You want to start sewing but don’t know which sewing machine needle is the right one? In this blog post, learn everything about sewing machine needles, their special features, and potential applications!
The most important things at a glance
- There are sewing machine needles for all standard fabrics and projects
- Your needle should always be adapted to the project in question
- Your sewing machine needle should be replaced after approximately 8 to 10 hours of work
Have you ever wondered what the colors on sewing machine needles mean? And which size should be used for which material? You will learn all about that in this post! Let’s get started!
Which needle size is best?
Basically: the smaller the needle size, the smaller the puncture holes. And the finer the stitch pattern! So always choose the finest needle size that is suitable for your project.
You can test on a scrap piece of fabric whether the seam looks the way you want it to.
How often do you have to change a sewing machine needle?
At the latest after every sewing accident! As soon as you have accidentally sewn over a zipper or a thick pin, you should replace the needle.
In principle: a sewing machine needle has a service life of about 8–10 sewing hours. Then it should definitely be replaced.
What do the color codes on the sewing machine needles mean?
The needles are usually marked with two labels. The upper mark reveals something about the material the needle is intended for. Orange means: suitable for sewing jersey. Brown means: you can sew leather and leather-like materials, e.g., cork or faux leather, with this needle.
The lower mark indicates the size of the needle. Size 75, for example, is antique pink, size 80 is orange.
So if the upper mark is purple and the lower one is orange, that means: Microtex needle in size 80.
Needles without color coding for the material are universal needles.
You can also read all the information at Schmetz and download it as a PDF with needles and markings.
What do the numbers and letters on the needle packaging mean?
Basically, 130/705 H means that a needle is suitable for use on a household sewing machine.
However, many needle packages don't say 130/705 H but rather 15x1H. This means the same thing, i.e., household sewing machine.
Shank shape
There are flat and round shanks. Flat shank needles can be recognized by the flattened back at the top end. As the name suggests, round shanks are rounded at the top end.
Old machines often sew with round shank needles; some industrial machines require special needles such as those with threads or grooved shanks.
Modern sewing machines usually require flat shank needles. You can recognize them by the flat back, which points to the right side on sewing machines with a side-loading bobbin case.
If the bobbin is inserted from above or from the front, the flat side of the needle points to the back.
What types of sewing machine needles are there?
Universal needles
System 130/705 H -> standard needle
Needle sizes: NM 60 to NM 120
No color coding
Universal needles are the all-purpose weapon par excellence. Most fabrics can be sewn with them. They are particularly well suited for fine to medium-weight cotton woven fabrics.
The universal needle is sometimes also called a standard needle because it can be used as a standard for almost all types of fabric. Its tip is slightly rounded; it has no color coding.
You can order good universal needles* here.
Needles for jersey and stretchy fabrics
System 130/705 H - SUK
H stands for the scarf, SUK stands for medium ball point.
Needle sizes: NM 70 to NM 100
No color coding
Thanks to their rounded tip, jersey needles are well suited for sewing knit fabrics such as jersey or sweater knits. The round tip penetrates the stitches without cutting the threads. This prevents holes from forming in the fabric.
You can order jersey needles* here.
Needles for overlock and coverlock
Special needle for use in coverlock and overlock machines. This needle is particularly durable and therefore suitable for the high sewing speeds of these machines.
You can order overlock and coverlock needles* here.
Metallic needles
Metallic needles are needed for sewing with decorative metallic thread (I showed this for example in my post on sewing with metallic thread). Metallic thread is not particularly tear-resistant and breaks easily if sewn with universal needles. The eye of metallic needles is designed so that the thread slides through with as little friction as possible.
You can order metallic needles* here.
Microtex needles
System 130/705 H to M (M stands for Microtex)
Needle sizes: NM 60 to NM 110
Color code: purple
Great for sewing microfiber, such as softshell or neoprene. The needles are very sharp and penetrate the delicate fabrics without causing damage. You can also sew fine woven fabrics such as viscose, polyester, cupro, or silk with Microtex needles.
If you use Microtex needles on waxed or coated fabrics, it works particularly well if you sew with a roller foot or a Teflon foot at the same time.
You can order Microtex needles* here.
Leather needles
System 130/705 H - LL (LL stands for leather point)
Needle sizes: NM 70 to NM 120
Leather needles have a ground, sharp tip that cuts through leather and leather-like materials. This protects the material and makes the seams more durable.
You can order leather needles* here.
