How To Change Needle On Sewing Machine

Contents

one The Anatomy of a Sewing Machine Needle
- ane.1 Butt
- 1.2 Shank
- ane.3 Shoulder
- 1.four Shaft
- i.5 Groove
- 1.half dozen Scarf
- 1.vii Eye
- 1.eight Bespeak
2 Which Needle Practice You lot Need?
- two.ane What's Your Project?
- 2.2 What Kind of Fabric are y'all Using?
- ii.3 What About Thread Weight?
three What Types of Sewing Machine Needles Are There?
- 3.1 Universal Needles
- 3.2 Self-Threading Needles
- iii.3 Needles for Heavy Materials
  - 3.3.1 Leather Needle
  - 3.3.two Denim (Jeans) Needle
- iii.four Needles for Lighter Materials
  - 3.4.1 Brawl Point Needle
  - 3.4.ii Jersey Needle and Stretch Needle
  - iii.four.3 Metallic Needle
- iii.5 Chore-Specific Needles
  - 3.5.1 Twin Needle
  - three.v.2 Triple Needle
  - 3.5.3 Embroidery Needle
  - 3.5.four Topstitch Needle
  - 3.five.5 Quilting Needles
  - iii.5.6 Fly (or Winged) Needle
four What About the Colors?
5 What practice the Numbers on Sewing Machine Needles Mean?
- v.one American Sewing Auto Needle Numbering
- v.2 European Sewing Machine Needle Numbering
- v.iii What About the Numbers on the Package?
half dozen Thread Weight And Needle Size
- 6.1 Thread Weight Explained
- vi.two How to Match Thread Weight to Needle Size
7 Tips for Using the Correct Sewing Machine Needle Every Time
- 7.1 Consider Your Job
- seven.2 Think About Your Material
- 7.3 What Kind of Thread Are You lot Using?
- vii.iv Endeavour to Thread Your Needle
- vii.5 Brand a Few Test Stitches
8 How Often Should You Modify the Needle On Your Sewing Machine?
nine Sewing information technology All Up

A needle is a needle is a needle, right? Wrong! Sewing machine needles come in a multifariousness of sizes, sharpnesses, and materials, and choosing the wrong one could toll y'all your projection.

In short, knowing how to identify sewing machine needles is an essential skill every sewist must take.

Our sewing automobile needle guide will requite you the scoop on the types of sewing needles and sewing car needle sizes. We'll tell you which needles work best for which fabrics and which types of sewing, and help yous to make up one's mind what sewing needle to employ for your next projection.

The Anatomy of a Sewing Auto Needle

Sewing needle blueprint hasn't changed much over time. In fact, archaeologists recently unearthed a l,000-twelvemonth-former sewing needle in Novosibirsk, Russian federation, that yous or I could still employ for hand-stitching today. [1]

Sewing auto needles, too, have maintained the same basic blueprint. Yet, over time, variations on that design have evolved to better fit different types of sewing.

So, in one case y'all know the fundamentals, working out how to identify sewing machine needles is a breeze. The basic parts of a sewing auto needle include:

Butt

This is the "top" of the needle. It may exist rounded or flat. This is the function that yous insert into the needle bar.

Shank

Extending down from the barrel is the shank. A needle shank comes in different shapes, which represent to the blazon of sewing machine you take. Industrial sewing machine needles may have round, threaded, or grooved shanks. Home sewing machines apply a needle where the shank is rounded on one side and apartment on the other.

Shoulder

The sloping infinite between the shank and the shaft is called the shoulder. The shoulders of some sewing machine needles are color-coded to show the usage of the needle.

Shaft

The shaft (likewise chosen the bract) is the primary torso of the needle. Needle size is determined by the thickness of the shaft.

Groove

Sewing car needles take a groove along the front of the shaft. The length and width of this groove can vary from needle to needle. In all cases, however, the groove helps to brand stitches smoother by cradling the thread and guiding it to the eye.

Scarf

Between the groove and the eye is an indentation called the scarf. This indentation helps the bobbin hook to grab the thread. The size of this indentation is different in unlike types of needles.

Middle

The eye is the hole near the tip of the needle, where yous insert the thread. The size and shape of the middle can vary, depending on your needle type.

Point

The bespeak, or tip, of the needle makes first contact with your cloth. The sharpness can vary, depending on which textile the needle is designed to stitch. Heavier materials require a sharper needle. Needles meant for stretch fabrics are comparatively blunt. Universal needles, that is, needles made to run up a diverseness of fabric types, are somewhere between the two.

