It is your needle! -- "Sew help me...!"

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Date Posted: 19:57:20 03/01/09 Sun
Author: sewperfect
Subject: It is your needle!
In reply to: Sally Clark 's message, "dropped stitches with machine" on 19:51:09 11/05/08 Wed

There are several types and sizes of needles. For stretch knit fabrics you MUST use a ball point needle! Dont confuse yourself with UNIVERSAL needles. This only means they are neither a sharp or a ballpoint, just inbetween. This can confuse anyone into thinking that UNIVERSAL means that they fit All sewing machines (and they for the most part do)but it is about the tip of the needle. You can use this kind for organza, chiffon, cotton, etc. These and high quality velvets can also be sewn with a SHARP needle point. Just depends sometimes, you have to try one or the other to see which is best if you are not pleased with the way your garment is turning out. Your size of the needle is also important. The bigger the number the bigger the needle. An 11 or a 14 is what I use the most for everything! 16's are for denim or heavy jobs. For stretch fabrics you must use a BALLPOINT needle to prevent skipping stitches. Use a small to medium length stitch and stretch your fabric a little as you sew it or else your stitches will later pop when the fabric is stretched. Zigzag stitches wont pop, but they do not make a nice straight line for side seams, mostly just on swimwear when doing the elastic. HOPE THIS HELPS! Oh, one brand of needles makes things easier by color coding the needles! Yellow band are ballpoints then the other color toward the bottom of the needle tells you the size. The package will list all of this info. Makes it easier to keep up with what you are using later on. Wal-Mart has them. When in doubt if your machine is not sewing correctly CHANGE THE NEEDLE! They do get bent, dull, or develop burrs all you cant always see. SO KEEP ALL KINDS AND SIZES ON HAND TO SAVE YOURSELF TIME AND FRUSTRATION! Sewing can be fun and rewarding but also a real pain. I have spent years and countless hours sewing and still run into new challenges all the time. Lesson learned for the next time. So keep trying, you will get the hang of it!

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WOW! Thanks for the great info! That is what this board is about, and I thank you for taking the time to reply with so much detail!! (NT) -- Board owner (click post "Its your needle!" for her reply), 21:35:16 03/02/09 Mon