repeat on every line on the page. Aim for a neat row of holes on each line. Stop with the needle down to adjust.
Exercise 2: corners and curves on paper
Draw a square about 3 in (7.5 cm) on a clean sheet. Sew around it. At each corner stop with the needle down in the paper, raise the foot, turn the paper 90 degrees, lower the foot and continue.
Draw a wavy line and a large circle. Sew along them, turning the paper gently a little at a time. Do not pull or push the paper. The feed dogs move it.
Exercise 3: scrap fabric with thread
Switch off, unplug and fit a fresh needle, because paper dulls the point. Wind a bobbin and thread the machine, following the bobbin and threading lessons and your manual. If you have not done those lessons yet, do them first and come back to this exercise. Fold a scrap in half and sew several straight lines about 1/2 in (12 mm) apart, backstitching (sewing in reverse over the seam) 3 or 4 stitches at each end.
Then sew a square with pivots and a curve. Pull the fabric lightly apart to check the stitches are even. If the thread loops, see the troubleshooting tutorial.
When you are ready
Move on to a garment when you can sew a straight line within 1/8 in (3 mm) of a marked line, turn a neat corner and stop with the needle down every time.
Tips for a neat result
- Watch the ruled line just in front of the presser foot, not the needle itself.
- Press the pedal gently. Slow and steady is easier to control than fast and stop-start.
Common mistakes and fixes
The paper tears along the holes.
Stitches are too short, which perforates the paper. Lengthen to 3 mm or more.
The line drifts off the ruled line.
You are watching the needle. Look at the line just in front of the foot and let the feed dogs move the paper.
Check your result
- Your hole rows follow the lines closely on paper.
- You can stop with the needle down on command.