How to Learn the Anatomy of the Sewing Machine

Knowing what all the parts on your sewing machine do and where they are helps you operate your machine easily. They allow fabric to move through the machine smoothly and keep the thread in order. The parts on the back of your sewing machine may not seem important, but you they're very useful.

Instructions

1. See that the casing throughout your machine is round and smooth in order to prevent the fabric from catching or snagging.

2. Identify the presser foot and the presser foot lift. The presser foot is the piece that holds the material down so the sewing machine can feed it through. The pressure foot lift is the lever above the presser foot that enables you to lift the foot when you're ready to insert or remove fabric.

3. Find the sewing machine's feed. The little metal teeth of the feed help push the fabric through as you sew.

4. Locate the thread cutter. On the back of the machine, normally on the leg of the presser foot, there's a groove cut into the leg, which is the thread cutter. When you're finished sewing, you can lift the thread and pull it through this part to cut the thread.

Tips & Warnings

• Refer to your manual if you see parts on your machine that you can't identify. Many manufacturer's have online resources to help you if don't have the manual.