Types and Parts of Needle

Types of Needles:

1.     Standard needles

The configuration of these needles is based on the particular fabric to be sewn.

A. Universal needle

Uses: Safest needle choice for most fabrics.

Configuration: Has slightly rounded point and elongated scarf to enable almost foolproof meeting of needle and bobbin hook.

Troubleshooting: When fabric is not medium-weight woven, consider needle specifically suited to fabric. For example, size 18 universal needle works on heavy denim, but size 18 jeans needle works better.

B. Ballpoint and stretch needles

Uses: Ballpoint needle for heavier, looser sweater knits; stretch needle for highly elastic fabrics, like Spandex, or Lycra.

Configuration: Both have rounded points that penetrate between fabric threads rather than pierce them. (Stretch-needle point is slightly less rounded than ballpoint.)

Troubleshooting: Test-stitch knits with ballpoint, stretch, and universal needles to see which doesn't cut yarn and yields best results. If ballpoint skips stitches, try stretch needle.

C. Microtex and sharp needles

Uses: Sewing microfiber, silk, synthetic leather; precisely stitching edges; and heirloom sewing.

Configuration: Has an acute point.

Troubleshooting: Essentially trouble-free, but fabric may require a Teflon, roller, or even/dual-feed presser foot.

D. Leather needle

Uses: Excellent for sewing natural leather.

Configuration: Has slight cutting point (almost like an arrowhead).

Troubleshooting: On synthetic leather, unless it's very heavy synthetic, cuts rather than pierces stitch hole and can tear leather. Most synthetic leathers require Microtex or sharp needle.

E. Denim (jeans) needle

Uses: For heavyweight denim, duck, canvas, upholstery fabrics, artificial leather, and vinyl.

Configuration: Has deeper scarf, acute point, and modified shaft to sew without pushing fabric down into needle-plate hole. Goes through fabric and meets bobbin hook better on dense woven fabrics.

Troubleshooting: If stitches skip when sewing very heavy fabrics, try larger needle and sew more slowly or walk needle through fabric (by turning hand crank).

F. Handicap/self-threading needle

Uses: Enables easier threading for sewers with vision problems.

Configuration: Universal needle with slip-in threading slot at the eye.

Troubleshooting: Always pull sewn piece back away from needle before cutting thread so needle doesn't unthread. Needle works well on woven fabrics, but may occasionally snag knits, so test-sew to check for fabric and needle compatibility.

2.     Decorative needles

The configuration is designed to wed thread to fabric for surface embellishment.

A. Topstitching needle

Uses: Topstitching.
Configuration: Has extra-acute point, extra-large eye, and large groove for heavy thread.
Troubleshooting: Use smallest size needle that accommodates your thread to avoid punching large holes in fabric.

B. Embroidery needle

Uses: Machine embroidering or embellishing with decorative thread.
Configuration: Has light point (neither sharp nor ballpoint) and enlarged eye to keep decorative threads from shredding or breaking, and prevent skipped stitches.
Troubleshooting: If thread still shreds on dense or heavily stitched design, use larger size needle or Metallica needle.

C. Metallic (Metafil and Metallica) needle

Uses: Sewing with decorative metallic threads.
Configuration: Has universal or standard point; large, elongated eye; and large groove to allow fragile metallic and synthetic filament threads to flow smoothly.
Troubleshooting: Metallic threads are very sensitive to problems in machine: Tiniest burr on thread path or needle can cause problems.

D. Quilting (stippling) needle

Uses: Piecing, quilting, and stippling.
Configuration: Has special tapered shaft to prevent damaging fabrics when stitching multiple layers.
Troubleshooting: Move fabric smoothly without pulling on needle when free-motion stitching to prevent breaking needle.

3.     Special-purpose needles

These needles are used only with front-to-back threading machines with zigzag features. Make sure your throat-plate needle hole is wide enough to accommodate needle's width, and zigzag width function is set at zero to prevent sideways movement.

