I am so excited to share my sewing machine success with you! If you have been following my blog for a while, you know that I sewed a dress this summer with the help of my mom and her sewing machine and that I bought a sewing machine for two dollars at a garage sale without knowing if it really worked or not. I had not used the sewing machine at all since I bought it because the bobbins my mom had were not the right size, so I didn’t know if it sewed properly. Well, I got some bobbins for it and tried it out this weekend with much success. Yes, I did use it on the floor and took a picture of how funny it looks to use the pedal that way.
I had to find the manual for it online. It’s a Brother XL-3022. The manual I found only had every other page, which was not helpful at all. I found some directions online, however, which showed me how to load the bobbins and thread the needle. Threading the bobbin was very confusing which led to more confusion trying to bring up the bobbin thread, but after about an hour, I figured it out and tested it out on a kleenex (I had no cloth laying around). It works! I had to take a picture of both the threads because I was that proud!
Here’s to many sewing projects in the future, and believe me, I have a ton of them planned. I even bought some books over the weekend at a used bookstore: Sew U Home Stretch and The Perfect Fit. My parents have been talking about buying me a sewing machine for Christmas that actually has all the parts and is more advanced so I have room to grow, in which case I would give my sewing machine to the Good Will, but for now, I hope to make the most of it until then. Wish me luck!
Did you have any triumphs this weekend?
Congratulations on getting the threads correct. They can be confusing I remember reading my manual for my machine and trying to follow their directions! It is quite a proud experience when you finally get it right and it works! Happy sewing! I have made all kinds of things for myself, family, and for X-mas gifts. I don’t know how anyone can get along without a sewing machine. It is a must have tool just like an ironing board and iron.
Hi! Congratulations! I was wondering, do you still have the resource where you found your online instructions? I have an XL 3022 now, and am beginning to understand it, but threading the bobbin is killing me!
Thanks for writing this blog!
Meke,
You can download a copy of the manual here: http://www.devicemanuals.com/guide/Sewing%20Machine/Brother/Brother-XL-3022-Sewing-Machine-Owner‘s-Manual-T0RNeE5qUT.html That should work if you go down and type in the code and click the button to download it. Everything is tough with a new machine, but once you get the hang of it it’ll be second nature. Good luck! I’d love to hear about some of your sewing projects, so come back and share if you’d like.
-Sarah