The Principle of

Sewing Technology-I

Lecture # 08
By
Khurram Iftikhar
 Introduction
• Although ultrasonic welding and resin bonding systems have been
developed as alternative forms, sewing still remains the most
predominant method of assembling garments of all types.

• In every sector of the clothing industry, sewing operations are

performed by a great variety of machines, each of which has the
capability for specific operations on a particular category of garments
and/or fabric.

• This wide choice of sewing machinery is also matched by those for

sewing threads, needles and other auxiliary components.
 The Components of Sewing Machine
• All sewing machines function in
a similar way and the best
example for illustrating these
elements is the regular sewing
machine.
• There are five basic components
of sewing (as shown in Figure)
Needle, Throat plate, Presser foot,
Feed dogs and threads.
 History of Needle
• Needles have been used for hand
sewing since about 1800 BC and
were originally made from ivory,
bone, wood and horn (as shown in
Figure).
• Their form has remained unchanged
since then.
• During the 15th century iron needles
were introduced for hand sewing, and
in 1800 Balthasar Krems of Germany
was the first to use a needle with the
eye near the point for a chain stitch
machine he had developed.
 History of Needle
• The large scale production of sewing machines started in about 1840
and this was paralleled by numerous developments in the manufacture
and quality of machine needles.
• Today the steel needle in common use is a precision product which is
critical to the formation of stitches.
 Functions of Sewing Machine Needle
• The functions of the sewing machine needle are to form a passage in the
martial through which the needle thread can wholly or partially pass and
form a loop which can be picked up by the looper or hook mechanisms.
• Needles are made in straight or curved forms and their main
construction features are explaining next.
 Parts of Sewing Machine Needle

• Parts of needle are as follow;

– Butt
– Shank
– Shoulder
– Blade
– Long groove and short groove
– Scarf
– Eye
– Point
– Tip
 Parts of Sewing Machine Needle
• Butt – The shortened conical shape at the
top of the needle which facilitates its
insertion into the needle bar or clamp.
• Shank – Usually larger in diameter than the
rest of the needle, the shank can be
cylindrical in shape or flat on one side,
depending on the method used to secure the
needle in or on the needle bar.
• Shoulder – The section joining the shank to
the blade.
• Blade – The longest section of the needle,
this runs from the shoulder to the eye.
 Parts of Sewing Machine Needle
• Long groove and short groove – On one side
of the needle there is a long groove which
protects the needle thread as it enters and is
withdrawn from the fabric.
• There is a short groove on the opposite side
which extends a short distance above and
below the eye and its purpose is to aid the
passage of the thread into the material and
loop formation.
 Parts of Sewing Machine Needle
• Scarf– This part of the needle has a flattened
area that allows the sewing mechanism to
pick up the sewing thread in a controlled
manner.
• Eye – An elliptical hole between the two
grooves; the shape and finish of the inside
top of the eye are important factors in the
prevention of thread damage during sewing.
• Point – This is shaped to provide the best
penetration of the material being sewn.
 Parts of Sewing Machine Needle
• Tip – The tip, when combined with the
point, determines the ease and extent of
penetration into the fabric.
– Points and tips are key components on the
performance of the needle and the various
types of combinations can be divided into
two groups:
– Round Points
– Cutting Points
 Parts of Sewing Machine Needle
• Round points – These are used for the
sewing of textile materials and whilst they
all have a circular cross section, they differ
in their tip shapes.
• In general, set point needles are used for
most woven fabrics and the ball point needle
is preferred for delicate and knitted
materials.
• Both these points are available with light,
medium and heavy tips and these
combinations allow for good compatibility
between the fabric and the needle.
 Parts of Sewing Machine Needle
• Cutting points – These needles actually
cut a hole through the material and
because of this are mainly used for the
sewing of leather, artificial leather and
plastic materials.
• The points come in a variety of shapes (as
shown in Figure).
 Parts of Sewing Machine Needle
• They all influence the set (angle) of the stitches and as a result the
appearance of a row of stitches.
• The individual stitches are slightly slanted instead of being in a straight
line.
 Sizes
• There are about 20 systems of
designating needle size but the one used
most widely is the metric system (Nm).
• This is based on the diameter of the
blade multiplied by 100.
• For example, a needle with a blade
diameter of 0.9 mm would be size Nm
90.
• Although needle lengths for each type of
machine are standardized.
 Sizes
Longer needles are sometimes used to
increase the clearance between the end of
the needle bar and the work being sewn.
 Sizes
• Some modern sewing machines can reach speeds in excess of 10,000
revolutions/stitches per minute.
• With chain stitch machines, one stitch is formed with each revolution.
• On lockstitch machines, one stitch is formed with two revolutions.
• Hence on lockstitch machines with a top speed of 5000 rpm, 2500
stitches are formed per minute.
• At these speeds, plus the immense range of different materials which
have to be sewn, the selection of the correct needle is crucial.