Feed drive for a stitch group sewing machine

A feed drive for a stitch group sewing machine includes a cam plate serving to drive a cloth clamp and it is connected with a separate motor. In order to keep the stitch length constant at varying length of the stitch group, the motor speed is controllable by a control device as a function of the rotational speed of the sewing machine, of the transmission ratio of a gearing between cam plate and cloth clamp which determines the length of the stitch group, and of the adjusted stitch length. The stitch group to be sewn can be divided into two sections with a stitch length variable independently of each other, in that a path-dependent switch operable after a partial revolution of the cam plate corresponding to the length of the first section alternately connects one of two potentiometers which determine the stitch length, with the motor control circuit.