1 minute read

Sewing Machine

Future Developments

In both industrial and domestic machines, computer technology is the driving force for change. In the industrial setting, this change has three goals: to speed up operation of the sewing machines; to make the operator's job easier as materials move through their station more quickly; and to make the assembly of small parts of a garment easier with the design of more specialized sewing machines. In the industrial setting, where the pressure toward innovation is highest, machines are likely to move toward higher levels of automation.

See also Textiles.


Resources

Books

Hoffman and Rush. Microelectronics and Clothing: The Impact of Technical Change on a Global Industry. New York: Praeger, 1988.


Beth Hanson

KEY TERMS

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chainstitch

—Stitch usually created with a single thread that loops through itself on the underside of the fabric, which is used for such purposes as button holes and edging.

Lockstitch

—A stitch created as two separate threadsone below the fabric in a bobbin, the other above, lock together from the top and the bottom of the fabric at each stitch. The lock stitch is stronger but cannot be created as quickly as the chain stitch, because it puts more tension on the thread.

Additional topics

Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Semiotics to SmeltingSewing Machine - History, Types Of Sewing Machines, Future Developments