Are embroidery needles dull?
Embroidery (or “crewel”) needles have sharp points and slightly elongated eyes. They're used for crewel work and most surface embroidery where piercing through the fabric threads is necessary to the stitching. Tapestry needles (pictured above) have long eyes and blunt points.
Many embroiderers can hear the machine begin to pound as the needles get dull but here are some signs you need to change out needles: Shredding thread. Puckering fabric or pulling threads. Skipped stitches or uneven stitches.
As the rounded tip does not penetrate the fibres, but rather pushes them aside, the tapestry needles are especially suitable for embroidery with coarser materials such as wool.
Embroidery needles are usually less sharp than sewing needles, with a larger eye. These features make an embroidery needle better suited to embroidery thread, which has a tendency to break, snap or fray when being used with a sewing needle.
My embroidery needle had become dull. With a quick change I was back in action but it got me thinking: How often should you change your needle? Amazing Designs recommends inserting a new needle at the start of every project or after about eight hours of sewing.
A basic guideline that many professional embroiderers use to determine when to change needles is the three strikes rule. You should replace a needle whenever there has been three consecutive thread breaks on the needle. You should also change a needle if it breaks or is skipping stitches.
Crewel needles have a medium-long eye, a shaft slightly thinner than the eye (the eye bulges slightly at the top of the shaft), and a sharp tip. They're used for general surface embroidery, crewel work, goldwork, whitework, and practically any embroidery technique that requires a sharp needle.
Crewel/embroidery needles
This is the most commonly used needle for embroidery. It's a medium-length, sharp-pointed needle with a long eye.
In the case of some types of stitches, for example bullion knots or cast-on stitches, using certain needles will make your stitches easier to create and more beautiful. In numerical order: 1 - beading needle, 2 - milliners needle, 3 - chenille needle, 4 - embroidery needle, 5 - long sashiko needle, 6 - darning needle.
Embroidery Needles: These needles have a sharp point and a larger eye, allowing for easy threading of embroidery floss or threads. They come in various sizes, with larger numbers indicating finer needles. Crewel Needles: Crewel needles are similar to embroidery needles but have a longer and sharper point.
Are embroidery needles sharp?
1. Types: Different embroidery needles do different jobs. There are several commonly used embroidery needles. Embroidery (or “crewel”) needles have sharp points and slightly elongated eyes.
The most common size needle across all sewing applications is a size 80/12. For embroidery, the most common size is the slightly smaller 75/11. Embroidery needles are typically available in 3 sizes: 75/11, 80/12, and 90/14. The lighter the weight of the fabric, the smaller needle should be used.
Triumph Flat Shank Needles #75/11
This size high quality chrome-plated needle is ideal for fabrics knitted with lightweight yarn and for executing small lettering or fine detail. Works well with fine, light thread types such as size 60.
Use needle 75/11 for embroidery. It is recommended that a 90/14 needle should be used when embroidering on heavyweight fabrics or stabilizing products (for example, denim, puffy foam, etc.).
Blunt needles will be harder to push through fabric, so if you find that your hands or wrists are sore after sewing, that could mean you're working harder to sew. If your needle is snagging fabric while sewing, it's time to replace your needle.
In addition to the machine's tension settings, other factors affect thread tension. These include the amount of thread on the spool or bobbin, how tightly it's wound and the thread colour. Dirt and lint buildup along the thread path can also impact tension. Fabric thickness can affect thread tensions.
Using the wrong size or type of needle or 2. Using the wrong fabric. If you're using a large needle on a fine fabric, your work may develop holes. Beginner stitchers should stick to cotton or linen fabrics with a tight weave as they are more forgiving than other fabrics.
Needle breakage usually occurs when embroidering on caps. This is due to their round surface and unusual shape. In embroidery, our goal is to get the fabric as flat as possible. Therefore, lowering the cap driver will help reduce the space between the cap and the needle plate.
Some people say that the needles need to be changed about every 2 million stitches, some say 1 million stitches or 8 consecutive hours of sewing. A lot of this depends on the speed of the machine, the type of fabric and backing that you are using and how many times you have actually run that particular needle bar.
Generally speaking, embroidery machines require oil on the main moving parts: the bobbin case, the needle bar, etc. If there are Teflon or nylon parts, those will not require oil since Teflon against Teflon is slick enough. Home machines are oiled every one to three months, depending on how heavily they are used.
What is the difference between embroidery needles and sashiko needles?
Sashiko needles are longer and smooth for running stitching. The larger eye of needle is especially for sashiko thread which is larger than embroidery needles. These needles have a large needle eye and are flexible and warp resistant. Runs smoothly through fabric.
For most embroidery projects on average-weight fabric, a 75/11 needle works great. For heavier cottons and linens, you might go up to an 80/12 size, and for heavy denims and fleeces you might use a 90/14 needle. Please note that the thinner your thread, the smaller the needle should be.
When doing machine embroidery, the tension dial should be set somewhere between 2 to 6. If the stitches appear loose, turn the tension up one notch and embroider again.
Needles are sized 90/14, and best used on medium-weight woven fabrics. The set of 5 machine embroidery needles comes in a plastic case that includes sizing on the cover. These needles can be used with SINGER, Brother, Kenmore and other quality sewing machines.
Chenille needles have sharp points, as well, but have a larger eye and thicker form than embroidery needles. They work well on the same fabrics as embroidery needles. Tapestry needles have a large eye, but a blunt point that works well with canvas work or counted cross-stitch on aida fabric.
