ZIMSEC O Level · Textile Technology and Design · Form 1
Small equipment
Tape measure, dressmaking shears (for fabric only), small scissors, pinking shears (zigzag edges to reduce fraying), pins and pincushion, needles, thimble, tailor's chalk, tracing wheel and carbon paper, seam ripper, and an iron and ironing board.
The sewing machine
Main parts: spool pin, thread guides, tension disc, take-up lever, needle, presser foot, feed dog, needle plate, bobbin and bobbin case, stitch length and width controls, balance wheel, reverse lever.
Threading and use
Thread the upper thread through the guides, tension and take-up lever, then the needle; insert a wound bobbin; bring up the lower thread. Test stitch on a scrap of the same fabric.
Common faults and causes
- Skipped stitches: blunt or wrongly inserted needle.
- Loose or looped stitches: incorrect tension or threading.
- Thread breaking: tension too tight, poor thread, or burrs on the needle.
- Fabric not moving: feed dog lowered or stitch length set to zero.
Care
Clean lint from the bobbin area, oil moving parts as instructed, cover when not in use, and switch off at the socket.
Check yourself
- Why should dressmaking shears not be used for paper?
- Name the part that moves fabric under the needle.
- Give one cause of skipped stitches.
Show answers
- Paper blunts the blades.
- The feed dog.
- A blunt, bent or wrongly inserted needle.
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