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Types of Sewing Machines

Snehal Motkar
Although sewing machines have gone through tremendous change during last few years, the basic need of it was felt during the first industrial revolution in order to reduce manual labor. This information will tell you the types of sewing machines and their features.
Sewing machine is very beneficial and convenient to use equipment against hand sewing because it reduces manual labor. Along with reduced manual labor, it often provides various patterns and designs which cannot be done with hand sewing.
Hence, it was in great demand immediately after its invention. Majority houses and textile industries had these machines which brought considerable progress in their production.
When we compare the efficiency of the first invented machine with the latest one, we find a vast difference in both because technology kept on improving and so also the sewing machine. The next part of the information will tell you about the latest sewing machines.

Sewing Machine Varieties
There are three major types of these machines namely, the Mechanical, Electronic and Computerized Sewing Machines. The other type of machine that is used only for finishing touch is called Serger Machine.

Mechanical Sewing Machine

This type is first on our list as it was the first type of sewing machine to be invented. It is the basic and simple type of machine which also has a low cost.
From the beginning, i.e., in 1800s all machines were mechanical till the emergence of electronic ones in the 1960s. These machines were used for simple straight stitches to the complex zig-zag ones. Other two types of stitches are chain stitch and lock stitch.
Chain stitch uses a single thread that runs through the needle on top as well as the bottom or the underside of the fabric creating loops whereas in lock stitch, there are two threads, one below the fabric in the bobbin case and the other in the top reel.
Hemming and repairing regular clothing was possible with mechanical machines. There is only one drawback of this machine, that it cannot be used for a large project in industries and textile factories. But they are very useful are household work.

Electronic Sewing Machine

As mentioned, electronic machines emerged in the 1960s and became very popular till the 70s. There are a few additional features in these machines as compared to the mechanical ones.
Mechanical machines have dials to adjust the length and width of the stitch whereas electronic machines have buttons to adjust it. When the power is switched on, the inbuilt push and pull mechanism is activated and the cloth moves automatically.
This feature is absent in mechanical machines, the person doing the job had to pull and push the cloth mechanically which was stressful and the process was slower.
Another feature of this machine is the variety of patterns it has in stitches. The mechanical version had only two types of stitches but this machine has the capacity of producing several different patterns.

Computerized Sewing Machine
These machines are latest ones with the most advanced technology. They are similar to electronic machines in some respects like, use of stepper motor, chip and needle set up but as an additional feature, the computerized machine has a microprocessor.
In this computerized machine, there are set patterns stored in the form of a card just like a cell phone with a memory card. The microprocessor does this job for the machine. You can use any of these patterns in combination or even use a single one.
The card also has the capacity to accept new patterns and store them for future use. These machines are far more superior than the other two types when it comes to the heavy decorative and embroidery work.

Serger Machine

It is the machine that does the finishing work like, locking the edges of the stitched fabric.
Though these machines do not create any seam (joining two cloth pieces together), they do the important task of preventing the edges of the fabric from fraying. They help to hold the edges for a very long time. They are also called merrows or overlocks.
So, after studying features of all types of sewing machines, you will find it easier to choose one of them. Remember, it is not necessary that the best machine for you should be technically most advanced and the most expensive one.
You can choose even the mechanical one if you find it easy to use and if it satisfies your need and budget. The need is important than any other factor while choosing a sewing machine.