Understanding the Various Parts of a Needle
Holly WillisDescription
When it comes to sewing, not only is a needle a must-have, but it also plays a large role in how your overall project turns out. Holly Willis teaches you about the different parts of a needle, explains some of the differences between needle types, and gives you an idea of what kind of needle to use with different fabrics.
Eye
There are some parts of a needle that are commonly known by most—the first one being the eye of the needle. This is the part of the needle that gets threaded. Threading a sewing needle can be one of the more difficult tasks to do before starting a sewing project, which is why it is good to know that needle eyes come in different sizes. Not only are larger-eye needles easier to thread, but they are necessary when sewing with thicker thread.
Point
The point is another part of a needle that is commonly known. While universal needles can be used for many things, Holly explains why a needle with a different point, such as a ball point, can be useful when sewing with a knit fabric. She also explains how another needle point type, found on Microtex and topstitching needles, can help improve the overall look of your stitches. If you are new to sewing and are finding that your work has skipped stitches or made uneven stitches, or you are having a lot of thread breakage, you may need to change your needle. While it is very important to learn how to set up your sewing machine and ensure that the machine itself is running properly, a lot of stitching issues can be avoided by ensuring you are using the correct needle.
Sewing Needles
Holly shows the remaining parts of a needle, including the groove, scarf, shank, and shaft, and explains how some of these areas differ depending on the needle type. She then explains why these subtle differences matter when it comes to stitch formation in your fabric.
Sometimes it can be kind of overwhelming to go to the store and see a whole host of needles and not know exactly which one is the right one for your project. We're gonna just briefly go over some of the anatomy of your needle, and why one might work over another for the project that you're working on. Here is a gigantic needle that I have. This one is a SCHMETZ, and you may use another brand, but generally speaking they're about the same. The SCHMETZ does have the flat on the back that you put towards the back of the machine when you install your needle. But the point, I bet you knew that one, the eye, and then this is the groove. This is where the thread goes up. This is the front of the needle. On the back of the needle, we have the scarf, and this is the shaft, and this is the shank. So, why would I need one needle over another? If I'm doing a project with a knit, I'm gonna want something with a ball point, and the reason for that is that when you have pantyhose on and you snag it, one of those fibers gets snagged and it sends a run all the way up. The same thing can happen with our knits because pantyhose are knit just in the same way as knit fabric is. There are two different kinds that you can use for that. There's a jersey and a stretch needle. What's the difference between the two of them? They both have the ball point, but jersey is great for a looser knit or a more static knit. Something with not a lot of stretch. If you've got something that's got any kind of spandex in it, you're gonna want the stretch needle. And the reason for that is that this scarf is just a little bit longer and allows that connection what a bob and hook to be made better. If you are using a jersey needle and you have a lot of stretch, you have something with spandex, you may end up with some skip stitches. Moving on, if you've got a woven, a universal needle works on so many things. It's a good bet, but if your stitching starts to look a little wonky, you might go with a Microtex. That's got an extremely sharp point on it, and will make for a very, very accurate stitching. Topstitch in the same way has a very, very accurate point as well. But that one is going to have a much bigger groove so that you can use a heavier weight top stitch thread. Hopefully those will give you some tips for next time you're selecting your needle.
Wow! I loved that huge needle. So cute yet deadly. ;-) I had no clue about what the difference was with needles. I knew there was a difference but to figure it out was not anything I could do on my own. At least not while shopping. This really clarified a lot. Thanks bunches Oh, and I gave up panty hose years ago Today I consider those things contraptions of the past. I will wear thigh high stockings but only if I am forced. haha Thanks again!