Low Shank Vs. High Shank Sewing Machines
All sewing machines use presser feet to hold the fabric in place while it is being stitched. Different sewing tasks require different feet. For instance, a zipper foot is needed to attach a zipper to a garment. Presser feet either screw on or snap on. In order to choose the proper foot for your machine, you need to know if it is a low shank or high shank machine.
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Snap On Vs. Screw On Feet
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Newer sewing machines tend to use snap on feet, while machines made before 1980 have presser feet that screw in place. If your machine's feet snap on, you do not have to worry about the shank height.
Measuring the Shank
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Measure the shank with the presser foot lowered. The shank is the distance between the bottom of the foot and the screw. The measurement on a low shank machine is three quarters of an inch and on a high shank machine is one and one quarter inches.
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Low Shank Models
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Most sewing machines are low shank. Singer's popular Featherweight models have a low shank, as do most models by Pfaff and Viking.
High Shank Models
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Industrial sewing machines commonly feature high shanks. Some home models, such as those by Necchi and New Home as well as the Pfaff 1200 series also have high shanks.
Slant Shank
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Certain Singer sewing machines feature a slant shank, which is one and one eighth of an inch high and slightly angled. The slant shank was used on Japanese, German and US models in the 1960s and 1970s.
Bernina Presser Feet
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Sewing machines made by Bernina have a low shank. However, an adapter is needed in order to use generic presser feet on the machines
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References
- Photo Credit Sewing Machine Needle image by C Agoncillo from Fotolia.com
