Sewing Equipment, Tools and Machine Maintenance
What the exam tests
Questions cover correct tools for measuring, marking, cutting and pressing; needle and thread selection; machine parts; and routine maintenance and fault-finding.
Tools and machine basics
Use a tape measure for body measurements, a metre rule for grainlines, tailor’s chalk or a washable marker for marking, and sharp shears reserved for fabric. Machine needles have sizes: 70/10 for lightweight fabrics, 80/12 for medium cotton, 90/14 for denim, and ballpoint for knits. Thread should match fibre and weight.
Know the parts: spool pin, tension discs, take-up lever, needle clamp, presser foot, feed dogs, bobbin case. The upper tension controls the top thread; the bobbin tension is set by a small screw and should be adjusted only when necessary.
Maintenance and fault-finding
Remove lint from the bobbin area, change needles after a large project, oil metal machines where the manual permits, and cover the machine. For skipped stitches, check needle type and sharpness. For loops under the fabric, the top tension is usually too loose or the machine is not threaded correctly.
Worked example
A machine sews loops and tangles underneath a cotton sample. Reasoning: the bobbin thread is being pulled to the top, so check the upper threading path first, then the take-up lever, then the top tension. Raise the presser foot when threading so the discs close on the thread. Test on a scrap. Do not tighten the bobbin screw first; that can damage the case.
Traps
Do not use a universal needle on stretch knits and expect no skipped stitches. Do not force the fabric; let the feed dogs move it. Do not oil a sealed domestic machine or forget to unplug it before cleaning.