Essential Sewing Needles: A Beginner's Cheat Sheet
In this thread, I talked about how to choose a sewing needle. Here, I'd like to create a sort of cheat sheet for beginners, so it's immediately clear which needle you need to buy. π
So, let's dive deeper into the topic and break down sewing machine needles in as much detail and as simply as possible, based on the type of fabric you are going to sew.
The most popular needle is the universal one. It looks like this:
## If you are sewing with cotton, batiste, staple, or any other easy-to-work-with fabrics for blouses and shirts.
Sewing machine β H, H-M (sizes 60/8 β 70/10).
Serger β HA-1SP (size 75/11).
Hand needle β sharp with a small rounded eye (sizes 1 β 3).
## If you are sewing with medium-weight suiting fabric.
Sewing machine β H, H-J (sizes 80/12 β 90/14).
Serger β HA-1SP (sizes 75/11 β 90/14).
Hand needle β sharp with a small rounded eye (sizes 3 β 5).
## If you are sewing with heavy coat fabrics.
Sewing machine β H, H-J (sizes 100/16 β 110/18).
Serger β HA-1SP (size 90/14).
Hand needle β sharp with a small rounded eye or a wool needle, a thick medium-length needle with an oval eye (sizes 5 β 12).
The denim needle is just as popular. It looks like this:
## If you are sewing with thin denim.
Sewing machine β H, H-J (sizes 70/10 β 90/14).
Serger β HA-1SP (size 90/14).
Hand needle β sharp with a small rounded eye (sizes 3 β 5).
## If you are sewing with thick denim.
Sewing machine β H-J (sizes 100/16 β 110/18).
Serger β HA-1SP (size 90/14).
Hand needle β sharp with a small rounded eye (sizes 5 β 7).
The microtex needle (for densely woven fabrics) is also actively used.
## If you are sewing silk, taffeta, and other thin, dense fabrics.
Sewing machine β H-M (sizes 60/8 β 80/12).
Serger β HA-1SP (size 75/11).
Hand needle β sharp with a small rounded eye (sizes 1 β 3).
## If you are sewing twill, canvas, and other medium or heavy fabrics.
Sewing machine β H-J (sizes 100/16 β 110/18).
Serger β HA-1SP (sizes 75/11 β 90/14).
Hand needle β sharp with a small rounded eye (sizes 5 β 7).
One of the most popular needles is the jersey needle. It looks like this:
## If you are sewing with thin jersey.
Sewing machine β H, H-S (size 60/8).
Serger β HA-1SP (size 75/11).
Hand needle β with a rounded eye (sizes 1 β 3).
## If you are sewing with medium-weight jersey.
Sewing machine β H-SUK (sizes 70/10 β 80/12).
Serger β HA-1SP (sizes 75/11 β 90/14).
Hand needle β with a rounded tip (sizes 3 β 5).
## If you are sewing with thick jersey.
Sewing machine β JH-SUK (sizes 80/12 β 90/14).
Serger β HA-1SP (sizes 75/11 β 90/14).
Hand needle β with a rounded tip (sizes 7 β 10).
And the last needle in my selection is the stretch needle. It looks like this:
## If you are sewing with thin, highly elastic jersey or fabric with Lycra.
Sewing machine β H-S (sizes 65/9 β 70/10).
Serger β HA-1SP (size 75/11).
Hand needle β with a rounded eye (sizes 1 β 3).
## If you are sewing with medium-weight, highly elastic jersey or fabric with Lycra.
Sewing machine β H-S (sizes 80/12 β 90/14).
Serger β HA-1SP (sizes 75/11 β 90/14).
Hand needle β with a rounded eye (sizes 3 β 5).
At the same time, when choosing a needle, it is important to consider that "this one will do" will not only result in an uneven stitch but can also hopelessly ruin the fabric and the item itself in the end. Therefore, it is worth thinking a few times whether you are ready to overpay not just twice, but tenfold?