The needle plate or the throat plate covers the bobbin area. This is the removable metal shield inset on the work surface of your machine. This plate has a smooth surface so your fabric slides across well. It also serves as a guide to help as you sew. There are 2 common needle plates: the zigzag plate and the straight stitch plate. Straight stitch plate You use this plate for making straight stitches. This plate has only one hole for the needle. This comes with small round needles holes on the plate. This prevents pulling of the fabric from the needle plate when sewing. This is perfect on chiffon and voile materials. The straight stitch needle plate offers a more stable base and support around the needle. You can get straight and even stitches if you use this plate along with the straight stitch foot. Zigzag plate This type of plate is for decorative stitching. This plate has a wide slit so it can accommodate different needle positions. This needle plate comes with an elongated hole to accommodate the side to side swing of the needle. This is suitable for making width stitches ranging from 5mm., 7mm., or 9mm.