A sewing machine including a needle bar for holding a sewing needle which conveys a sewing thread; a shaft member to which the needle bar is connected; a needle-bar drive motor which reciprocates the needle bar via the shaft member; a loop catcher which cooperates with the sewing needle to catch a loop of the sewing thread conveyed by the sewing needle; a catcher drive motor which rotates the loop catcher; an asynchronism detector which detects a first asynchronous state in which an amount of asynchronism between the needle bar and the loop catcher is greater than a first reference value and/or a second asynchronous state in which it is expected that the amount of asynchronism will be greater than a second reference value; and a holding device which holds, when the asynchronism detector detects the first and/or second asynchronous state, the needle bar and/or the loop catcher, at a holding position where the sewing needle and the loop catcher do not collide with each other.