A sewing machine needle, small as it is, performs a single but significant role in sewing. Without a needle, a sewing machine is just a large paperweight.
function of a sewing machine needle
The function of a sewing machine needle is delivering thread to create a stitch. Creating a stitch is the crux of sewing. Let’s look at what a needle goes through to do one thing in life – make the stitches.
A needle is made from a high carbon steel strand of wire shaped precisely to deliver the thread. It requires forty-five production steps and one hundred different machines to be transformed from a strand of metal to a stitch ready miracle! When a manufacturer adds a light coating of nickel, gold, Teflon, platinum, or titanium nitrate to keep the needle sharp longer and protected against corrosion, I am fascinated. New specs for sewing machine needles are required when new threads and fabrics are introduced. You will continue to see new specialty needles in your fabric stores.
Titanium nitrate has been used for years on industrial needles. In recent years, titanium nitrate has come to the domestic needles for home machines. Getting extra hours and stitches from a needle is delighting sewists and quilters alike. The average life of needles before the introduction of the titanium coated needle was six to eight hours. Titanium extends the life of the needle many times over standard nickel or chrome-plated needles.
three primary needle categories
The sewing machine needles fall into one of the three primary needle categories based on the point.
- The ball point is rounded to separate the yarns of knit fabric. Piercing may cause yarns to break resulting in a hole as the yarns pull away.
- The sharp is as the name indicates and is used on tightly woven fabric. The tight weave of the fabric prohibits the yarns from moving.
- Rounded sharp needles, commonly known as a Universal needle, is a general-purpose needle that works with knits and woven fabrics.
needle sizes
The needle size is stamped on the round of the shank. The shank is the thickest part of the sewing machine needle and is inserted into the clamp. Easy to see color coding for the needle size is the method of some companies. The small size of the stamped information is difficult to read without a magnifying glass.
Sizes run from exceptionally fine (55/7) to heavy (120/19). The first number is metric and defines the width of the shaft in hundredths of a millimeter. The second number is the arbitrary number given by the United States. The size numbers increase with the increase of size of the eye. The grooved shaft of the needle is directly below the shank. The eye is the hole directly above the point.
choosing the best needle for the job
Choosing the best needle for the job is based on the fabric and thread you are going to sew. The fabric determines the category of the needle. Thread determines the size of the needle. I am in the process of making a chart to help you in the future. Don’t be afraid to experiment on scrap fabric with different needles. As a beginner, I recommend you use the Universal needle size 90/14 or 80/12.
tips and troubleshooting
This is where I am going to give you some interesting tips and suggestions for troubleshooting if the sewing machine needle might be the problem.
Tip #1:
Cut your thread at an angle if you are having trouble threading a needle. Yes, really. Don’t wet the thread which causes it to swell. If you insist on wetting anything, wet the eye. Cutting thread at an angle provides a point to be inserted in the eye first and the bulk follows as you pull the thread.
Tip #2:
Buy quality needles. They may be the least expensive piece of sewing even if it is the piece that works the hardest. Sew with quality equipment. You will produce quality products with fewer problems and expense.
Tip #3:
Change the machine needle after 6 to 8 hours sewing time. Titanium needles can hold up beyond 8 hours. You should change the needle at the start of each project to avoid potential problems. Sometimes I write on the needle case directly in line with the needle the number of hours it has been used. I’m putting back needles with substantial life left. Displaying used needles with the flat side of the shank showing is a quick visual I take into consideration when checking inventory for ordering. I don’t count used needles in the inventory.
Tip #4:
Don’t wait for the needle to tell you it needs changed by shredding thread or damaging your fabric. Needle damage can be caused by normal use. Points dull, eyes get misshapen, burrs occur. Think about the needle making 600 to 1300 or more stitches a minute. Friction from the fabric yarns wears on the point. The thread friction on the eye of the needle with each stitch made will distort the shape of the eye with time.
Tip #5:
However, if your thread is shredding at the needle, change the needle. Did that solve the problem? Next try a needle one size larger if the shredding continues. Perhaps the thread is defective and/or old. Exchange the thread with a comparable weight and kind but newer. Did that help narrow down the problem? If not, I would suspect a burr. I let my repair shop handle it from this point. They have the capability of smoothing some burrs or seeing if it is something else.
Tip #6:
Skipped stitches can sometimes be related to the sewing needle and may have an easy quick fix. Try pushing the needle all the way into the clamp. Problem fixed? If not, try changing the needle to one larger and if that works, dispose of the old one.
Tip #7:
A bent sewing machine needle can cause several problems, including skipped stitches. It is not always obvious to the naked eye. First, draw a straight line on a piece of scrap fabric. Next, start with the needle in question on the line. But do not touch the fabric as you stitch at a moderate speed. Check if the stitches veer off the line to one side. Next action is to change the needle if the stitches did veer from the line.
The design of the feed dogs was to move the fabric under the presser foot. Humans attempt to interfere with the movement of fabric which causes needles to bend.
The four most common mistakes made that bend sewing machine needles:
- Pulling or putting drag on the fabric
- Changing direction with needle completely through the fabric
- Not removing fabric from the back of the machine
- Pulling the fabric toward you
Avoid developing any of these habits by letting the feed dogs feed and you guide the fabric. You turn a 90-degree angle with the needle tip above the fabric and the foot raised. Next, turn the fabric 90 degrees. Keep the tip of the needle over the point it exited the fabric, lower the foot, and proceed to guide the fabric.
safe disposal of used needles
I want to share a safety measure for disposing the used needles and bent pins. Tossing them in the trash individually is dangerous. Protect humans and animals by saving the used needles and pins in any small container with a childproof cap. I use empty prescription bottles. I have simplified the process by cutting an X in the center of the childproof lid just large enough to accept the sharp items. The container can go to the landfill and animals and birds will be safe.
what i didn’t cover – types of needles
I will give you the basic information you need to know now. Charts available on the internet covering needle categories and how to determine which applies to what fabric will be helpful. Superior Threads has a wealth of information. It is their business to know all about sewing machine needles that sew their thread. Superior Threads website is https://www.superiorthreads.com. Check them out for “superior” information! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!)
What I didn’t share with you are what I call specialty needles, such as needles for denim, or embroidery, or leather, even metallic threads need a specialty needle. There are microtext needles, quilting needles, topstitch needles, and jeans needles. I’m sure there are more.
Needle section can be overwhelming
If you go into a fabric store and find the needle section, it can be truly overwhelming. That is why I chose to discuss these specialty needles and hand needles in my Sewing class or Quilting class where they apply. I have chosen that to be my platform for talking specialty threads, too. I prefer to give you information when it applies to what you are doing, rather than dump it all at once. This is why I will be adding the heading “More About…” to the menu. The needle article I will post there has some of the same information from this lesson and much more. The much more may never apply to anything you do, but may appeal to someone else, however it did not have any relevance in a lesson.
wrap up
I encourage you to contact me, stitcher@sewingwithstitcher.com, with any questions or comments about my presentations. If there is a sewing/quilting subject you can’t find information on, let me know. I have plenty of reference books I will check for you. And if I don’t know, I will bet someone from my online community will be helpful.
We are nearing the end of getting to know your sewing machine. A whole new and exciting world of creating lies ahead. I will offer a few sewing projects at the end to introduce you to sewing useful items. I will offer projects introducing quilting skills in useful small projects. You should try something from each category to help you to decide if you will take the follow-up Sewing classes or the Quilting classes. You may even decide to delve into both.
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