Read through your sewing machine manual, which should give full instructions on how to thread your specific sewing machine. Place your thread onto the spool so your thread runs anti-clockwise and ...

Always use a good quality thread for your sewing projects. They need to be on a thread spool and big enough to fit on the machine. Gutterman, Coats and Mettler are all good options.

The top thread will have a tension selector—often a knob on the front of the machine. The bobbin thread’s tension is usually adjusted with a screw on the bobbin case (righty-tighty, lefty-loosey).