The sewing machines of today are very versatile. The most advanced machines are so sophisticated that even the professional sewing persons cannot bring them to its full potential. The Janome sewing machine can easily adapt to different project needs by choosing the appropriate needle for a specific sewing project. It isn’t an optional thing, rather a mandatory one to satisfy the needs of your different sewing projects. The selection of the needle is primarily dependent on the type of fabric being used. There are different types of sewing machine needles which we will explore in the next section to come.
Types of Sewing Machine Needles:
The aforementioned are the different types of sewing machine needles:
- Universal point needles – They are the most used needs because of their all-purpose suitability. It comes with a fairly rounded tip which is sharp and capable of using with several types of fabric. A 60/8 needle can be used for silk fabric and 70/10 can be used for the other lightweight fabrics.
- The jersey or the ballpoint needle – The tip of this needle is just like a ball pen with a much more rounded shape than that of a universal needle. It is useful for using with the stretch fabric types. It’s because when you select a fine pointed needle it would pinch off the fabric and will result into loops on the fabric and will also get stuck into the fine elastic threads. Its better to use a needle with a round head that would slip easily into the fabric and would not pull the thread and hence ruin the cloth.
- Stretch needle – It also comes with a fairly rounded needle tip and its typically shaped shank enables to give a fine stitch on the high elastic fabrics such as the spandex fabric. The spandex fabric is best dealt with the 70/10 size stretch needle. The 90/14 stretch needle is good for dealing with the fleece and faux fur types.
- Quilting needle – This type of needle has a very slim, but a tapered tip which has a reasonably resourceful shaft for dealing with multiple layers of fabric. The needle is also useful for stitching across the intersecting seams. A80/12 or otherwise a 70/10 quilting needle can be used for creating the intricate designs. For thicker quilt sandwich, a 90/14 needle should be used. So, in such cases you need to have a strong, pointed needle to get through the thicker regions and give you a smooth stitching throughout the length.
- Sharp point needle – This type of needle is also alternatively known as the Microtex needle. It is well sharper and slimmer than the universal pint needle. For straight stitching on normal fabric, this is the most optimum needle to use. But, its precise applicability is with the finest fabrics and also the chintz. It is useful for applique, piecing and the quilting projects. An 80/12 size sharp point needle can do the job for general piecing and also for machine quilting purposes.
- Skip free needle –This one comes with a flatter shank and a deeper groove above the scarf eye as compared with the universal point needle. It is suitable for the faux suede and the synthetic knits. The perfect size is 80/12 which will manage the entire job in this category with ease. Its better to use this type of needle for synthetic knits as the other needles may get broke or may not enter the fabric easily.
- The denim or the jeans needle – Just as the name suggests, this type is suitable for sewing denim fabrics. It comes with a sharp tip and a strong shaft which makes it ideal for dealing with the heavyweight fabrics. The regular or normal sized needles may not get through the Denim easily causing it to bend or break or jumbled thread.
Choosing the appropriate needle to sew a particular cloth or fabric is crucial for a good stitching result. Without having an appropriately sized needle and suitable type of the tip, you cannot expect to get an easy and clean stitch. With a suitable needle the task would be a lot more easy and a good experience for you.