Sewing Machine have many parts that works for the stitching to be done. A sewing machine is constructed using so many parts like throat plate, feed dog, presser foot etc. All sewing machines are not same. But still, all have some basic parts. As sewing enthusiast, we must know all the details of the machine we are are using. We should have a knowledge, Which part is meant for which type of work.
Lets discuss on the throat plate in this post. We will have a brief idea on, how a needle plate works.
What Is A Sewing Machine Throat Plate
Sewing machine throat plate is also called the needle plate. It is a metal plate that resides under the needle and the presser foot. The throat plate has holes on it. The needle passes the throat plate through those holes and also the holes are the pathways of the needle thread.
The throat has also openings for the feed dogs that emerge from below to provide a grip to the fabric as move forward while sewing.
How A Sewing Machine Throat Plate Looks Like
The sewing machine needle plate is made of metal. It has grooved lines to guide the seam allowance on the right side. These lines will act as a guide and help you to sew straighter seams. These will help you to get perfect seams and your stitch will look beautiful. These lines have very less gaps between them.
The width of the grooved lines vary according to the type of stitches.
Is Sewing Machine Needle Plate Removable?
When the question is, can we remove the throat plate? Then the answer is yes. We should remove the needle plate when we need to clean the sewing machine.
In some sewing machines, to access the bobbin you have to remove the needle plate. Sometimes we need to change the throat plate for particular type of stitch like zigzag stitch, straight stitch.
Typs Of Sewing Machine Throat Plate
Different types of stitches need different needle plate. Lets discuss the types of sewing machine needle plates and how they differ from each other.
The Standard Needle Plate
Every sewing machine comes with a standard needle plate. With this you can do all the basic sewing work. The standard needle plate generally have zigzag, buttonhole and other decorative stitches.
The hole in which the needle opens in standard throat plate is little long and oval in shape. This will be helpful in stitching little wider stitches like 5mm, 6mm or 7mm allowing the side to side sewing of the needle.
Straight Stitch Needle Plate
This throat plate is used in straight stitch. The needle holes in the straight stitch needle plate are small and round. This helps to prevent the fabric from being dragged into the throat plate while sewing. In standard needle plate that happens, like the fine lightweight fabrics such as chiffon, voile are prone to getting dragged in the opening of the needle plate.
The straight stitch throat plate also provides a more stable base and support around the needle. With the straight stitch foot, it gives perfect stitch. This throat plate is more beneficial in patchwork, free motion quilting, machine embroidery where you need straight stitch.
Hp Throat Plate
It is a special version of straight stitch needle plate where a round hole is present to the left side. It is used in combination with Hp foot. The machine automatically move the needle to the needle when the Throat plate is inserted. It is specially found in selected Janome sewing machines. It useful in patchwork piecing when you want perfect, scant quarter inch seams; top stitching; and high speed straight stitching.
Overlocker needle Plate
There are two types of overlocker needle plates. These are overlock needle plate with guide and standard overlock needle plate.
Overlock Needle plate with Guide
Overlock needle plate with guide simply has built in directions and marking guides over it. These guides help to achieve a perfect seam allowance and accurate cutting of the excess fabric. These types of needle plates are used in container sewing, garment blind stitching, and heavy-duty overlock applications.
Standard Overlock Needle Plate
The standard overlock needle plate is a flat piece of metal that provides a stable sewing surface. This has same size and shape as the needle. It does not have any holes or markings. These types of throat plates are used in light to medium weight fabrics. It prevent fabric from being caught in the machine.
Conclusion
Throat plate is a necessary part in a sewing machine. Without you can’t run a sewing machine. Learning about the needle plate must have interesting for you. Knowing your machine is a great thing. We will discuss about some other parts in a different post. Have a great day…
