Sewing machine operators
Sewing machine operators operate and monitor sewing machines to make, repair, darn and renovate textile, fur, synthetic or leather garments or embroider ornamental designs on garments or other materials. They operate button hole making and eyelet holing machines to cut holes, stitch around holes, stitch buttons and fix eyelets to garments.
Skill level: Semi-skilledCheck your pay
- Salary range for the majority of workers in Sewing machine operators - from R7 338 to R29 367 per month - 2025.
- A Sewing machine operators typically earns between R7 338 and R11 630 net per month at the start of the job.
- After 5 years of service, this is between R7 760 and R12 903 per month for a working week of 45 hours.
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Duties and tasks
- Operating or tending sewing machines to perform garment sewing operations such as joining, reinforcing, seaming or decorating garments or garment parts
- Attaching buttons, hooks, zippers, fasteners or other accessories to fabric, using feeding hoppers or clamp holders
- Tending semiautomatic sewing machines with multiple-sewing heads controlled by pattern chains that embroider various designs on garments
- Operating machines such as single or double needle sergers and flat-bed felling machines to automatically join, reinforce or decorate material or articles
- Operating fur sewing machines to join fur pelt strips to required size and shape and join pelts into garment sections or shells
- Operating stitching machines to sew leather parts together for leather garments, handbags, gloves or similar items
- Monitoring machine operations to detect problems such as defective stitching, breaks in thread or machine malfunctions
- Performing equipment maintenance tasks such as replacing needles