Thursday Tip // Understanding Needles

Among the many tools and supplies you acquire in your sewing space, sewing machine needles are probably the most important thing to have on hand in the multiples. Different types of fabrics require different needles and when you inevitably break a needle, you will want to have multiple backups on hand so you can keep sewing. There are a wide variety of needles to choose from and understanding different needle types can make the difference between a smooth sewing experience and a frustrating one.

A good place to start is to understand the parts of a sewing machine needle.

Parts of a sewing machine needle:

The diagram shows the different parts of a sewing machine needle. You have the butt end which is bevelled for ease of insertion. This is the part that will go into the needle clamp. Below that is the shank. For household machines the shank will be rounded on the front side and flat on the back side. This is where you will find the brand name and the needle size.

The shoulder is the sloped section between the shank and the blade. The blade diameter is what determines the needle size (eg. size 80 is .80mm). If you look closely at the blade you will see that the front side actually has a groove in it. This groove guides the thread to the eye of the needle.

The scarf is an indentation above the eye that allows the bobbin hook to grab the thread under the throat plate when creating a stitch.

The eye of the needle is the hole that the thread passes through (remember, front to back!). The shape and size of the eye is determined by the type of needle.

The point and tip of the needle also varies in shape and length based on the size and type of needle.

How to read a needle pack:

When you first start sewing it can be hard to determine which needle is right for your project or for your machine. There are so many different options! If you are using a household sewing machine (sometimes called a domestic sewing machine) then you should look for needles with the label “130/705 H (15x1 H)”. These are needles that will work in any household machine that requires a flat shank (which is most, if not all machines you would encounter). 

The needle type will also be marked on the package. Universal needles are what you will use most often if you are sewing with woven fabrics, like linen or cotton. If you sew with knits you will look for a jersey/ballpoint or stretch needle (for knits with spandex). You can find more information about choosing the right needle for your project here.

The needle size will be marked with two numbers, eg. 80/12. The first number is the European labelling system and the second is the American system. The European system uses 60-120 and the American system goes from 8-19. In both cases the smaller the number, the finer the needle, and the larger the number, the thicker the needle.

The photo below is the Schmetz Needle Colour Coding Chart. The top colour represents the needle type and the bottom colour represents the needle size.

How to insert a needle in the sewing machine:

Below is a picture of how your needle should look when you are inserting it in the machine. To insert a needle, loosen the needle clamp screw and insert your needle with the round side/label facing you and the flat side to the back. Gently push the needle all the way into the clamp until the top of the needle touches the metal stopper. The stopper is a little metal dot like thing that will stop the needle from going any further.

We use Schmetz needles as our examples because they are by far the most prolific brand when it comes to sewing machine needles. We carry Schmetz needles exclusively at WS because we love their easy to use colour coding system and we think their quality is unmatched by other manufacturers.

If you want to dive deeper and learn more of our machine needle tips and tricks, check out these other blog posts:

Matching Needle and Thread To Your Project

Needle Organization

Sharpening Needles and Pins