How Many Sewing Machine Thread Cutters Do We Need?

If you’ve been sewing as long as I have, you probably remember using scissors to clip threads as you stitched. At the end of every seam and line of stitching, you lifted the presser foot and pulled the fabric away from the machine with tails of thread still attached, and then clipped the threads. Historically, sewing machines did not have cutters so you always kept the scissors nearby. Today’s sewing machines have so many more features and functions to make your sewing life easier, less frustrating, and more automatic. I sew on a BERNINA 790 PRO and in this post, I’m going to show you the FOUR types of cutters on my machine. Most or all of these cutters are found on the current BERNINA machines. The purposes of these cutters are convenience and efficiency. They are easy to use and go a long way to streamline the overall process of sewing.

Bobbin Winder Thread Cutter

This cutter is on the lever that you push to engage the winder. Once the bobbin is full and comes to a stop, pull it up, off the spindle, and run the thread over the cutter for a quick release.

Side Thread Cutter

The cutter on the left side of the machine makes it easy to cut the thread tails as you finish a seam. As you come to the end of the seam, lift the needle and the presser foot, then pull the fabric away from the machine with the threads attached. Lower the foot and pull the thread over the top of the cutter to the front, and then down over the blade (see the arrow on the face of the cutter). The threads are cut, leaving the needle and bobbins threads secured in the cutter. These threads are ready to go when you are ready to sew.

Bobbin Thread Cutter

If you haven’t been using the bobbin thread cutter, you may want to start – and here is why. This cutter is easy to use and helps you smoothly start every seam. You load the bobbin into the bobbin case and insert the case into the machine just like you normally would, leaving a few inches of thread coming out of the bobbin. Then, you pull the thread over the cutter to trim it. This leaves a fairly short thread tail that is the perfect length to start sewing. If you leave the long thread tail, you may have a problem when you start to sew because the machine will pull the long tail into the stitching and may cause the machine to jam. Using the cutter gives you a smooth start – no jamming.  If you don’t want to use the bobbin cutter, pull the bobbin thread to the top and hold both the needle and bobbin thread for the first 3-4 stitches. I’m sure that once you try the bobbin thread cutter, you’ll see what a benefit it is.

Automatic Threader Cutter

The automatic cutter is the best cutter, in my opinion. It makes it easy and fast to clip the threads with the touch of a button. It is located under the stitch plate and is controlled by a button on the front of the machine. When you are ready to cut, you stop sewing, then push the button that has the scissors icon on it. The threads are cut, the presser foot is lifted, and you can pull the fabric away from the machine. And, the threads are the right length to continue to sew

So, do you really need all of these cutters? Of course not, but I am so glad to have them and would not have a machine without them. It makes my sewing process smoother, faster, and more satisfying.

As always,