Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.
<ul><li>Monitor machine operation to detect problems such as defective stitching, breaks in thread, or machine malfunctions.</li><li>Position items under needles, using marks on machines, clamps, templates, or cloth as guides.</li><li>Place spools of thread, cord, or other materials on spindles, insert bobbins, and thread ends through machine guides and components.</li><li>Guide garments or garment parts under machine needles and presser feet to sew parts together.</li><li>Match cloth pieces in correct sequences prior to sewing them, and verify that dye lots and patterns match.</li><li>Select supplies such as fasteners and thread, according to job requirements.</li><li>Cut excess material or thread from finished products.</li><li>Fold or stretch edges or lengths of items while sewing to facilitate forming specified sections.</li><li>Remove holding devices and finished items from machines.</li><li>Examine and measure finished articles to verify conformance to standards, using rulers.</li><li>Start and operate or tend machines, such as single or double needle serging and flat-bed felling machines, to automatically join, reinforce, or decorate material or articles.</li><li>Record quantities of materials processed.</li><li>Turn knobs, screws, and dials to adjust settings of machines, according to garment styles and equipment performance.</li><li>Repair or alter items by adding replacement parts or missing stitches.</li><li>Attach tape, trim, appliques, or elastic to specified garments or garment parts, according to item specifications.</li><li>Perform equipment maintenance tasks such as replacing needles, sanding rough areas of needles, or cleaning and oiling sewing machines.</li><li>Mount attachments, such as needles, cutting blades, or pattern plates, and adjust machine guides according to specifications.</li></ul>