Fabric and notions have been collected, fabric is cut, marked, interfacing applied, and now a critical decision must be made: What needle to use?
Always choose the needle according to fabric and thread!
–Fabric: woven, densely woven, knit, denim, or specialty?
–Thread: type and weight?
Look at the needle package…
-What do all those numbers and letters mean?
-Which needle is the best for the fabric?
-Which needle is best for the thread?
To answer these questions let’s begin by looking at the anatomy of a needle.
A sewing machine needle is made of six parts:
1. The shank is the upper portion of the needle, which is inserted into the sewing machine. The needles for home sewing machines have a shank that is rounded on the front side and flat on the back. This needle system is indicated on some packaging by these notations: HA x 1, 15 x 1, or 130/705.
2. The shaft is the entire lower portion of the needle. The size of the needle is determined by the diameter of the shaft. The smaller the number, the smaller the shaft will be. The eye will increase in size proportionately to the size of the shaft.
3. The groove is on the front of the needle. The groove is designed to allow the thread to lie tightly against the needle as it passes through the fabric.
4. The thread passes from the front to the back of the needle through the eye. Test the thread in the needle; it should flow freely through the eye.
5. The scarf is an indentation on the back of the needle that allows the hook to pass closely to the needle to form the stitch. The size of the needle will affect the distance of the scarf in relation to the hook.
6. The point penetrates the fabric and allows the needle to deliver the thread to the hook to form the stitch. The shape of the point is designed to penetrate different types of fabric.
Choose the needle size for the weight of fabric and weight of thread. Use the chart below as a guide.
| European | 60 | 65 | 70 | 75 | 80 | 90 | 100 | 110 | 120 | 125 |
| American | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Fabric Types | Sheer | Very Fine | Fine | Light | Medium Light | Medium | Heavy | Upholstery Denim |
Denim | Canvas |
Choose the needle point for the type of fabric.
–Ball Point –BP, S- is a rounded tip that goes between the fibers of the fabric rather than cutting them. Use of a ballpoint needle is recommended on knit fabrics.
–Extra Sharp Point – M– is a very fine point that makes small holes in the fabric. These needles are excellent for silk, microfibers, and waterproof fabrics when a very small hole is desired.
–Leather Needle –15 x 2, HAx2, LL – has a lens shaped point for cutting through leather and man-made leather type fabrics. A longer stitch length is recommended so there is extra distance between the holes created by the needle.
–Jeans Needle– HLx5, J – is an industrial strength needle with a sharp point and a flat back which will sew through multiple layers of dense fibers like denim and canvas.
–Stretch Needle–SP, SUK- has a very rounded tip and should be used for elastic and extremely stretchy fabrics such as lycra, spandex, and synthetic suede. These needles will prevent skipped stitches.
–Universal– is for general sewing of most woven and knit fabrics the tip is slightly rounder than a sharp but not as round as a ballpoint.
Among the needle types are specialty needles which offer the user features for specific applications.
–Embroidery Needles –ST, E –are designed with the eye one size larger than a corresponding size needle. The larger eye allows embroidery thread to flow through the eye with less drag so there is less breakage.
–Metallic Needles – MET – have a very long eye which helps prevent heat build-up as metal thread passes through the needle.
–Quilting Needles – Q –designed to penetrate several layers of fabric the point is slightly rounder than a universal point.
–Top Stitch Needles – have an extra-long eye to accommodate heavy thread.
Keep an assortment of needles on hand to make it easy to choose the appropriate needle for each project.
TROUBLESHOOTING:
-The sewing life of a needle is 8 hours. If you don’t remember the last time you put in a new needle – change the needle.
-If the thread is breaking or shredding go up one needle or try a top stitch needle.
-If the stitches are skipping change the type of needle point, i.e. ball point, or extra sharp.
-The thread is bouncing go down one size.
-Check the needle plate, bobbin case, and hook often, any small burs or imperfections may snag the thread as it passes and cause breakage.
-Clean the machine often.
Here is a creative way to dispose of those used sewing machine needles.
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