| General purpose Needles | |||
| Needle | Fabric / Use | Sizes | Description |
| Ball-point
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Knits | 70/10 – 100/16 | This needle has a medium tip that is a slightly more rounded than a universal needle and passes between the fabric threads instead of piercing them. Ball-point needles ensure more even stitches on coarse and heavy knits and won’t damage spandex, interlocks and other knits that snag or run easily.
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| Sharp / Microtex | Finely woven fabrics | 60/8 – 90/14 | These needles feature a narrow shaft and sharper point to pierce the threads of woven fabrics. Use for stitching smooth, finely woven fabrics, such as silk, chintz, lightweight faux suede and microfiber fabrics. Because these needles enable perfectly straight stitching, they’re also ideal for heirloom stitching, topstitching, pintucks and edge stitching. |
| Universal | Knits or wovens | 60/8 – 120/19 | Point is very slightly rounded for use on knits, but sharp enough to pierce woven fabrics. These needles are available in the widest size range. Use when stitching synthetic or natural woven’s and knits. |
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Specialty Needles
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| Needle | Fabric / Use | Sizes | Description |
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Denim/ Jeans |
Heavy woven’s and denims | 70/10 – 110/18 |
These needles have a thick, strong shaft and a very sharp point. They are used for stitching denim, canvas, duck and other heavy, tightly woven fabrics. They are also ideal for stitching through multiple fabric layers without breaking. |
| Leather | Leather, suede and thick nonwovens | 80/12 – 110/18 | Leather needles have a wedge-shape point that penetrates leather, suede, vinyl, heavy faux suede and leather, as well as other thick, nonwoven fabrics, without tearing them. When using a leather needle, it’s important to stitch accurately because the needle leaves a large, permanent hole. Tie thread ends, instead of backstitching, to prevent perforating the surface. Because the needle has a slight cutting point, never use it on woven or knit fabrics. |
| Machine Embroidery | For embroidery | 70/10 – 90/14 | Machine embroidery needles have a larger eye and specially designed scarf that protects the thread against breaking or shredding, even when stitching dense designs. Use for machine embroidery with rayon, acrylic or specialty threads. |
| Metallic | For use with metallic threads | 80/12
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Metallic needles are designed especially for use with metallic threads. This needle features an even larger eye than the embroidery needle, a fine shaft and a sharp point to prevent thread breakage and shredding. It has a special, large-groove scarf designed to protect the thread and prevent skipped stitches. It’s also ideal for use with monofilament thread. |
| Overlock Serging | all fabrics | BLX1: 2-11 and 2-14; and DCX1: 2-11 and 3-14 | Overlock needles are specially designed for use with a overlocker / serger. They feature a sharp point that is suitable for all fabrics. Choose the size system recommended by your overlocker / serger manufacturer. |
| Quilting | Machine quilting | 75/11 and 90/14 | Quilting needles feature a sharp, tapered point and are designed to stitch through thick layers and intersecting seams. Use them for piecing quilts and machine quilting the layers together. |
| Self threading | Woven’s | 80/12 and 90/14 | Self-threading needles have a slot on one side of the eye, so you can slide the thread through it and into the eye—much easier than trying to poke a frayed thread end through a small eye. Use this general-purpose needle if you have difficulty threading a needle. It works well with woven fabrics but may snag knits. |
| Spring needle | Free-motion embroidery or quilting | needle types: universal sizes 70/10 – 90/14, stretch sizes 75/11 and 90/14, and quilting sizes 75/11 and 90/14. | See at right Spring needles are used for free-motion quilting, embroidery and monogramming. It’s designed with a wire coil that surrounds the shaft and acts as a presser foot that depresses the fabric as the needle goes down into the fabric and releases the fabric when the needle rises. |
| Stretch | Lightweight knits
Silk jersey; Lycra; |
75/11 and 90/14 | Stretch needles feature a deep scarf, so the bobbin hook gets closer to the needle eye, preventing skipped stitches on fine, lightweight knit fabrics. These needles are ideal for stitching silk jersey; Lycra; any highly elastic, lightweight knits; as well as lightweight faux suede. Try this needle if you’re getting skipped stitches using a ball-point needle. |
| Topstitch | Top stitching | 80/12, 90/14 and 100/16 | Topstitch needles have an extra-large eye and a large groove to accommodate heavy topstitching thread or two strands of all-purpose thread. They also feature an extra-sharp point for straight, accurate stitching. |
| Twin Double | Top stitching | 1.6/70 – 4.0/100 | Twin needles are constructed with two needles attached to a single shaft. Use them to stitch parallel rows in a single pass—especially for heirloom or decorative stitching and hemming. These needles can only be used on a sewing machine with zigzag capabilities that threads from front to back. Twin needles are available in denim, stretch, embroidery and metallic. There are also twin hemstitch needles that have one wing needle and one universal needle. Sizing for twin needles is different from other specialty needles with two numbers listed on the packaging. The first number represents the distance (in millimetres) between the needles; the second number represents the European needle size. Use closely spaced needles for fine fabrics and needles that are set farther apart for heavy fabrics. |
| Triple | Triple topstitching | 2.5/80 and 3.0/80 | Triple needles are constructed with three needles attached to a single shaft. Triple needles are available in universal only. Sizing for triple needles is different from other specialty needles with two numbers listed on the packaging. The first number represents the distance (in millimetres) between the needles; the second number represents the European needle size. For more info see Twin needle above. |
| Wing/ Hemstitch | Decorative and heirloom stitching | 100/16 and 120/19 | Wing/hemstitch needles have a flared shaft, which looks like wings, and creates a decorative hole in tightly woven fabrics. Use this needle for heirloom stitching, openwork, hemstitch
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