Choosing Sewing Machine Needles

Sewing machine needles are not shaped the same as hand sewing needles. They are shaped to help you be sure you are using them correctly. Before starting to sew with a machine, every person new to sewing should take some time to become familiar with the sewing machine needle and how to change them properly.

There are several differences in your sewing machine needle from a regular sewing needle. The machine needle is flat on one side of the top. This is so it can be installed only one way into the sewing machine. You do not want to get the needle put in backward. There is a groove down the back. This groove is used to tuck the thread in as the needle does each stitch. The flat side also helps the needle clamp work better because it can clamp more tightly to the flat surface.

There are many sizes of sewing machine needles. There are also several styles that are made for specific types of sewing. A size 14 sharp-point is the most commonly used. It will work with most woven fabrics. A thicker needle is the size 16 sharp-point. It is thicker and works better if you are sewing thicker material such as denim. If you are sewing delicate fabrics, use a size 11 needle. It is smaller and makes a smaller hole in the fabric. When you are sewing knit fabrics, you should use a ballpoint needle. It will work better because the rounded point will slide through the threads. It will not catch the threads and pull them through needle plate. There are also twin needles. These are designed for topstitching or double stitching stretch fabric. Check in your sewing machine manual to be sure your machine can handle these double needles.

When your machine seems to be acting up, the first thing you should check is your needle. Look for barbs on the part of the needle that is going into the fabric. Or, the needle may be dull. Try changing to a new needle and see if that helps your problem. When the needle is dull, it will push the fabric down through the hole in the needle plate instead of going through it. Your needle might, also, be bent. This will cause it to miss the hole in the needle plate. It could also miss catching the thread from the bobbin. If you are using a lot of straight pins to keep your fabric in the correct alignment, they could be causing your sewing machine needle to become dull. You should also check and see if the needle clamp is tight. Sewing machine needles are not expensive. It is a good idea to keep a supply at hand. If you wait until your machine is skipping before changing them, you will be making a lot of extra work for yourself. There are some experts who recommend that you change the needle in your sewing machine each time you start a new project.

Keeping your machine working well will help your sewing projects be more enjoyable. If you enjoy the projects, you are more likely to continue sewing. Hopefully, these tips will help you get to know sewing machine needles and how to avoid problems that occur with them.

SOURCE

Detrixhe, Sandra. "The Everything Sewing Book". 2004. F&W Publications, Inc. Avon, MA, USA.