Machines
Industrial Sewing Machines
Industrial sewing machines typically do a really great job at doing one thing, and one thing only. There is a wide variety of industrial sewing machine brands, and types, and these machines are typically what are used and seen throughout the garment manufacturing process.
If considering an industrial sewing machine you might start by looking at straight stitch industrial sewing machines. These machines tend to do a great job at sewing straight lines (you can change the stitching length), and can be used to sew a wide variety of fabrics.
It should be noted that certain brands do offer a hybrid domestic-industrial sewing machine.
Domestic Sewing Machine
There are many different types and brands of domestic sewing machines, all of which have different functionality and purposes. If considering acquiring a domestic sewing machine it is recommend that you consider what you need the sewing machine to do (what are some of the things that you would like to sew, and the types of fabrics that you would like to sew, and the types of stitches that you would like to have access to), and to demo or ‘test drive’ some different machines.
The benefit of domestic machines is that they will typically have the capacity to do a range of different stitch types which can be helpful for a range of projects.
Sewing Machine Maintenance & Accessories
To ensure the proper working of your sewing machine it is great to engage in regular maintenance. This includes taking your sewing machine in for a regular maintenance check up and servicing. When this service check up might happen, and the regularity depends on how often you use and work with the machine. If in doubt the machine will typically tell you when it needs to go in for servicing – perhaps it isn’t stitching quite right, skipping stitches, or other. If you use your machine quite regularly you might consider making an annual appointment to drop your machine off for servicing.
There are a variety of accessories available for sewing machines. Sewing machine accessories include a variety of different feet available (some might come with the machine itself, some might need to acquired separately), magnetic sewing gauges to help mark the seam allowance width on the throat plate of the machine, and other depending on the function you are looking for the machine to do.
Sewing Machine Needles
Matching the type of sewing machine needle you are using to the project you are working on will help with the making process. If working with knit fabric, use a stretch or ball point needle and you will avoid creating micro tears in your fabric. If working with denim or heavier weight fabric, using a needle that matches the weight of the fabric will lessen the chances of your needle potentially breaking during the sewing process.
Sewing Machine Needle brand Schmetz offers a pocket guide on their website that helps to guide the process of choosing the correct sewing machine needles.