Quilting needles
For quilt and stitching projects: The needles have a slightly flattened tip and therefore penetrate knitwear and batting without damaging them. With these needles, it is particularly important to change them early to achieve nice sewing results.
Color code: red
To obtain a beautiful embroidery pattern, these embroidery needles are recommended. The eye minimizes friction to prevent the embroidery thread from breaking. This is important because embroidery thread or effect thread is often made of silk or cotton and is therefore less tear-resistant than all-purpose polyester thread.
You can order quilting needles* here.
Stretch needles
System 130/705 H to S (S stands for stretch)
Needle sizes: NM 65, NM 75, NM 90
Color code: yellow
Indispensable if you like to sew your own lingerie! Stretch needles are suitable for swimwear and sportswear, Lycra, and all stretchy fabrics. Stretch needles have a scarf. This shape prevents the machine from skipping stitches while sewing - which is often a problem when sewing elastic fabrics with a universal needle.
You can order stretch needles* here.
Jeans needles
System 130/705 H - J (J stands for jeans)
Needle sizes: NM 70 to NM 110
Color code: blue
Especially for jeans, canvas, twill, and sturdy linen: The sharp tip of the jeans needle penetrates the fabric, which is woven from sturdy threads, without damaging it. This ensures an even stitch pattern and durable seams.
You can order jeans needles* here
Topstitch needles
Great for decorative stitches on jeans, upholstery, leather, or sturdy corduroy. The needle eye is somewhat larger and has space for thicker topstitch threads. The sharp tip also handles multi-layered jeans seams without damaging them. A good choice if you feel like conjuring up a crisp pair of jeans yourself - or re-sewing the seams after alterations. :)
You can order topstitch needles* here.
Twin needles
System 130/705 H-ZWI NE 1.6 (ZWI stands for twin needle, NE stands for needle distance)
Twin needles come in different needle distances and sizes. And you can get twin needles for different materials such as jeans or stretch fabrics. When choosing, you should therefore not only ensure that the distance between the needles is correct, but also that the needle type is suitable for your fabric.
NE, the needle distance, tells you how many millimeters of space there is between the two needles.
- Distance NE 1.6 (needle sizes: NM 70 and NM 80)
- Distance NE 2.0 (needle sizes: NM 80)
- Distance NE 2.5 (needle sizes: NM 80)
- Distance NE 3.0 (needle sizes: NM 90)
- Distance NE 4.0 (needle sizes: NM 80, NM 90, and NM 80)
Twin needles are only suitable for sewing machines with a needle plate designed for them, as they will otherwise break.
In addition, a second thread spool is necessary, which is included in the scope of delivery of most sewing machines. This is usually a small plastic rod that is inserted into a recess at the top of the machine.
The twin needle is particularly well suited for working on hems, pintucks, trimmings, but also decorative stitches. Feel free to check out my post on decorative stitches with the twin needle! In it, I explain how to use the twin needle in great detail.
You can order twin needles* here.
Triple needle
The triple needle is something like the triplet sister of the twin needle. It is equipped with three needles and is perfect for elastic hems or to fake cover stitches.
It works just like the twin needle but must be equipped with 4 identical threads.
You can order triple needles* here.
Hemstitch needle/hemstitch twin needle
A hemstitch needle, also called a wing needle or blade needle, is intended for woven fabrics. With it, you can make decorative, embroidered-looking seams. You need it specifically for hemstitches, but you can also use it to sew wonderful pintucks, decorative borders, decorative seams, and much more on clothing, bags, and accessories made of loosely woven, preferably thin fabric.
Tip: The hemstitch twin needle is also suitable for embroidery with an embroidery machine!
Read more about sewing with the hemstitch needle here.
Sewing machine needles for sequin fabric
You want to sew sequin fabric but don't know which needle to choose? My tip: Look at the material the sequins are attached to. Usually, this is a loose synthetic material with a high stretch content. And that is exactly what you should choose your needle based on: a stretch needle. It is quite fine. It would break if sewing over the sequins. To sew cut pieces of sequin fabric together, you should remove the sequins in the area of the seam allowance. But wait! Don't throw them away. Collect the sequins; we might need them later. After the sequins have been removed, you can sew the cut pieces together right sides together. Then check in the seam allowance area if there are any bare spots left. If so, you can sew your saved sequins on by hand. :)
TIP: You don't know if your sequins are too thick to sew over? Try breaking one of the sequins. If it breaks, you can sew it with the sewing machine. If not, then better not. :)
Did this post help you? Then please feel free to leave me a comment!
Happy simple sewing
your Sabine
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