Direction for turning hand wheel?

Sharon, watch the hand wheel as you sew very slowly (with no thread, or fabric under the foot), and you will see which way it goes. Then make note someplace so you can remind yourself again later.

My hand knows what to do after all these years, but it's so automatic, I know I can't tell you without going down to the machines and actually doing it! LOL

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

Counterclockwise, or top-towards-you on every machine I've used. That's for forward stitch. Top-away for reverse. Run the machine very slowly and see which way it turns itself.

Mike

ALWAYS top towards you/anti-clockwise! If you want to reverse, don't turn the hand wheel the other way, put the machine in reverse and turn the wheel towards you.

Most machines the hand wheel turns towards the operator, but there are a couple that turn the opposite way, the White rotary machines with the friction drive for example and some treadles. Most modern machines it is counterclockwise. As the other pointed out simply step on the pedal it will turn in the correct direction, then always turn it that way. The reverse is done mechanically inside the machine the wheel will always turn the same way.

Yep Yep Yep When I was a kid, I sewed on the following machines: An old White, a 50's kenmore, a Featherweight, and an old singer treadle. Mom and I put masking tape with magic marker arrows on all the wheels. We never could remember which machine when which way!

liz young

Nope, not always. My Bernina and Domestic turn in opposite directions.

gabrielle

I've yet to come across one that does that, but I'm quite prepared to believe it! 99% of modern domestics turn towards you, though.

Amendment: ALWAYS turn in the right direction for the machine!

And my Whites and my Willcox & Gibbs, too.

Re: Direction for turning hand wheel?

Kate Dicey murmured while asleep:

you can watch the feed dogs to see if they are feeding the material to the front or the back of the machine. You turn the wheel which ever way feeds to the back ( sewing forward)

penny s

Assuming the machine is not in reverse, turn the handwheel so the feeddogs move the fabric away from you. Different makes of machines turn different directions.

Whoa! Which machine do you have that sews in reverse this way?

Ooops - you're right, it goes backwards, not stitches in reverse.

Mike

Not really odd at all. Sergers were introduced to the home market maybe 25 years ago. These were all based on the industrials. All industrial sergers the hand wheel rotates clockwise. The manufacturers for at least once responded to consumer complaints. It is terribly confusing going from a sewing machine that turns one way to the serger that turns the other. So now most modern sergers rotate counter clockwise just the same as modern sewing machines.

So *that's* why there's never been a pedal-powered sewing machine!

I knew there had to be a good reason.

Not that I ever use the reverse anyway -- I gave up back-tacking long ago -- but I love the concept of reversing the machine with one's feet even though I've never quite mastered my treadle-powered machine.

Joy Beeson

If you turn the wheel backward, you get thread barf and/or a broken needle.

Thanks for all the interesting comments and laughs. It seems that there is enough variation that I am going to test each machine as suggested and put on the masking tape that was also suggested denoting the direction. I tried my Babylock and it turned so fast my naked eye couldn't make it out. So I stuck on a piece of tape and watched the wheel actually turn. That one turned counterclockwise. Now to try out the Singer 401, the Viking 6570, and the Kenmore a friend recently found at a thrift shop and brought here.

Husband is getting a little grumpy looking at all these machines, but what the hey! It's payback of a sort. Have I not been looking at all his 3 guitars, banjo, and cornet for lo these many years?! Have I not always had to move them to clean around and under them? So now I've added my machines to the mix. The irony of the situation is that as I spend time trying to find parts for these machines, I have less time to use them.

Thanks to all who participated in this thread.

another Shar>Here is a really "dumb" question from a person who has been sewing

The masking tape was my suggestion. These were old machines, and not collectables. I don't know what long-term masking tape would do to the finish. YMMV

liz young