Sewing Machine – Technical Terms Explained

I was a bit taken aback when I read a sewing machine manual for the first time, because I started sewing a long time ago and didn’t think of myself as a novice, but I realized that I never learned all those technical names of sewing machine parts; all my mother said when she taught me to use her ancient sewing machine was “the thread goes here and here and into here”, and “this goes inside here”.

I know that to shop for the best sewing machine you’ve got to learn those terms first, and so here they are:

Bobbin – That metallic roundish thing to hold a small spool of thread under the needle. Old sewing machines have their bobbins inserted from the underside, a small feat that would need you to lean under and peer inside if you don’t know where it goes. Nowadays machines have a small clear cover that can be opened on top for you to drop in the bobbin, and you can see whether the thread is running out.

Foot pedal – A pedal for you to press with your foot to run the machine, but some sewing machines have a start-stop button for automatic sewing too, if you’re not so good at the footwork.

Feed dog – Those teeth-like metal chains directly under the needle and presser foot, which pulls your fabric forward in a straight line when you sew. Some sewing machines allow you to drop the feed dog, so that they will go down and you can move the fabric freely in any direction while you sew.

Presser foot – That flattish piece of metal that holds your fabric flat against the needle plate when you sew. Presser feet come in a few variations for different functions, and you can change them easily because they are either screwed or clipped on.

Walking foot – A kind of presser foot that has teeth to grip the fabric together with the feed dog, usually used for quilting or sewing layers of fabrics because it keeps the fabrics from slipping, giving you a more precise stitch.

Free arm – A cylinder to help you sew pockets and sleeves.

Needle plate – The piece over the feed dogs and under the needle and presser foot. It has a hole for the needle to go through and markings to help you keep the fabric a certain distance from the needle and maintain a straight line.

For more tips of how to choose the best sewing machine and sewing machine reviews, go to my Sewing Machine Review main page.

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