Having already done a post about thread, its only right that I now talk about needles! There are many different types of needles for sewing and its really important that you select the correct one for the fabric and thread that you are using in order to get a good quality stitch and therefore a professional finish to whatever project you are working on.
The key points I will be outlining are:
Parts of the needle
Needle size
Needle type
Needle manufacturers
How often to change your needle
How to decide which sewing machine needle to use
So the first point to make is that sewing machine needles are standardised. By this I mean that you don’t need to buy specific needles for your specific brand of machine – all needles fit in all types of domestic sewing machines – e.g. Janome, Bernina, Singer, etc
Sewing Machine Needle Parts
Shank – is the top part of the needle which has a flat back which in inserted into the machine to hold it in place.
Shaft – is the lower part of the needle
Groove - is a hollowed out section just above the eye
Eye - is the hole where the thread goes through
Point - is the very tip of the needle which goes through the fabric first
Needle sizes
Sewing machine needle sizes are expressed with two numbers - e.g. 90 / 14. The two numbers just represent the metric and imperial measurement. The key thing to remember is that the higher the number, thicker the needle and the lower the number the thinner the needle / the finer the point of the needle.
For example, a 60/8 or 65 / 9 would be appropriate for very lightweight, delicate fabrics like silk chiffon, voile
A 80/12 or a 90 / 14 would be what is classed as a ‘universal’ needle and the ‘go to’ for most medium weight fabrics like cottons, medium weight linens.
100 / 16 up to 120 / 20 would be for heavy weight materials like upholstery fabrics, heavy canvas and denim, etc.
If you use a needle which is too big for the fabric that you are working on, then it will catch on the fibres of the fabric and cause the stitches to be uneven and puckered.
If the needle is too thin for the fabric, then it may snap or break whilst you are sewing
Needle types
Universal - Universal needles will work on the majority of projects but it does still need to be the correct size for the fabric – as above.
Jersey – these needles are used for knit fabrics and have a ballpoint tip instead of a sharp one. They part the fibres of the material as they stitch, rather than piercing them which helps to prevent holes or ‘runs’ in the knitted jersey fabric.
Stretch – these are similar to jersey needles but have a slightly different construction which helps to prevent skipped stitches in very stretchy fabric with lots of spandex like Lycra. They are also good for sewing elastic.
Leather – these have a slightly different tip which basically cuts a hole in the leather as it sews. This hole obviously can’t be removed so you need to make sure you are sewing accurately when using these needles and try not to make any mistakes!
Jeans – these needles are used for sewing with denim and have a slight ballpoint to prevent the denim fibres being caught
Microtex – these have a very small, sharp point. They are good for fabrics which are densely woven, for example silk or microfibres as their sharp point helps to cleanly pierce through the fabric
Top stitching – used when using top stitching thread – these needles have a larger eye which stops the thread from shredding as it goes through the needle.
Twin – this is basically two needles joined together and is normally used for decorative purposes or to create a hem on a garment
Needle manufacturers
Its very important to use a good quality needle and the brand that I recommend is Schmetz. They come in handy little plastic boxes which you can easily store with your sewing kit. You can either buy a set of one size or a set with multiple different sizes within one box. Schemtz needles now also come with useful colour coding on the needle itself so that you don’t forget which type of needle you have in your machine at any one time.
Organ is another brand which I have used and had no problems with. Prym have a range of needles which are also good.
When to change needle
Every time a needle pierces the fabric it gets slightly less sharp. Microscopic grooves can appear in the eye of the needle as time goes on as a result of the thread passing through which also can affect the efficiency of the stitching, especially if you change threads (as different threads can cause slightly different shaped grooves). So it is important to regularly change your needle to maintain a good quality stitch.
There is no exact science to when exactly you should change it and there are various schools of thought on this subject. Some say to change the needle after so many hours of sewing but I for one definitely don’t keep track of how many hours I’m using my machine for.
Another suggestion is to change the needle for every new project that you sew and that can work well if you are sewing large projects that take significant amounts of time but if you sew smaller projects, that might be overkill.
An indicator that it might be time to change the needle is if you can hear the needle piercing the fabric and / or your machine is making a different noise when stitching – that may mean that the needle is blunt and its time for a new one. Another indicator may be that your stitches don’t look as nice or your fabric is puckering. I tend to use a combination of all of the above alongside my own judgement and this is something that comes with practice and knowledge of your own sewing machine.
How to decide which sewing machine needle to use
1. Look at the weight of your fabric and match the weight to the thickness of the needle – eg thicker fabric - thicker needle (higher number), thinner fabric - thinner needle (lower number)
2. Look at the type of fabric you are using – is it knit fabric therefore requiring a ballpoint needle, or is it a woven therefore requiring a ‘sharp’ (as opposed to ballpoint tip)
3. Look at the thread you are using – if it’s a top stitching thread – use a corresponding top stitching needle.
4. Test and experiment on a scrap of the fabric you are working on to check the quality of the stitch before you start on your actual project.
5. Make sure its from a trusted brand so you can guarantee the quality of it
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