Sewing machine operators use high-speed sewing machines to make items that are made of cloth. In garment production factories, sewing machine operators do most of the sewing. Operators are classified by the type of machine on which they work.
Operators usually work on just one type of machine.
However, there are many different types of sewing machines. Because operators do specialized work, such as hems or buttonholes, they only do some of the work on each garment before passing it to other operators. Operators are also classified by the products they work on. The main division is between those who make clothing and those who make non-garment items, such as towels and sheets. Sewing Machine Operators is in the Manufacturing and Processing Career Cluster.