Which Needle Do You Need?

Although sewing machine needles may look similar, there are subtle differences in blueprint that can affect your material, thread, and stitching.

Then, how do you choose?

You need to consider iii parameters: the purpose for which the needle is designed, the size of the needle, and the weight of the thread you're planning to apply.

What's Your Projection?

A universal needle volition work for a variety of dissimilar kinds of sewing. However, when it comes to special tasks like embroidery or leather piece of work, you lot should choose a needle purpose-made for your craft. Arts and crafts-specific needles will have different features that brand them more than effective for certain kinds of sewing.

What Kind of Textile are you Using?

Different kinds of needles have features that allow them to piece of work efficiently with different types of fabric.

Sewing auto needles for denim look a lot different from the needles you might use for silk, for example. Denim needles are both heavier and sharper. Motorcar embroidery needles are unlike from both of these. They take a longer center and a specially shaped scarf. And the listing goes on. [2]

Choose a heavier gauge needle for heavier piece of work and a thinner, lighter needle for low-cal fabrics.

What About Thread Weight?

Y'all'll too demand to consider the weight of the thread you lot'll be using. Pair smaller sized needles with lighter weight thread, and larger sized needles with heavier thread.

The numbering conventions for thread weights tin can be confusing, especially because they look so similar to needle gauges. We'll tackle this more in depth in a bit.

What Types of Sewing Auto Needles Are There?

Yous might be surprised by just how many types of sewing machine needles there are. Each is a petty scrap dissimilar. Allow'southward accept a look.

Universal Needles

A universal sewing auto needle is made to work with most types of fabric and thread. The shaft is of medium diameter, and the tip is pointed only not as abrupt as needles made for heavier fabrics.

Self-Threading Needles

Cocky-threading sewing machine needles have a gap on one side of the scarf, so that yous can slot the thread into the gap sideways, rather than poking it through the eye.

Needles for Heavy Materials

Needles for heavier fabrics have a thicker shaft and a sharper bespeak than universal needles. Here are a few you might run across.

Leather Needle

Leather needles have a chisel point, so that they can cut and penetrate at the same time. Leather needles come in five different sizes (diameters), which correspond to different thicknesses of leather.

Denim (Jeans) Needle

Denim or jeans needles are also very thick and sharp. Y'all can use them with other thick fabrics, too, such equally canvas duck cloth.

Needles for Lighter Materials

Needles designed for use with lighter threads and materials have a small bore and are oft very sharp. This helps the needle to pass through the fabric without damaging it.

Ball Signal Needle

A ball point needle, similar a ball bespeak pen, has a rounded tip. Most commonly, people use a ball bespeak needle to sew knit or loosely woven fabrics. The ball tip prevents the needle from dissentious the fibers of the cloth while passing through. This, in turn, keeps the needle's action from causing knit fabrics to run. [iii]

Jersey Needle and Stretch Needle

Jersey needles and stretch needles are both types of ball point needles. Their special design features ameliorate the quality of stitching with these sometimes difficult-to-sew fabrics.

Both stretch and bailiwick of jersey needles take a medium ballpoint. Stretch needles too accept a shorter, narrower heart, a deeper scarf, and a special coating that helps to proceed them free of dissimilar materials they tin can pick up from sewing elasticated fabrics. These features help to prevent skipped stitches, which can be a trouble with knits and stretchy fabrics.

Metal Needle

If you've ever tried to stitch with delicate metal thread, you know how difficult it is. Metallic needles are designed to make information technology a bit easier. Metallic needles have a big eye and a larger groove, which helps to protect metallic thread from shredding.

Task-Specific Needles

Some needles are designed to aid with a specific task, rather than to sew a certain kind of fabric. Hither are a few.

Twin Needle

Take y'all e'er seen those identical, perfectly parallel rows of decorative stitching on garments? Those were fabricated with a twin needle. Twin needle stitching can besides reinforce seams. A twin, or double needle has two needles descending from a single shaft.

Triple Needle

A triple needle has three needles descending from a single shaft. If you want to have your decorative stitching to the next level, effort one of these.

Embroidery Needle

Needles for machine embroidery come in a variety of sizes and weights. There are both sharp and brawl-bespeak varieties. All of them, however, have a longer eye than universal needles, and a specially shaped scarf. These features make information technology easier to work with delicate embroidery thread without fraying or breaking information technology.

Topstitch Needle

Topstitch needles are a favorite of quilters and canvas makers. A topstitch needle has a larger center than a universal needle. Information technology besides has a deeper groove. Many topstitch needles also have a titanium coat. All of these features mean that the topstitch needle can stand up up to heavy work and even doubling of thread.

