sewing machine needles Archives

Threading sewing needles—whether for hand sewing or a machine—can be frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be!

You’re not alone if you’ve ever struggled to pass the thread through that tiny hole.

In this post I share seven practical tips that will help you thread sewing needles with ease, saving you time and making your projects more enjoyable.

1. Start with a Fresh Cut

One of the easiest ways to make threading a needle easier is to start with a clean cut on your thread.

Over time, thread tends to fray and become fuzzy at the ends, making it more difficult to pass through the needle’s eye.

Simply snip the end of the thread before threading, and it will go through the needle much more easily.

2. Needle Threaders

Needle threaders are a classic tool, and they make threading much easier. You’ve probably seen these little gadgets with a thin wire loop.

Wire Threaders: Simply pass the wire through the eye of the needle, thread your thread through the wire loop, and pull it back through the needle.

Hook Needle Threaders: You can also find hook-style threaders, which work similarly but have a little hook that grabs the thread and pulls it through.

3. Fold the Thread Over the Needle

Another simple trick for hand-sewing is to fold the thread over the needle, creating a loop.

Hold the folded thread tightly and guide the tight loop through the eye of the needle.

This method helps keep the thread together, making it easier to thread the needle in one go.

4. Use a Drop of Water

This tip might sound strange, but it works!

Instead of licking the thread (as many of us are used to doing), try dipping the eye of the needle into a drop of water.

The water helps draw the thread into the needle, making it easier to pass through the eye.

5. Quick-Threading Needles

For both hand and machine sewing, quick-threading needles can be a game-changer.

These needles have a small notch that allows you to slide the thread in without needing to pass it directly through the eye.

They are available for hand sewing and your sewing machine.

7. Sewing Machine Automatic Threaders

Most sewing machines nowadays come with either a manual or automatic threader.

A tip for having these threaders work properly is to make sure your needle is in the most upright position before starting.

This will allow the threader to work properly.

You can adjust the needle’s position by turning the hand wheel on your sewing machine towards you until the needle reaches the highest point.

If your needle isn’t fully in the upright position, the threader hook will not be able to go through the needle hole properly.

I love my sewing machine’s automatic threaders.

Bonus Tips For Threading Sewing Needles

Beware of Gadget Failures:

Not all gadgets deliver as promised.

A thread-pushing gadget I tried once broke on its second use and was more frustrating than helpful.

If you’ve had success with similar tools, share your tips in the comments!

Lighting is Key:

One thing I didn’t mention earlier but is very important is to make sure you have good lighting while you’re sewing.

Good lighting is key when you are threading sewing needles.

Use a task lamp, natural light, or any bright light source to illuminate your workspace.

Proper lighting helps you see the needle and thread clearly, making the process easier.

Sewing Machine Needle Insertion Tool:

Have you ever noticed a little tool that came with your machine that looks like this, and wondered what on earth it was for?

Sometimes it’s attached to a little brush or is just a standalone device with a small hole at one end.

If you don’t have one or can’t find yours, you can get one here.

Here’s how to use it: find the back of your needle (it is the side that is flat) then insert the needle so the flat side is facing to the back into the hole of the tool until it’s snug.

This gadget makes it much easier to place your needle in your machine and ensures it’s properly aligned.

Stick the needle up until it stops, tighten your needle bolt, and pull the tool away—your needle should be perfectly in place!

Connect:

Jan Howell

Whether it’s a new recipe, a fun craft, or some handy tips for your garden and home, I hope to empower and inspire you with skills that you can use to create joy, improved health, and to do it in a simple way.

Shop Products

Shop

Newsletter Sign Up

YOUTUBE

8 Sewing Tips and Hacks for Beginners / My Best Top 8

July 12, 2024 / Hacks, SEWING, Sewing Tips, Sewing Videos, VIDEO AND AUDIO LIBRARY / 2 Comments

DIY Ribbon Spool Storage Organizer / The Best Hack Ever

March 1, 2024 / Craft Video, CRAFTS, DIY HOME, Hacks, Organizing, VIDEO AND AUDIO LIBRARY / 5 Comments

How To Sew Over Bulky Seams the Easy Way / Best Sewing Tips

May 3, 2023 / Hacks, SEWING, Sewing Tips, Sewing Videos, VIDEO AND AUDIO LIBRARY / 2 Comments

A Beginners Guide to Rotary Cutting / Helpful Tips and Tricks

January 8, 2022 / CRAFTS, SEWING, Sewing Tips, Sewing Videos, Tutorials, VIDEO AND AUDIO LIBRARY / 3 Comments

Sewing sewing hacks sewing machine needles sewing tips

You may think that the type of sewing machine needles that you’re using in your machine doesn’t really matter, but it does! Using the right sewing machine needle size and type for the project can mean the difference between broken threads, skipped stitches and a professional looking seam.

I thought for years that the reason I was getting a “bad stitch” was because there was something wrong with my machine. Not so.

One day I was doing a little research on needles and read how using a “sharp” needle will give you a nice straight stitch when topstitching. So I switched my needle to a sharp needle, and BAM I got a beautiful straight stitch.

I was considering buying a new sewing machine, thinking mine had serious problems, when all I had to do was use the right type of needle! That piece of information saved me a few bucks.

So choosing the right needle does matter!

How do I choose the right sewing machine needles?

It’s all about the needle type and size.

You’ll select the needle type by what kind of fabric you are sewing on (i.e. knit vs. woven).

The needle size is determined by the thickness and weight of the fabric.

