Tag: needles

How to choose the right needle to sew or free motion with

Note: this needs editing

Your goal is to choose a needle that will make a hole for long enough time and also smooth enough that the thread will slide smoothly through the hole in the fabric. The hole shouldn’t be too big to appear permanent and shouldn’t be too small to cause problems, or compromise the strength of the fabric. The needle shouldn’t damage the fabric or the thread.

Here is a sequence of questions to ask yourself when choosing a needle.

  1. What kind of fabric? Woven or stretchy?
  2. What thread am I going to use?
  3. What is the fabric like in detail?
  4. What kind of sewing am I doing?

The Nitty Gritty Answers

Questions 1 and 2 is where you start. Questions 3 and 4 will fine tune to arrive at the best needle choice.

1. The kind of fabric will determine if you need a sharp or rounded needle point. Is the fabric woven or stretchy or knitted?

A. Woven? Is it tightly or loosely woven?

Tight or dense? choose a sharply pointed needle such as topstitch, microtex, universal because You want the needle to penetrate and damage as few fibers as possible. The fibers in a dense weave cannot move out of the way. So, sharper is better for this type of fabric.

Loose woven needs a ball or semi ball point, Because you want to push the fibers aside when it moves through the fabric.

Tight weaves don’t mix well with ball or blunt dull needles. The force of a blunt or ball point striking a dense weave will tear through the fibers and actually rip and pull them in the process, resulting in uneven, irregular holes and damage to the fabric. (Blunt can be a worn out old needle too.)

B. Stretchy, elastic or knitted fabric? All these types of fabric are loose. Choose a ballpoint needle , jersey or stretch needle . You want the needle to move through the fabric pushing away the elastic fibers not cutting though them.

2. What thread are you wanting to use? This will help determine approximately what eyehole type and size to use. The lighter or thinner the thread that is being sewn, the smaller the needle should be. You don’t want a big fat thick needle leaving a big hole behind. Conversely, you don’t want a hole that is too small and the thread runs and wears out , maybe shredding or breaking as it passes through the hole because it’s rubbing on the fabric.

2A. Is it heavy or lightweight thread?

In general, these size needles go with these size threads.

120/19 – some kinds of industrial threads

110/18 – 12 wt thread

100/16 – 30 wt thread , maybe 12 wt

90/14 – 40 wt thread

80/12 – 50 wt thread

75/11 – 50 wt thread

60/10 – 60 wt thread

65/9 – 100 wt thread

2. B. Is your thread strong or weak?

cotton or trilobal polyester? Universal, denim, topstitch or microtex

Weak like an embroidery rayon type of thread? Then choose an embroidery needle or needle with a deeper groove like microtex. The deeper groove will protect the thread from rubbing on the fabric. Don’t have an embroidery needle try go up one size as if the thread were heavier than it is.

2.c is your thread metallic? Use a metallic or microtex needle. Also if having problem lubricate the thread on the spool w thread ease or sewing machine oil. some sewing machines have an add on for lubricating your thread after it comes off the spool. Metallic thread wear out needles faster. I suggest a titanium coated needle especially when sewing with metallic thread.

3. What is the fabric like that you will sew on? In general, the lighter or thinner the fabric that is being sewn, the smaller the needle should be.

Is it tightly woven or very dense or very heavy? Go up a needle size OR choose a needle type with a larger groove or eye hole such as a top stitch or microtex or embroidery.

4. What type of sewing are you doing? Embroidery with its usually weaker thread and lots of densely packed stitches is helped by using an embroidery needle wish has a deep groove to protect the thread.

Are you sewing a lot of layers? Or just piecing two layers? Lots of layers might need a size up.

5. How old is the needle you are using?

A general rule of thumb is to change a needle every 8 hours or at the beginning of every project. BUT! The fabric will tell you when to change the needle by making a “pok-pok” sound. As the wear gets worse, the sound will become louder. I find on my long arm, a needle starts making the pok pok sound at about two or three hours. The sound occurs when fibers are being punched and torn.

Microtex needles make beautiful stitches but because they have very pointed long “noses” that are more easily damaged they must be changed more often. Note: this is my favorite needle type. I use the titanium coated ones in order to get more life from them.

Other needle options:

An interesting needle to try for free motion is the schmetz spring needle. It replaces the need for a specialized free motion foot. And so clears the area to more easily see your work. It also come varieties for different types of fabric such as topstitch, ballpoint, stretch, denim, quilting.

Remember in the scheme of things needles are cheap! Change them often! Needles are specialized for different combinations of thread, fabric, and job. The wrong needle will cause shredding, breakage, and frustration.

Other questions

My thread spool says use a diff size needle… use what they recommend. Example Superior Thread microquilter says use a #14 or #16 needle. It is 100 wt thread and works great with those size needles! Normally 100 wt threads use a thinner needle. But Superior microquilter is super strong and is designed for using with the larger needle size. But, 100 wt silk thread on the other hand sews better for me with a thinner needle like a #10 or #9.

What do the needle numbers mean?

Needles usually are denoted by two numbers. The bigger number is the diameter of the needle in 1/100’s of a millimeter. The smaller number is an arbitrary U.S. notation. In general the smaller the number the thinner the needle.

If you use a #75/11 or #80/12 size needle for 50 weight thread, you should use a needle with a larger eye when sewing with a heavier thread. I recommend a size #90/14 when sewing with a 40 wt. thread and a #100/16 needle when sewing with a 30 wt or 12 wt. thread.

