Semi-circular - Front LoadingVery machine-specific, and vary much more in size than the side-loaders.. Measure, if you aren't sure, and pay particular attention to the pattern of the feed dog slots. Please note carefully whether your zigzagging machine puts the needle to the centre or the left on a straight-stitch setting. This is normal, and cannot be altered, you need the right type of plate for straight stitching. Some things have been moved, follow the Other Types link above to find them. It's always worth asking, too... Pop Quiz: If I asked you to describe all the details on the stitch plate you last used on your sewing machine, would you remember all of them? (Most of us wouldn’t.) The stitch plate is something we put on and forget as we sew on our merry way. So, what’s special about a stitch plate? A lot—let’s take a closer look. At the other end of sewing, there are heavy duty seams on multiple layers of heavy fabrics (e.g. hems in denim, boxing seams at the bottom of a multi-layered tote bag) where there is a risk of breaking needles, especially when the presser foot has to ‘climb’ over the cross seams where there is extra bulk. For this purpose, BERNINA has engineered the following recipe for success in every machine.

Semi-circular - Side LoadingThese tend to come in two sorts - with screws, and drop-on. Not interchangeable. For machines that are capable of a 9 mm stitch width, an optional 5.5 mm stitch plate helps better support the fabric when the actual stitch is less than 9 mm wide. Before diving into the details of what the stitch plate does, there are a couple of things to consider and keep in mind: If your fabric is delicate enough to be pushed into the stitch plate opening, either use a stabilizer under the fabric, or use a narrower stitch plate (0 or 5 mm) even for basic seaming. This works even if you are going from 2 layers of heavy denim to 6 layers, such as when you sew a hem and have to climb over the cross-seam bulk.The faster the machine runs, the harder the needle hits the fabric. There is no arguing with the physics of it. And faster often equals a deeper crater. So, following the information from Step 1 above, the harder the needle jabs at the fabric near a cut edge (say a 1/4-inch seam allowance) on a wide needle hole, the more you can expect the fabric to dip into the hole of the stitch plate. Hello decorative Stitches! One advantage of having 9 mm stitch width capability is to see decorative stitches and alphabets really pop.

This plate comes standard with all machines that have a maximum stitch width of 5.5 mm. For such machines it allows the user to stitch all practical and decorative stitches up to their maximum width of 5.5 mm.Here is a summary of what each plate is particularly suited for in your sewing and embroidery studio. Keep the following in mind—only use the needle hole size you need for the current application. Straight Stitch Plate (0 mm) When the needle enters the fabric, it pushes on it first until it finds its way through, creating a depression (think crater). The following image used to be printed in our machine owner’s manual to illustrate what a blunt needle does to fabric. While a good needle will generate a smaller crater, it still will generate one. This cratering effect, especially when sewing near a cut edge of the Since the introduction of BERNINA CutWork Tool a few years ago, we’ve had to make allowances for the cutting tool, which resembles a needle stump with a blade at its tip. Since the diameter of the blade is a bit larger than a sewing machine needle, our engineers modified the Straight Stitch Plate by enlarging the hole slightly. The resulting plate is perfectly for both uses: straight stitch sewing and CutWork in embroidery. Other than the grooves marking seam allowances (in both metric and US measures) and diagonal lines on the plate, the needle plate’s key attribute is the type and size of hole for the needle to travel through and the resulting support it provides to the fabric. This will be the focus of this article.

For quilters, using a fine sharp needle (e.g. Jeans 70 or 80) and a Straight Stitch Plate means precise seam lines. In Short…as a guideline, whenever I use a straight stitch foot (Jeans foot #8/ 8D, Patchwork foot #37/ 37D, Patchwork foot #57/ 57D, Patchwork foot #97/ 97D, etc.) I use a straight stitch plate. The foot and plate work in tandem to double my chances for success. 5.5 mm Stitch Plate As the needle passes through the stitch hole, it will be kept in alignment by grazing the front of the needle hole in the stitch plate (Point B in the diagram) since there is no wiggle room with a small straight stitch hole. The small hole leaves very little gap space around the needle, so the fabric doesn’t have a chance to crater and dip into the hole. So, the finest fabrics don’t get ‘eaten up’ by the machine (a term we all understand!).So technically, there is actually no magic—just superb (and precise!) Swiss engineering. When the large sharp needle enters the multiple heavy layers, it will naturally flex a bit. On even layers, a size 100 or 110 needle is usually enough on its own, but when crossing bulkier areas without the above trilogy, the needle is likely to deflect and hit the stitch plate…and break. However, with the above 3 elements in place, you can expect the following: The Straight Stitch Plate is great for precise seams on fine and delicate fabrics (sheers, batiste, georgette, charmeuse, chiffon, etc.).