An electronic sewing machine is operated to produce a stitch pattern or a sequence of plural stitch patterns, in response to corresponding stitch control data, which are stored in an electronic memory element of the sewing machine and read out in response to desired manual operation of a pattern selection device provided therein. The pattern selection device includes an operation panel arranged along a laterally extending bracket arm of the machine housing, on which a plurality of sheet switches for selecting alphabet and symbol patterns in reference to their representations shown on the sheet switches are neatly and efficiently arranged. The sheet switches may comprise two rows of pentagonal shaped switches arranged adjacent to each other, or may comprise three rows in which upper and lower rows comprise sheet switches of pentagonal shape and a middle row of regular hexagonal shaped switches is interposed therebetween. The three rows arrangement of sheet switches may preferably be modeled after the key arrangement of a typewriter for easier operation.