How to Thread a Juki DDL-8700 Sewing Machine

When I first began sewing rag quilts for a living, I went through so many needles. I could have bought stock in Schmetz!

No joke! 

I bought the thickest needles I could find in my local big box craft stores. The typical Universal 90/14.

But I still broke needles. 

Every time I broke a needle I would:

1. Stop sewing (duh)
2. Change needle
3. Clean out anywhere the broken part of the needle could have ended up
4. Checked the seam in the quilt for any remnants of needle.
5. Began sewing again

This process could take several minutes each time. I knew exactly where I would break the needles (always where 4 seams would cross at). Rag quilts can be bulky to sew through as they are made by sewing quilt back, flannel batting, and quilt top together at the same time. So where seams would meet I could be sewing through 6 layers of fabric, 4 of which were flannel. That is a lot of material! 

So after a few years, and many quilts later, we decided to add to my sewing machine collection and get a Juki DDL 8700. 

We picked it for several reasons. But I am guessing that if you are trying to figure out how to thread the darn thing like I did when I first bought it, you already know you need it.

Once you figure it out, it is really easy to rethread and takes just a second

Follow the video below and you'll be set in no time!