Sewing Machine Needles

When it comes to sewing machines, needles are one of the important areas people often neglect.  If you follow a few simple needle guidelines when sewing, it will make sewing easier and faster.

Use the correct needle type for your fabric.  There are three main types of needles used when sewing.  

• The universal needle is perhaps the most commonly used needle.  The universal needle has a very slightly rounded tip so it can be used on many knit fabrics without snagging or skipping stitches, and it is small enough to pierce through woven fabrics as well.
• Ball point needles are used on knit fabrics, and have a larger ball point than universal needles.  They shouldn't snag the fabric or skip stitches.  These work well on heavier knits and spandex or lycra.
• Sharp needles are used on tightly woven fabrics, or light weight woven fabrics.  The tiny sharp point on the end of the needle allows it to poke through the weave of these tightly woven fabrics and sew in straight lines.
• Click here for a chart detailing the use of specialty needles.

Use the correct needle size for your fabric.  There are three main categories of needle sizes used when sewing.  

• Needles 8/60 and smaller are considered small needles and used for lightweight and sheer fabrics.  These needles will sew through the lighter fabrics without creating gaping holes, but will bend or break in heavier fabrics.
• Needles 9/65-12/80 are considered medium needles and used for medium-weight fabrics.
• Needles 14/90 and larger are considered large needles and used for heavy fabrics.  These needles can sew through the heavy fabrics without bending or breaking.

photo courtesy of asilentstorm.com

Use fresh needles.  Over time, needles can become dull and slightly bent, which can lead to problems while sewing.  I myself have been known to use a needle for weeks longer than I should, and I am always surprised at how much better my sewing machine works when I use a new needle.  Frequently, when I am struggling with a project, simply changing to a new needle fixes the problem.  Old needles can cause skipped stitches, snagged fabric, broken thread, and jammed sewing machines.  Throw away used needles after each project, or when you experience any of these problems.  

Fabric Basics

I have a love for fabric.  The colors and textures appeal to me on many levels.  I can spend hours at the fabric store looking at different patterns and feeling the luxurious fibers.  While there are many, many things to know about fabric, when first starting out, you need to know a few basics.

Most fabrics you work with will either be woven or knit together.  A woven fabric seems like a basic grid of threads woven together in perpendicular patterns.  This fabric here is a loosely woven fabric; you can even see the weave easily with the naked eye.

Knit fabrics are stretchier, and people often find working with knit considerably more tricky.  The picture above shows the pattern in which knits are woven.  It's the loopy weave that lets the fabric stretch in multiple directions.  You will want to know the difference between a knit and a woven fabric when choosing fabric for project as they behave differently.

Most projects and patterns will reference the "right side" and the "wrong side" of the fabric.  Many fabrics will have one side of the fabric that has much richer color, and is the side meant to show in a project.  The other side I often think of as the back of the fabric: the side that is meant to be hidden.

The final piece of basic information you need (in my opinion) about fabrics is what is meant when talking about grain or bias.  The grain is the direction that the fabric is woven.  Bias is a 45 degree angle from the grain.  Fabric holds its shape when sewn based on the grain, and stretches when sewn according to the bias.

I am lucky enough to have a mother that is a walking encyclopedia of fabric information, who has taught me all about fabrics, but for those of you who don't have a mother like mine, I recommend purchasing Fabrics A to Z by Dana Willard (author of Made).  She is one of my all-time favorite bloggers, and wrote an incredible reference book that is small enough to fit in your purse, so you can take it with you to the fabric store.