Quilting Needles

Y'all can use a universal or topstitch needle for quilting. However, there are sewing machine needles made specifically for quilting. Quilting needles have a thin, tapered shaft that allows them to pass smoothly through multiple layers.

Fly (or Winged) Needle

A winged needle is a specialty needle for sewing loosely-woven fabrics like linen. This type of needle has flanges on the side that open up a broad hole in the fabric.

Why might you want this? Well, sure kinds of heirloom stitching uses wide holes every bit ornamentation. Also, it can facilitate sewing with embroidery thread. Finally, the flanges can help you to seal off raw, easily-frayed hem edges by pushing the edges dorsum through the textile, forming a seal. Take a wait.

What Nearly the Colors?

Some sewing machine needle manufacturers put a colored stripe across the shoulder of each needle. The colour corresponds to that needle'south intended use.

A yellow band means the needle is for stretch fabrics.
Bluish indicates the needle is for denim.
A needle meant for use with microfiber textile may have a purple band.
A ruby-red band means the needle is meant for machine embroidery.
Green bands are often seen on quilting needles.

What do the Numbers on Sewing Auto Needles Hateful?

As we've already seen, the size of a sewing machine needle can play a big function in the ease and quality of sewing. Size affects the way the needle interacts with your materials, and likewise affects stitching quality. Also, dissimilar sized needles are suited to different types of piece of work.

Needle size refers to the bore of the needle. You might also hear it described equally judge. If you lot're wondering what estimate is a sewing needle, it'southward important to empathise the numbering convention.

To make information technology even more difficult, the United States and Europe have different conventions.

American Sewing Motorcar Needle Numbering

American sewing auto needle sizes range from eight to 19. The larger the number, the larger the diameter of the bract.

European Sewing Machine Needle Numbering

European sewing car needles come in sizes ranging from sixty to 120. Once more, the larger the number, the larger the diameter of the blade. A size lx needle, for case, has a 0.vi millimeter bract.

What About the Numbers on the Package?

Since many needle manufacturers sell their wares around the world, packages will often list both American and European sizes, separated past a front end slash. The European number comes first. Therefore:

60/viii is for very fine lightweight fabrics like sparse silk
65/9, seventy/10 and 75/11 work best for lightweight fabric such every bit taffeta and lining fabric
fourscore/12 and xc/14 work best for medium weight fabrics, linen, and flannel
90/14 and 100/xvi are for heavier weight fabrics such equally denim, fleece, tweed, and wool
100/16, 110/xviii, and larger are for heavyweight materials such as leather, vinyl, and canvas ducking

Thread Weight And Needle Size

If your thread keeps breaking, shredding, or skipping stitches, it'southward possible you lot're not using the right size needle for that thread. So, which size needle goes with which size thread?

Confusingly, the thread weight measuring conventions look similar to the measuring conventions for needle gauge: two numbers separated past a slash. But the numbers don't have the same meaning at all.

Thread Weight Explained

In that location are several different conventions for describing thread size. The weight standard is one of the most common conventions, then this is the one we'll be looking at here. [4]

With needle gauges, the smaller the number, the smaller the needle. With thread weight, information technology's the opposite: the smaller the number, the heavier the weight of the thread.

Also, unlike needle guess, which measures needle diameter, thread weight measures weight. Specifically, how many kilometers of thread it takes to make ane kilogram. So, if you have a 30-weight thread, that ways thirty kilometers of that thread weighs ane kilogram.

A fifty-weight thread, on the other hand, is lighter, every bit it would take 50 kilometers of that thread, rather than 30, to make one kilogram.

But what if your thread is "30/ii"? What does that second number mean? The second number is the number of plies, or strands, in that thread.

Here are some examples.

l and 60 weight thread is expert for general purpose sewing.

A lot of quilters like to use thirty or 40 weight thread when they want their stitches to stand up out visually. 30 weight thread is likewise often used for decorative stitching in upholstery.

20 weight thread is for ultra-heavy weight materials.

12 to eighteen weight thread is often used for paw embroidery.

Annotation: some other standard, called the Number Standard, labels threads as #100, #l, and then on. Although in this organisation, like in the weight organization, higher numbers depict thinner threads, #50 thread is non the aforementioned weight every bit 50-weight thread.

How to Match Thread Weight to Needle Size

Here's the rule: the larger the number on your needle, the smaller the number should be on your thread.

