Are Sewing Machines Dangerous?

Unlike some time in the past, sewing in the modern era is done almost exclusively with a sewing machine. As someone new to sewing machines and their use, one has to ask the question of whether the machine is safe for general usage. All equipment used in the house has to be considered safe.

Sewing Machines are considered safe if you follow all due precautions with them. However, many accidents can come up if you are careless with the use of your sewing machine.

We will look at the dangers of using sewing machines and the safety precautions you can take to avoid all of them.

Are Sewing Machines Dangerous?

A sewing machine wouldn’t be considered a dangerous machine to have for personal or work-related purposes. However, there exist certain accidents that might come up when using a sewing machine. These accidents can be quite serious, so you have to be very careful.

The dangers of sewing machines are closely interlinked with the working mechanism. For example, when using iron one knows that you should be careful not to be burnt. The same logic applies to sewing machines. But rather than only heat like with irons, there are many things to worry about with sewing machines. We will discuss these in the next section.

However, if you follow proper safety precautions you have nothing to worry about. Except if you are involved in a freak accident involving the sewing machine (the even unimaginable type), using your sewing machine properly poses no danger to you.

Dangers Of Sewing Machines

Although they are relatively safe, there are dangers to be aware of in using sewing machines. An unsuspecting user could easily fall victim to these dangers if they don’t know how to avoid them.

Sewing through the finger

This is one of the most elementary dangers associated with using sewing machines. It is especially important to keep in mind if you are a beginner who isn’t used to sewing with machines. It is mostly caused by your placing your fingers too close to the point of the needle while trying to guide the fabric through the stitching. There is even a common saying that such an accident represents a rite of passage for users of sewing machines. You don’t have to undergo such a painful rite of passage! One way to avoid this is by buying a presser foot needle guard.

Electric shock

This is one of the more unlikely dangers of using sewing machines. However remote it might seem that you will be shocked by your sewing machine, it still stands as a distinct possibility you should be aware of and wary of.

Flying debris

This is another unlikely account that is often minor but could be dangerous. It involves pieces of fabric getting into a sensitive part of the body. Yes, this is unlikely to cause any harm. But what happens when a needle breaks midway through stitching? This could cause serious harm to both you and anybody in the surrounding area.

Hair getting caught in the machine

If you have long hair and don’t pack it while using the sewing machine, your hair could get caught in the machine. It doesn’t have to be said that this could lead to a pretty serious injury especially when you are working at a high speed.

Other forms of accidents are too unlikely to be even mentioned.

Precautions While Using Sewing Machines

As seen previously, you have to be very careful when using your sewing machine.  To avoid any accidents, there are certain precautions you should make into habits.

Be Careful With The Power

This advice is very common with every electronic device as it is said that you shouldn’t leave them plugged when not in use. With sewing machines, the logic remains the same. Aside from the obvious benefits of not wasting power, your machine shouldn’t be connected to the power supply when you are doing something like threading or changing the bobbin on the machine. This is to avoid any accidental stitching that could harm you.

Always check the wires for any frays that could expose you to an electric shock.

You should use a power switch that can be turned on and off at your convenience. Another power precaution is that you should avoid overloading the power outlet as this could also lead to issues. Lastly, avoid using powerful magnets around sewing machines when they are powered on. Magnets can draw power and shock you!

Understand the optimum distance between needle and finger

Most times when sewing, you need your fingers to guide the fabric through the stitching by the machine. However, placing your finger too close to the needle can cause an accident to your finger. The optimum distance is that over an inch of space should be between your finger and the needle at all times.

Oftentimes, you might need closer guidance while working with some fabrics. Rather than placing your fingers too close to the needles, you can get special tools to help. This will ensure that you don’t accidentally get pierced by your sewing needles while working.

Ensure Proper storage

Unlike the popular needle of seamsters keeping needles anywhere including their mouth, this is not ideal. Ensure that your needles are in a case when they are not in use. Do not put needles in your mouth as it is too easy to swallow and inhale them.

Sew At A Convenient Speed

This is especially important if you are a beginner. A veteran with sewing machines can afford to work fast because of the muscle memory they have gained over the years. A beginner, however, has no such luxury. You would have to be careful not to place your hand too close to the needle while also guiding the fabric. If you work at a speed you are incapable of, you could either ruin the seam you are doing or cause harm to yourself. You want neither of these!

Concentrate

While this might seem to be self-obvious, it bears repeating. This is because many injuries from sewing machines arise from careless use. Carelessness aside, do not use your sewing machine when you are unable to fully concentrate. This might include when you are on medication, tipsy, or feeling sleepy. Also, it is best to pause for a bit when you are feeling tired. Otherwise, using your sewing machine without the best concentration levels can lead to unfortunate accidents.

Pack your hair

If you have long hair, ensure that it isn’t dangling in front while you are sewing. You can cover your head with a cap or bonnet and tuck the hair in. Otherwise, you could use a hair ribbon to pack it behind.

Always use the right materials

The most significant sewing material you have to ensure its compatibility is the needle. The type of needle that works best with every fabric differs and using the wrong sort can lead to issues. While these issues are often machine-related like jamming, they could also make the needle break. A needle that breaks amid a sewing project can fly off and hit either you or an unsuspecting person in the environment. This would be an undesirable turn of events.

Service the machine at intervals

Like many machines and electronic devices, sewing machines have to be checked regularly to ensure that they are still in optimum working condition. For the best result, you can consult a professional technician to help you service the machine at intervals of months. Of course, this interval will depend on how often you use the machine and how often you can spare the cost of using a technician.

If you have kids in the house, be extra careful

When kids are involved, you have to be even more careful with everything in the home, and sewing machines are not exempted. All sewing tools like needles and pins should be kept very carefully away from kids.

It would be best if you could have the sewing machine itself in a place where it will be unreachable to little kids. This is because children inevitably get drawn to things like that and they can get injured while playing with the machine. Similarly, you should take the same care if you also have pets in the home. Like Human children, they can get injured while playing with parts of the machine.

With all these precautions, your sewing machine won’t prove to be dangerous for you and every person and human in the home.

Conclusion

Sewing machines can seem dangerous but they are quite innocuous with perfect use. Of course, perfect use does not exist with normal humans. You have to be very wary of certain accidents that might happen if you slip into seemingly harmless but dangerous habits. These include working with your hair loose, placing your fingers too close to the needle, and working while distracted. Now that you know all these, you are one less victim of the deadly sewing machine!