Is your thread shredding or skipping stitches?

First try a new needle, old needles can get burrs or sharp areas. Second, check your threading path (rethread), third, check your tension if you changed thread thickness, your tensions will be different. Also check the quilt top tension between the leader bars, too taite will cause this problem if on a longarm, fourth, try a new needle and go up one size. Check your needle plate for burrs.

Titanium Needles?

Yes!!! https://freeformquilts.com/2014/11/25/titanium-needles-are-not-too-expensive/

Titanium needles are not too expensive

Titanium coated needles are sharper, lasts longer and end up being cheaper in terms of how many needles I need to use to quilt the same number of miles of thread.

As a quilter, 90% of my free motion to date has been on cotton fabric, I delve into silks on occasion. I like top stitch needles for most of my sewing. Top stitch needles have a longer eye and deeper groove which protects the thread from rubbing and wear as it passes through the fabric and into the bobbin mechanism. I also spend just a little more on the titanium needles. I’ve been told by some of my friends that I’m crazy for doing so. I don’t think I am at all. Here’s why.

Being called titanium needles is really a misnomer. They actually are titanium-coated needles. The titanium doesn’t make the needle stronger in terms of not breaking, But it does make it wear longer against rubbing. And thread is abrasive, so is fabric. A regular needle lasts maybe 8 hours of sewing and needs to be swapped out. Thread will wear in the eye of the needle and fabric will wear the tip of the needle.

I’ve found a titanium coated needle stays sharper and lasts 2-3 times longer. It’s true that the titanium needles are more expensive if you compare needle to needle. But you can’t. Due to the life of the needle a titanium needle will last 3x the life of the regular needle. And they do not cost 3x the price. So I believe titanium needles are actually cheaper in terms of how many needles I need to use to quilt the same number of miles of thread.

And for metallic threads.. which I like to use a lot when free motion quilting… titanium is the way to go. Metallic and Top Stitch needles are identical. Same eye size, same groove, same tip shape.. So I use my better wearing titanium top stitch needle for metallic thread. Often shredding of metallic thread is caused by incorrect needle size or by a worn eye on the needle. A titanium needle lets me sew longer. I use a 90/14 for most metallic threads I own.

Do I use regular needles? Yes, I do. I can’t alway find titanium needles and I am going to sew anyway.

Thread Weights and Needle Sizes for Free Motion

You may hear a lot of things about what is the best or the only weight thread to use for free motion or longarm quilting. Personally I don’t think there are any rules. As long as you choose your thread, evaluate your fabric and then choose the appropriate needle for thread-fabric combo AND are willing to tweak your tension settings, you can free motion with almost any thread. Your machine just has to accept it. Some machines can be finicky about weights of threads or even material the thread is made of. Often you can tweak or adjust your method to help use it.

Quick Guide to Thread/Needle Size
Thread Wt Needle
40 wt 90/14
50 wt 80/12
60 wt 70/10
100 wt 70/10
12-30wt 100/16
MonoPoly

(Invisible monofilament)

 70/10

Normally I go to a 50 weight cotton or polyester trilobal thread. I really like threads by Superior Threads, though I am not married to their products. Using a 80/12 Topstitch needle works great with their King Tut, Manifico and Fantastico lines. I have found that as long as I use the same thread in top and bobbin of my machine, I do not have to adjust tension at all.

Note: Superior Threads note on their spools and cones which tell you which size needle is recommended for that particular thread.

If I want a thicker line of thread to show, I will use a 40 weight thread. There are free motion people out there who do not like this thread. But I believe that if the look you want requires a 40 weight go ahead and use it. A 90/14 needle works great.

Thick threads have smaller weight numbers, while bigger needles have bigger numbers. Thread and needle sizes run in opposite directions.

You can even free motion with a 30 weight thread if you want, however, put it in your bobbin of your machine. Thick threads do not work in the top of a domestic sewing machine and will shred or mess up your top tension discs. So in the bobbin it must go. This is often called “bobbin work”. The process is the same, you will just have to work from the back side of your quilt so the heavy thread in the bobbin shows up on the front. If you think your machine could handle a 30 weight thread,  you would probably use a 100/16 needle.

Thinner threads than 50 can look really neat. Using silk 100 weight thread for example can have a really nice look. Some of the top free motion people who win shows use silk almost exclusively. I would try a 70/10 needle for this.

Monofilament is also an interesting choice. Typically it is almost colorless. It will really “disappear” into the quilt so the texture is really evident and the thread is almost unnoticeable. There are two types, nylon and polyester. In years past, monofilament, which was made from nylon, got a bad rap because in the early days when it was invented it was very stretchy. So it was difficult to use. You would have to go very slow and have very low tension settings. Nylon also melts at lower temperatures than other fibers. Lower temperatures mean more stringent rules for care of the quilt, you can’t iron it, must wash on low, etc. Newer polyester fiber is in several brands of monofilament. My experience has been with Superior’s Monopoly. It requires a couple more ‘numbers’ lower on the top tension and I do tend to go slower with it. But it really has a nice look, washes on medium heat, and can be ironed. It’s great for trapunto too. Monopoly is slightly matte and that helps it disappear too. It comes in a light/clear and smokey clear for using on darker fabrics. I don’t hesitate to use the light monopoly on dark fabrics if I do not have the smoke available. It really is fun to use.