The higher the needle guess, the larger the shaft of that needle will be. Mayhap the eye will be larger as well. This type of needle is built for a heavier thread. By dissimilarity, smaller, thinner needles require a finer thread–that is, a thread with a greater thread weight measurement.

Confused notwithstanding? Here'southward a chart. Delight annotation that this is a rough guide. There are heavier and lighter threads and needles not represented here:

Usage	Needle Gauge	Thread Weight
Ultra-light fabric, fine silk	60/8	100 weight
Lightweight cloth	lxx/ten	100 weight
Medium-light fabric	80/12	50-lx weight
Medium fabric	ninety/14	40 weight
Upholstery	100/xvi	30 weight
Leather and other heavyweight materials	100/16	20 weight

Tips for Using the Correct Sewing Machine Needle Every Time

Every time? Well, no system is perfect. Merely these tips can help.

Consider Your Job

What kind of sewing will you exist doing? No matter what your job, it'south likely at that place's a specific needle for it. A universal needle is fine for most full general sewing tasks, however you may desire a chore-specific needle for:

Embroidery
Quilting
Leather
Knits
Stretch fabrics
Heirloom sewing

Call up About Your Fabric

In one case you lot've chosen the right type of needle, it's of import to match the gauge of that needle to the weight of your fabric. Lightweight fabrics require a thinner, lighter needle, while heavier materials demand a very thick, very precipitous needle. Remember that a larger needle will leave a larger hole, so figure this into your calculations.

What Kind of Thread Are Yous Using?

Now it'due south time to friction match your needle to your thread. This tin can get hand in hand with your fabric, merely it doesn't always. Lighter, finer threads require a smaller needle. Metal thread is very fragile, so you should use a needle made for metallic threads. And thick, heavy thread requires a thick needle with a larger eye, of grade.

Remember: the smaller your thread-weight number, the larger the needle gauge you will need.

Endeavor to Thread Your Needle

When you're preparing to run up, pay attention to how piece of cake it is to thread your needle. The thread should pass hands through the needle's eye. It'southward easy to tell if the thread is also thick for the needle. Only if the needle is too big, that can cause issues, too.

Your thread should snuggle nicely into the groove of the needle. If it fits well in the groove and passes easily through the eye, you have a improve hazard of producing even, high-quality stitches.

Make a Few Test Stitches

Earlier you start sewing, make a few examination stitches. Are they tight and evenly spaced? Are they the same size? If non, it could be an indication that yous're using the incorrect size needle. (It could too hateful that you're not using the correct thread tension.)

How Oftentimes Should You Change the Needle On Your Sewing Machine?

A irksome sewing machine needle can harm your cloth, cause skipped stitches, snag or even interruption your thread, and throw your thread tension off. On peak of that, it can damage your sewing machine motor. And so, how often should you modify it?

The amount of time is well-nigh the aforementioned, but people have different ways of measuring that fourth dimension. Some suggestions include:

Afterward six to 10 sewing hours
Later going through three full bobbins that you wound yourself
Afterward two full pre-wound bobbins
After completing a single project

Unlike factors tin influence these times, including working with heavier or layered materials and sewing through coated materials.

Sewing machine needles feel a diverseness of pressures in addition to punching through fabric. These pressures tin crusade unlike types of damage. Always check your needle for dullness, fries, abrasion, and other damage earlier using it.

Sewing it All Up

Your sewing machine won't speak upwardly when it's time to change the needle. And information technology can't tell you if you've chosen the wrong i for your project. Unfortunately, your get-go sign of trouble may exist damage to your project or even to your sewing machine.

Choose your needle carefully. Consider your fabric type, thread weight, and what sort of sewing you'll exist doing. Audit your needle regularly for damage, and modify it oftentimes.

What's your favorite kind of sewing? And what'due south your favorite needle to use?

REFERENCES:

Archaeology Mag | Denisova Cave Yields a 50,000-Twelvemonth-Old Needle | https://www.archaeology.org/news/4784-160823-denisova-cave-needle
Bernadett Csaszar | Choosing the Right Needles for Your Motorcar Embroidery Projects | https://blog.hatchembroidery.com/choosing-the-correct-needles-for-your-machine-embroidery-projects/
Wisegeek Writer | What are Uses for a Ballpoint Needle? | https://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-uses-for-a-ballpoint-needle.htm
Superior Threads | THREAD WEIGHTS AND MEASUREMENTS | https://www.superiorthreads.com/education-thread-measurements

Source: https://yousewandsew.com/identify-sewing-machine-needles/

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