• Home
  • Classes
  • Blog
  • About
  • Sewing Resources
  • Free Tutorials

Understanding the Differences in Sewing Machine Needles

1/30/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
You walk into a fabric or craft store to buy a new needle for your sewing machine and see a wall that looks like this:
Picture
Why are there so many?!?!!?! I'm going to let you in on a few secrets of reading those packages, and the small handful of needles that you need to know about to get you through most sewing projects.


First, there are many specialty needles. You don't need 3/4 of what is shown in the above picture unless you are sewing leather or making a couture wedding gown. Honest!
Picture
First lesson--the brand of needle does not matter. Schmetz and Singer are the ones most widely available, and I tend to pretty much use only Schmetz because I can get it anywhere. 


Second--the word "Universal" refers to the needle fitting any brand of sewing machine. This does not mean it is good for any project/fabric type. Universal will fit Janome, Singer, Bernina, Brother, and everything in between. All sewing machines, even my grandmother's antique treadle machine take the same needles. Let me show you the anatomy of a needle.
Picture
There is a top and the bottom, the bottom being the pointy part that will come into contact with your fabric. The top shaft has a rounded front and a flat back (front shown on top, back on the bottom in the above photo). Check your machine's manual, but most needles load with the flat side facing back when looking at your machine. 


Needles are sized differently, and this applies to how thick the metal of the needle. A thicker needle would be used for heavier fabrics like drapery or if you are making a pair of jeans. A thinner needle is good for finer silks and sheer fabrics. Somewhere in the middle you have the perfect size for quilting cottons, the majority of fabrics most home sewers tend to use. If you don't match the right needle to the fabric you are using, you can break the needle or poke holes in your fabric.


On that shaft, there are tiny etch marks that give you the size information (while this is extremely difficult to read, it comes in handy if you drop a multi-pack on the floor and you can no longer consult the package for what size needle you have in your hand. Not that I ever drop needles on the floor...ahem.)
Picture
Most needles come with a bit of paint that color codes the sizes, but this is not always universal from brand to brand. The numbers are universal, so I always go by those. 

You know how we have standard and metric measuring systems for volume, length, etc?? The same applies for the gauge of a needle. Can you see "Schmetz 80/12" etched in the picture above? "Needle size: 90/14 refers to the diameter of the needle blade in hundredths of a millimeter measured above the scarf. 90 is the European measurement, 14 is the US reference number." (taken from The Sewing Machine Classroom by Charlene Phillips.) The higher the numbers, the larger the diameter of the needle. Generally, for a quilting cotton you want an 80/12 needle. Going up or down by one size is not the end of the world, just pay close attention to your seam as you work.
Picture
The above image is a multi-pack of needles, ranging from 70-90 (or 10-14, depending if you want to be American or British that particular day.) So what sizes do you need for what fabric? If you buy a multi-pack, it will tell you right on the back!
Picture
Some packages will tell you on the front.
Picture
Picture
So far we've covered the numbering system, that you need a heavy needle for denim or thick layers, that you need a thin sharp needle for fine fabrics, and how the needles are installed in your machine. There's one last needle type I want to mention that should cover most projects you sew. Ball point needles. These are needed for sewing with knits!
Picture
These have the same sizing scale, but the tips are slightly rounded, not super pointy. A knit fabric is different from a woven one, and it's important when sewing with knits that the needle not pierce the fibers, but pass through easily. 


One other great tool for sewing with knits is the double or twin needle. That requires it's own separate post, but you can read about it from Katy at No Big Dill here. She explains it beautifully.


Have I addressed some mysteries surrounding the wall o' needles at the fabric store? If not, please leave me your questions in the comments!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Karen Katin

    As co-owner of Stitchery in Portsmouth, RI, I teach sewing classes to children and adults. Welcome to my blog Dancing Threads RI. 

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Instagram

    Archives

    March 2020
    September 2017
    August 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Background
    Blog Reading
    Books
    Creative Business
    Crochet Bag
    Eco Friendly
    Embroidery
    Events
    Fabric Stores
    Family
    Gift
    Handmade Wardrobe
    Holiday
    How I Do What I Do
    Knitting Bag
    Knitting Inspiration
    Lil Rhody Bag
    Memademay
    Mother's Day Gift
    Parties
    Pattern Review
    Pattern Support Links
    Personal Projects
    Plastic Swap
    Product Feature
    Project Bag
    Quilt
    Selfish Sewing
    Sewing
    Sewing Classes
    Sewing Fail
    Sewing Inspiration
    Sewing Patterns
    Sewing Resources
    Sewing Tips
    Sewing Tools
    Sewing Tutorial
    Sustainable Sewing
    Three Things To Smile
    Wedding
    Work In Progress

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Classes
  • Blog
  • About
  • Sewing Resources
  • Free Tutorials