Welcome to my sewing world

Sewing machines were invented long back during the first Industrial Revolution. The intention behind the invention of such machines was to decrease the time required in sewing, as before this all the sewing work was done manually. The cloth companies needed to optimize their work and sewing machines was the answer.

Once the first sewing machine was invented, the productivity and the efficiency of the clothing and fabric industries increased vastly. Also, the sewing machines have improved greatly with their speeds increasing manifolds, variations available in stitching styles. The modern sewing machines look and work in a much more mechanized way as compared to the sewing machines which our great grandmothers used. Instead of simple stitching, they embroider, stitch, attach buttons, do pekoe and many more other activities.

The older machines used a single thread chain stitch mechanism. The modern sewing machine uses two threads instead of one and uses what is called lock stitching mechanism. The industrial sewing machines are generally specialized for one type of stitching since they need to be optimized. They are designed in a way that the fabric is able to glide in and out easily, without any hassle of thimbles and needles. The ease reduces the effort required and saves a lot of time.

The problem with the chain stitch was – it was extremely weak and it was possible to pull it apart very easily. With the introduction of machines in the field, people started to think that a better and stronger way of stitching could now be devised which would only be possible through machine usage. Lock stitch was the answer to their questions. In the case of lock stitch, two different threads are interlocked from both the sides of the fabric. It results in a stitch which can be looked as if the fabric is stitched from both ends making it much more strong and durable than the conventional chain stitch.

Thomas Saint was the first person to have a design for sewing machine patented. His machine was designed to work on canvas and leather. A working model of the same was never built. Other designs and patents came along in the future. Walter Hunt was the developer of lock stitch technique.

Other than the basic requirements in the motion of loopers, needles and bobbins, the most important movement is that of the fabric. It is necessary that the fabric moves at the required time (generally continuously) so that the stitches are made at the right position. The motion is also called as `feed`. Typical feed motion include: needle feed, drop feed, puller, walking foot, and manual. Generally, more than one kind of feed is used in a single machine to optimize the working.

A household machine will generally include only the lock stitch mechanism. But the machine can be used in a little different way (generally by moving the needle in different ways which is an included function in the machine); fancy stitches can be made possible. The simplest form of a fancy stitch is zigzag in which the needle just needs to perform an oscillatory motion continuously as the stitching is done normally.

Mechanical configuration can differ vastly in sewing machines. Some of the typical configurations are – cylinder bed, flat bed, off the arm and post bed. All the basic feed mechanism and stitch types are available in all these configurations. However, for industrial purposes the best possible configuration is used for a type of stitch. Like, blind stitch always uses cylinder bed configuration.

The invention of sewing machine was a necessity. And its introduction greatly increased the production and quality of the cloth industry.

A `stitch` in time saves nine – such goes the saying. But, with the important of stitching growing exponentially over the last decade in the international market, stitching and sewing of fabric has gained phenomenal popularity across the world. Hence, if you have a creative bent of mind and a passion for sewing and stitching, you can expect a great career in fashion designing as well. However, an artist is only as good as the tools he uses. Hence, when you decide to buy a sewing machine, you have to take care of certain factors. There are several aspects that you need to judge when you are going to buy a sewing machine.

First of all you should know your expectation from a sewing machine. You may need sewing machine for mending purpose or making some decorative stitches. You can even purchase it for your personal use or for your home business. Find out whether your purpose is to stitch only your clothing or heavy items. This is because you have to select your machine according to your need. Think properly about your priority and then proceed to buy the perfect sewing machine for you.

When you are aware of your purpose of buying a sewing machine you can look for the special features that you need. For every kind of stitching there are different features and applications. You should know whether you are going to stitch one type of material or different varieties of fabrics. Select the kind of machine that can solve the purpose of buying it. You can prepare a list of feature before going for your dealing.

Then think of the storage place available with you for the sewing machine. You have to decide where you want to keep it during and after the use and accordingly you have to take the device. The sewing machines are available in many shapes and sizes. Earlier the machines that were available were bulky and heavy. These days, the sewing machines have become more compact and of light weight.

Technologies have changed since the day the sewing machine first appeared in the market. Today, you will find different models of sewing machines with many advanced features in them. All these features have got different applications like sewing, embroidery, zigzag and many others. It depends upon the choice of the buyer who is going to use it. However, buying a sewing machine can also depend upon the expertise of the user. If you are an expert, you have got the idea of handling it you can go for using machines with all new and complicated features in it. But if you are learning to sew you should buy the machine that has got easy-to-use features in it. Don`t go for a brand just because it is an expensive one.

As different companies are manufacturing new models with new features, your dealing of sewing machine should not be a daunting decision. For that you have to make sure of your requirements by judging the above mentioned features. Prior to that, you have to gather proper information about the device from some reviews available online and offline. Even you can ask your local dealers about it. And finally get some demo done by the sales man before taking your sewing machine to your home.

Nobody buys a sewing machine every year. In other words, you should think the above factors over and over again before deciding buy a specific sewing machine for yourself. Look at the special features offered by different brands in the market and see if you are going to need all those features for your everyday use. Consider the price of different models as well. This can save your from fretting over the decision of landing up at bad buy in future.