A. Hemstitch (wing) needle

Uses: Hemstitching or heirloom embroidery on linen and batiste.
Configuration: Has fins on sides of shank to create holes as you sew.
Troubleshooting: Stitch is more effective when needle returns to same needle hole more than once. If needle pushes fabric into needle hole, put stabilizer under fabric.

B. Twin (double) needle

Uses: Topstitching, pin tucking, and decorative stitching.
Configuration: Two needles on single shaft produce two rows of stitches. Measurement between needles ranges from 1.6mm to 6mm, and needles come with universal, stretch, embroidery, denim, and Metallica points.
Troubleshooting: Be sure throat plate allows for distance between needles.

C. Triple needle

Uses: Same uses as for double needle.
Configuration: Cross bar on single shaft connects three needles to sew three stitching rows. Comes with universal point in 2.5mm and 3mm widths.
Troubleshooting: Same as for double needle.

D. Spring needle

Uses: Free-motion stitching with dropped feed dogs.
Configuration: Has wire spring above point to prevent fabrics from riding up onto needle, eliminating need for presser foot.
Troubleshooting: Before using, practice free-motion stitching with heavy regular needle, paper, and dropped feed dogs. Don't pull paper/fabric; instead gently guide it through stitching. Wear safety glasses for free-motion work, since needles often break.

 

 Parts of Sewing Needles:

 

 

The sewing needle is defined with different parts that make the sewing needle. Every sewing needle manufactured will have these basic parts that define them. Depending on the specification of each part the utility of the sewing needle is determined. In this article we will see the different parts of the sewing needle that are being used for both home sewing and industrial sewing.

1.     Shank

The upper thick part of the sewing machine needle is called the shank. It is the heaviest part of the needle and is designed to minimize needle movement by attaching it firmly to the needle bar

Home sewing needles have a flat, round side to assist in always having the needle in the correct position

Industrial machine needles have a completely round shaft is used to know the direction to put a needle into the machine

2.     Shaft

The shaft is the narrow part of the needle which supports the functional parts of the needle. It is the area from the bottom of the shank to the point. The shaft contains the groove, scarf, eye and point of the needle. Needle sizes refer to the diameter of the shaft.

3.     Groove

A groove is the side of the needle leading to the eye. A groove is the place for the thread to lay into the needle. It protects the thread by hiding it as it passes through the fabric to join the bobbin thread. Some needles have exaggerated grooves to protect the thread when sewing on particularly dense fabric. A needle is too fine for the size of the thread used will result in inconsistent stitches and broken threads. You can use your fingernail and feel the groove to understand why a different size thread would be needed for heavier threads.

4.     Eye

The eye of the needle is the hole through which the thread passes. As the size of the eye increases, the size of the shaft increases to support it. The eye of the needle carries the thread so that the machine can keep forming stitches . The size of the eye can vary and works in conjunction with the groove of the needle. Too small or too large an eye for the needle can cause your thread to shred and break.

5.     Point

The point of the needle is the first contact with the fabric and is responsible for how the needle pierces the fabric. It is a primary distinguishing feature of the needle. Points can be sharp or ball or universal. The angle of the point can be acute or slender. The point can be centred or eccentric. All are designed for aspecific purpose and give the operator unique applications.

a.     Sharp Pointed Needles – It is primarily helpful when sewing straight lines and tasks such as tops stitching

b.    Ball Pointed Needles – Designed for knit fabrics so that the point glides between the loops of a knit fabric without disturbing the fibers that make up the fabric. Ball point needles do not form as straight stitching as sharp needles. The non-straight stitching is more apt to stretch with the fabric

c.     Universal / Hybrid Needles – These can be used with woven or knit fabrics. The point of universal needles is sharp yet very slightly rounded.

6.     Scarf

The scarf is a groove out of one side of the needle. It is a cut away portion on the back of the needle just above the eye. It allows the bobbin case hook to intersect with the upper thread and forms stitches. The shape and position of the scarf increases the consistency of stitching with various threads and fabrics