• 22 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Sewing Machine Worksheet

A sewing machine from the front, the needle area close up, and the bobbin.

Parts of a Sewing Machine Worksheet

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Spool pin
  2. Thread guide
  3. Tension dial
  4. Take-up lever
  5. Face plate
  6. Arm
  7. Bed
  8. Hand wheel
  9. Bobbin winder
  10. Reverse button
  11. Presser foot lifter
  12. Foot control
  13. Needle bar
  14. Needle clamp
  15. Needle
  16. Presser bar
  17. Presser foot
  18. Feed dog
  19. Throat plate
  20. Slide plate
  21. Bobbin case
  22. Bobbin

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the parts of a needle

All 22 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Whole machine 12

  1. Spool pin The pin that holds the spool of thread.
  2. Thread guide A loop that leads the thread on its way to the needle.
  3. Tension dial The dial that sets how tight the upper thread is.
  4. Take-up lever It moves up and down with the needle and controls the thread.
  5. Face plate The cover on the left end of the machine.
  6. Arm The body above the bed. It holds the needle over the cloth.
  7. Bed The flat base the cloth rests on.
  8. Hand wheel The wheel that moves the needle and take-up lever by hand.
  9. Bobbin winder It winds thread from the spool onto a bobbin.
  10. Reverse button It makes the machine stitch backward.
  11. Presser foot lifter The lever that raises and lowers the presser foot.
  12. Foot control The pedal on the floor that runs the machine.

Needle area 7

  1. Needle bar The rod that carries the needle up and down.
  2. Needle clamp It holds the needle in place, with a screw.
  3. Needle It pierces the cloth. Its eye is near the point.
  4. Presser bar The rod the presser foot is fastened to.
  5. Presser foot It holds the cloth down against the feed dog.
  6. Feed dog Toothed bars that move the cloth along under the presser foot.
  7. Throat plate The plate under the needle, with slots for the feed dog.

Bobbin 3

  1. Slide plate The plate that slides open to reach the bobbin.
  2. Bobbin case The round holder the bobbin sits in.
  3. Bobbin A small spool that holds the lower thread.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where at least two of these use it. (1) Clothing Construction: An Instructional Package (1976), a school sewing course, full text at https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41153510_0632 : take-up lever, throat plate, presser bar, tension dial, spool pin, hand wheel, feed dog, slide plate, bobbin winder, needle clamp, presser foot, bobbin case, thread guide, bed, knee or foot control. (2) A sewing machine maker's instruction book with a list of principal parts (1968), full text at https://archive.org/details/singer-stylist-466 : spool pin, take-up lever, hand wheel, presser foot lifter, presser foot, feed dog, throat plate, tension dial, slide plate, bobbin case, face plate, needle clamp, reverse stitch push button, arm and bed. (3) A second maker's instruction manual with a numbered list of part names, full text at https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7278653 : spool pin, thread guide, thread take-up lever, face plate, needle plate, hook cover plate, reverse button, needle clamp screw, bobbin winder spindle, hand wheel, presser foot lifter, foot control. (4) Wikipedia, Sewing machine, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewing_machine , with Bobbin and Presser foot: arm, needle bar, presser foot, feed dogs, bobbin, bobbin case, bobbin winder. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's tool, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A household sewing machine in three views, with a name for every numbered part. Print it blank as a worksheet, or labeled as the answer key.

Read the full guide

From the spool to the needle

The dashed line is the upper thread. It runs from the spool pin through the thread guide, down past the tension dial, up to the take-up lever and down again to the needle, which is held in the needle clamp at the end of the needle bar.

Under the needle

The presser foot holds the cloth down on the feed dog, a set of toothed bars that rise through slots in the throat plate. Beside the throat plate is the slide plate. Under it, the bobbin sits in the bobbin case and holds the lower thread.

  • Some makers call the throat plate the needle plate. The quiz takes either.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a sewing machine called?

The body is the bed, the arm and the face plate. On top are the spool pin, thread guide and bobbin winder. On the front are the take-up lever and tension dial. Under the head are the needle, presser foot, feed dog and throat plate.

Is there a labeled parts of a sewing machine worksheet to print?

Yes. Print blank gives the drawing with numbered rings and a numbered line for each name. The labeled print is the same sheet with the names filled in, to use as a key.

What are the bobbin parts of a sewing machine?

The bobbin is a small spool that holds the lower thread. It sits in the bobbin case, under the slide plate. The bobbin winder, on top of the machine, winds thread from the spool onto a bobbin.

What is the feed dog on a sewing machine?

A set of toothed bars that rise through slots in the throat plate. They move the cloth along under the needle, while the presser foot holds the cloth down on them.

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