Choosing the Right Sewing Machine Needles

Today I'm just going to talk a little bit about sewing machine needles. The biggest, the general consensus is with sewing machine needles, you want to change your needle for every project. And I always forget, so I'll be starting a project and then halfway through, I've realized I haven't changed my needle. But it's a good rule to try to remember. There are some little tools that you can do, or you can find, to kind of help you remember. This is almost like a little mouse-pad sized, it's a little, I don't know what kind of fabric it is, but it's kind of like foam. And what you can do is, if you're, cos when I sew, I'll stop and start multiple projects. But what you can do is just stick your, if you're in between projects, you can just take your needle out and put it into the corresponding section. And that way, you know that it's a good needle and you can use it when you come back to your original project. And I like this one, it looks like it hits all the, each type of needle. And then there's also something like this, and the usual tomato format, and it's got different types of needles and you can just stick those in there. That's a good way to kind of remember to change your needles. I have one friend who says she only uses universal needles and she never has a problem. But I have found that it helps so much better when you use the right needle with the right fabric. And so there are, you know, needles for jersey, leather, jeans. Microtex is used for silks and sheers and, you know, more delicate fabrics. There's also stretched needles. The difference between the jersey and the stretch needles is the stretch needles are for like spandex and swimwear knits, and the jerseys are more for, you know, general knits, as well as some sweater knits. And the difference is that the scarf is different on the stretch. So it's a little smaller than the one on the jersey. And, you know, you would think that it wouldn't be much difference, but when, especially when you're working with knits you really want to make sure you have these special needles because it will keep the seam strong and you'll have a nicer stitch. And that also goes for Microtex. Because when you're working with silks, especially, and chiffons, you want to make sure you have a super sharp needle, so that it goes in and out really smoothly, and it doesn't distort the fibers of the fabric. And you'll also, if you're using, it's interesting when you're working with silks, if you're using either a dull needle or one that isn't suited for silks, you'll actually hear like a a sticking noise as you're sewing along. And what it's doing is, it's just pulling those fibers and distorting them and you'll see it's just not pretty. And actually the silk can actually snag, and so you don't want that. So I think it's really important to use the right needle with the corresponding fabric when you're sewing. The other thing is that there's lots of handy guides online, cos I know sometimes it's hard to remember all this. But they'll have all the needles and what they do, and the sizes, which is very handy. And the other thing shows your, what the needle, all the points of the needle, the tip is obviously really important. And those will vary from, you know, needle to needle. And the leather needle, I don't have one, but it's similar, kind of, to a denim, where it's a little thicker and to penetrate, you know, those thicker types of fabrics and materials. So the big, I think, tip is to change your needle. Find a way to make it to where you remember and, either using a little tool like this, to keep your needles separate, and then you can reuse them and you don't need to just throw them away, if they're, if you're only, you know, in between projects or whatever. And your sewing will improve your seams will be definitely stronger if you're using the right needle and it'll make for a nice seam finish too.