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Change your needle!
By Serena Nabeta | November 10, 2009
Believe it or not, sewing machine needles are not intended to last forever. The little mechanism that holds the needle in place on your sewing machine has a screw that tightens and loosens. That means you are able to take out the old needle and put in a new one.
As I pulled my needle from my machine this morning, I felt the rather large burr at the tip of my needle. Oh, yes! It was time for a new one! Especially since I was planning to stitch on satin fabric which easily shows runs in the fabric from a less-than-perfect needle.
Unless a needle breaks or is bent, it’s easy to forget about changing the needle as you are sewing, but it is important to do so. Not only can a slightly bent or dull needle cause damage to your bobbin case, presser foot or stitch plate, but it also can damage your fabric. Thread breakage, shredded thread and skipped stitches can many times be eliminated with a change of the needle.
The next time you sit at your sewing machine, take a moment and look at the needle and see if you need to replace it. When was the last time you changed it? Try turning that screw sitting above your needle. It’s not glued in place; it really does work! :) And then save that old needle for hanging up picture frames!
Topics: Embroidery, Helpful Lessons | 4 Comments »
December 16th, 2009 at 7:55 am
I use the 5 bobbin rule. When I run out of bobbins, I wind 5 spools, clean my machine and change my needle. I have found a new needle and using the right kind of needle fixes a multitude of sins.
December 17th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Oh Yes, Serena! Needles are cheap & fabric is not! I change my needle for every project – it was also recommend by my sewing machine repair guy – he says its easier on the machine that way, too!
December 19th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
There are so many kinds of needles and it’s important to be using the right one for your project.
One tip I saw featured was section off a tomato pincushion and write the numbers in each section with a fine point pen and keep your good needles handy.
If you don’t want an ‘extra’ thing sitting around, make your own needle case folder with fabric inside & keeps them safe. This works for hand sewing needles too & wrap any thread around the needle ends.
Some can be recovered if the burr is small, by using a fine sanding block to get rid of the burr.
Listen to your machine while sewing, as a dull needles make a noise and not smooth sewing!!
For those you wish to discard or use to hang pictures, drill a hole in the top in an rx: bottle lid and slip old needles in for safety.
Another use for old needles is use a large one and long stitches if you want to make holes in paper or plastic not using thread. Some call them a winged needle and make larger holes.
Happy stitching – Rose in Washington State
March 1st, 2010 at 11:35 pm
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