Sewing Machine Needles and Pins

I am going to take the mystery out of what type of sewing machine needle you should use with different fabrics. Also, there is a better straight pin to use, to take the frustration out of sewing.

Machine Needles

There are different sizes and different applications for each. There are (2) main machine needles you should have on hand: Universal and Top Stitch.

• Universal–This is the needle you will use daily. It is a size 12 and truly is universal for most fabrics. I use this needle on satins, linings, cottons, and even light weight denim.
• Top Stitch–This needle is size 14 and is made for tougher fabrics or thick layers. It is the needle you will use on denim or bulky items. The “eye” of the needle is bigger, too, so you can use a thicker top stitch thread.
• Needle wear–Needles do wear out and if you do much sewing, you will need new ones on hand for back up. If you notice the thread of the fabric pulling, or your thread in the machine is fraying and breaking, I would suggest changing your needle.

Straight Pins

There are so many pins when you walk down the aisle at your local fabric store. I suggest the following kind for many reasons—ball point, long length, glass headed pins.

• Longer length–Longer length on the pin itself helps you to go through layers, pins easily, easy to pick up and doesn’t make your hand tired. If you sew as many hours as me, I will tell you, the short stubby pins make my hands ache.
• Ball Point–This will be noted on the package. Ball point helps the pin to slide into finer fabrics without snagging and ruining the fabric.
• Glass heads–the colorful glass heads serve two purposes. One, they are colorful and easy to see on your carpet or hardwood floors. Two, they are easy to hold onto when putting through layers of fabric or pinning a pattern.

Wrap Up

I hope these professional tips help you to continue to sew. Happy sewing!