Needle Types

I am going to go over some of the most common needle types. (Don’t let all this information overwhelm you. It really is quite simple).

Universal Needles

As the name suggests, universal needles are the most commonly used needle. They can be used with woven fabrics, synthetics and some knit fabrics. This is the type of needle I use for 90 % of my sewing. The finer needles are mostly used for lightweight fabrics. Larger sizes are used on medium to heavyweight fabrics. I recommend staying stocked up on a good basic Universal needle. There are variety packs that include sizes 70-90, like the one pictured above.

Ball point

Ball point needles are similar to a universal needle but it has a more rounded tip, which pushes the fabric fibers apart rather than cutting them. This makes ball point needles ideal for working with tightly woven, rib knits, interlock, cotton knits, fleece, and double knit.

Jersey

Jersey needles are a standard ball point needle specifically for knit fabric (t-shirt fabric). If when using a jersey needle you experience stitch skipping, you will want to switch to a stretch needle.

Stretch

Stretch needles, often confused with Jersey needles, are also a medium ballpoint tip. These needles are good for extremely 2 way stretchy fabrics like spandex and elastic. If you’re sewing swimwear, grab this type of needle for sure.

Leather

Leather needles are often known as chisel point needles thanks to a point that looks and acts like a chisel when in use. These needles should be used with genuine leather, suede and difficult to sew projects, but should not be used with imitation leather, ultra suede or synthetic suede since the characteristics of these fabrics are quite different.

Quilting

Quilting needles are designed to be used with several layers of fabric because of their reinforced shaft.

Sharps

This needle has a sharp point and narrow shaft for piercing woven fabric. Works best on finely woven fabric like chintz, silk, light weight faux suede, and microfiber. They are also great for heirloom sewing or any other type of topstitching.

Topstitching

The extra large eye, large groove, and sharp point make it perfect for heavy decorative threads, like embroidery thread, or even two strands of all purpose thread. Use this needle anytime you have stitches visible on the outside of your project for a neat, clean look.

Denim

Denim Needles have a sharp point and strong shaft. These needles can stitch through many layers without breaking. Use on heavy, tightly woven fabric, like denim, canvas, and duck.

Twin

Twin needles have a single shaft connecting two needles. This is often used when you want two perfectly matching stitches. This is a common seam for jeans and decorative stitching. Your machine must be twin needle capable, with two separate thread spools and a wide enough needle plat. They are available in Denim, Stretch, Embroidery, Metallic, and Universal. These work well for topstitching t-shirt hems.

Sewing Machine Needles Sizes

So what are those numbers shown on the packages of needles? I am embarrassed to admit that until just recently I didn’t understand what they meant. I knew it had to do something with the size.

If you look at most needle packaging they will have 2 numbers on them with a / to divide them. For example ( 80/12). The smaller number relates to the American system and ranges from 8 to 20 and the larger number is for the European system and ranges from 60 to 120. Who knew?

What sewing machine needles size do you use for what projects?

The numbers represent the thickness of the fabric that you are able to sew with the needle. The larger the numbers the thicker the fabric you can sew. Common sizes are 60/8, 70/10, 75/11, 80/12, 90/14 and 100/16

I have created a sewing machine needle guide that will hopefully help you figure out what type of needle will suit the sewing project you’re working on. (Look for the download link below) What do the colors on the needle shaft mean?

You may have wondered what the little color stripes painted on the shaft of the needle mean. The top color indicates the needle type and the bottom color indicates the needle size

You will find variations of the same color in different brands but ultimately, this is the chart:

Universal – no color code
Ball point – medium blue
Jersey – orange or light brown
Stretch – Yellow
Jeans – dark blue
Microtex – purple
Leather – brown
Universal twin – red shaft
Stretch twin – blue shaft
Quilting – green

I love having a copy of this chart in my wallet for those times when I need to purchase a new needle. You can laminate the charts to make them last longer.

I have made the PDF available for you to download and print for FREE!

This PDF includes THREE different size charts.

1 LARGE – to hang in your sewing room.
1 MEDIUM
2 SMALL – to keep handy in your purse or even your wallet.

How long do sewing machine needles last?

Ideally, you should change your needle beginning of each project. But if that’s a little too much, the best practice is to change the needle about every 10 hours of continuous sewing.

If you accidentally hit a pin when sewing, then you should change the needle immediately as you will have damaged the tip and you won’t get a good stitch and may even mess up your bobbin.

What brand is the best when it comes to sewing machine needles?

Every seamstress may have their favorite brand or if you’re like me, they all seem to work just fine. I don’t think you can go wrong with a Schmetz needle. They offer such a large variety. Schmetz needles are of such good quality you’ll find that changing the needle every 10 hrs of sewing is not quite necessary, the needles still look and feel amazing! You should still change the needles though as they might get damaged when you’re in the middle of your next project or 10 hrs round.

How to store and manage your sewing machine needles

Do you ever change needles and just stick it in your pin cushion or on your sewing cabinet? Then weeks later wonder what size or type of needle it is?

I do this all the time and end up just pitching it because I don’t want to be using the wrong needle. They do engrave that information on the needle itself, however you’ll need a magnifying glass to be able to read it.

So I have started marking the needle when I take it out of the machine with a little piece of masking tape. Works like a charm.

I store my needles in a recycled Altoids Mint tin.

I hope this was helpful!

When I started using the correct needle for the project at hand; it did make a huge difference in my sewing results, and I didn’t have to buy a new sewing machine. LOL.

Want some hand sewing tips? Check out this post showing you some basic hand-sewing stitches.

Have fun sewing my friends,