THE SEWING MACHINE

A sewing machine is a major equipment used in making garment and household articles. It is the most
important piece of sewing equipment for dress making. Sewing machines make garments faster and
neater. However, for effective use of a sewing machine, there is need for all the parts to be known, their
uses and how to care for them.

TYPES OF SEWING MACHINE

There are three main types of sewing machines:

1. Hand wheel or hand-sewing machine

2. Treadle or foot sewing machine

3. Electric sewing machine

4. Industrial designing/ embroidery machine

1. Hand wheel machine – It is operated by hand only. One hand is used to operate the machine while
the other hand is used to direct the fabrics. The machine is placed on the table or stool or a flat surface.
It is easy to operate, but very slow to finish a particular work. It is the cheapest of all the machines. It is
moveable and can be converted to electric machine by attaching an electric motor to it.

2. Treadle sewing machine – This type of machine is operated with the feet. It is a large machine which
has its feet table. The two feet or a foot can be used to control the treadle parts. It involves both the
hands and feet to sew, control and guide the fabric while sewing. This type of machine can also be
converted into electric machine by attaching an electric motor to it.

3. Electric sewing machine – This is operated only by electricity. This is done by attaching the electric
motor. It may be portable or fixed to a stand.

4. Industrial designing/ Embroidery machine – It is like an ordinary sewing machine. It uses electric
power. It does a lot of embroidery stitches automatically, by setting the stitch selection or by inserting a
special disc. It stitches forward and backward during operation. It is the most expensive of all the
mentioned sewing machines and gives a professional touch to finished articles.

PARTS OF SEWING MACHINE

1. Bobbin winder – This is located on the right side of the machine near the wheel. It is used to wind the
thread into the bobbin by loosening the stop motion screw.

2. The needle bar – This is the bar used to fix in or loosen the needle. The needle is inserted with its flat
side facing the balance wheel as far as it can go.

3. Bobbin or shuttle case – It keeps the threaded bobbin in position ready for stitching.

4. Presser foot – Is a detachable part for holding fabrics in place while sewing.

5.Thread cutter – This is the blade attached to the presser foot bar. It is used to cut off the thread after
sewing.
6. Thread regulator – It controls the lever that assists the working of the bobbin in making a stitch. It is
located above the tension regulator.

7. Balance wheel/ Hand wheel – It is located on the right side of the sewing machine. It is turned either
forward or backward to make the machine sew.

8. Stitch regulator – It is located close to the bobbin winder or machine head. It is numbered to help
determine the length of the stitch for different types of materials. NOTE: always remember to raise the
needle to its highest point before operating the stitch regulator.

9. The feed plate/ dog – This is a teeth-like metal attached to the base of the machine where the needle
goes in. It assisted to pass the fabric through as it is stitched. When the fabric is pulled, it alters the
stitch length.
10. Spool pin – It is located on top of the sewing machine and is used to hold the sewing thread in
position.
11. Stop motion screw – This is located near the center of the balance wheel. This screw is tightened
when sewing and it is unscrewed when winding the bobbin. It is also used when threading the bobbin.
12. Presser foot lever/ lifter – This is the handle which raises the presser foot when stitching is
completed. It is used to hold the fabric in position during sewing when lever is lowered. The presser foot
should be raised when the needle is at the highest point, then pull out the materials from under the foot
gently towards the back of the machine and cut the threads.
13.Tension disc and screw – Is the part that is below the thread regulator. It regulates and controls the
tightness of the thread when sewing.
14. Presser bar or screw – It is used to prevent difficulties in the tension of the sewing machine. It holds
the presser foot in position.
However, the treadle operated sewing machine has the following additional accessories;
a. The drive wheel – It is a large circular wheel located under the table of the machine. It is connected to
the balance wheel by a leather belt.
b. The treadle – This is the foot rest at the base of the machine. It is operated by pedaling it forward and
backward.
c. The pitman rod – This connects the treadle and drive the wheel so that as the treadle is operated, the
drive resolves and stitching is affected.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCES THE CHOICE OF SEWING MACHINE

1. It must have spare parts and must be available

2. It must be durable
3. It should be the best which your money can afford
4. It should be simple and easy to operate
5. It must serve your purpose
6. It should have instructional manual or handbook and all the accessories and spare parts that
accompany the machine
7. Facilities – Consider whether there is electricity to operate it
GUIDELINES FOR OPERATING A SEWING MACHINE
1. Make sure the sewing machine is placed in a convenient position with enough light
2. Thread the sewing machine correctly, so as for fabrics to be well-sown
3. The bobbin case or shuttle and the bobbin must be correctly placed
4. The needle must be at its highest point before stitching
5. Test the stitch on a piece of fabric before the actual stitching
6. Make sure the stitch lengths and tensions are correctly placed
7. Keep the needle down on the fabric when turning stitches at corners, raise the presser foot, turn the
fabrics gently to avoid bending or breaking the needle until the sewing is completed
8. Place the side to be sown in the machine so that the bulk of the material is at the left side where
there is a room for it.
9. Do not hurry, when sewing by pulling the fabric too hard when passing under the presser foot
10. Always remember to raise the presser foot and needle to their highest point when sewing is
completed and pull the material out gently to avoid bending the needle
11. Avoid setting the sewing machine into motion when it is threaded without lowering the presser foot
because the thread will interlock.

FAULTS CAUSES CORRECTIONS

1. Skipped stitches
2. Needle breaking
i. Needles not correctly
inserted into the needle clamp.
ii. Needle too short
iii. Needle bent or blunt
iv. Incorrect threading of needle
v. Needle too small for the
threading
i. Improper fixing of the presser
foot attachment
ii. Needle bent
iii. Using the wrong needle size
iv. Pulling fabric when stitching
v. Sewing a thick seam with a
needle that is too small
i. Check and fix needle correctly
ii. Change needle to correct size
iii. Thread needle correctly
iv. Use the correct size of
needle
i. Remove the presser foot and
re-fix correctly
ii. Change the needle to the
correct size

3. Puckered seams i. Tension is too tight i. Remove the presser foot and
ii. Using the wrong presser foot re-fix correctly
iii. Stitch too long for the fabric ii. Change the needle to the
correct size

4. Breaking of bobbin thread
i. Improper threading of the
bobbin case or shuttle
ii. Bobbin tension too tight
iii. A knot in the bobbin thread
iv. Thread wound unevenly or
bobbin wound too full
i. Check that the bobbin thread
was placed correctly
ii. Check if the bobbin thread
has a knot
iii. Make sure the thread is
wound correctly

5. Looping stitches i. Improper tension i. Check both tension- upper

 and lower
ii. Lower tension too tight
iii. Upper tension too tight
iv. Both threads are too loose
v. Upper and lower threads too
tight