sewing machine needles

Functions of the needle• To produce hole in the material • To carry the needle thread through the material and there form a loop • To pass the needle thread through the loop SEWING MACH

© Student Handouts,

By, Sunil Talekar, Faculty, SOFT-Pune

NEEDL

E

Functions of the needle

• To produce hole in the material

• To carry the needle thread through

the material and there form a loop

• To pass the needle thread through the loop

SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE

SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE PARTS

SEWING NEEDLE PARTS

SHOULDER

•Intermediate between shank and the blade

•It is also called shaft

SHANK

•upper part of the needle

•may be cylindrical or have a flat side

•larger in diameter than the rest of the needle for reason of strength

BUTT

•The end of the needle

•The butt determine the length of the needle when it is fully inserted into the needle bar of the sewing machine

SEWING NEEDLE PARTS

BLADE

•Below the shoulder of the blade to the eye of the needle

•Longest part of the needle

•Accommodates the groove, the eye and the scarf

•The blade reduces the fabric resistance as the needle point and its eye passes through the fabric

•Greatest amount of the friction

SEWING NEEDLE PARTS

LONG GROVE

for smooth stitches.

through.

thread diameter, offers considerable protection to the thread.

SHORT GROOVE

•It extends a little above and below the eye

•Its function is to assist in the formation of the loop in the needle thread

loop thread more easily

SEWING NEEDLE PARTS

•Hole in end of needle through which thread passes

•The hole through which the thread pass

•Eye is located below the scarf

•Needle size and type determine size and shape of eye

SEWING NEEDLE PARTS

Point: minimizes the damage of the fabric

SEWING NEEDLE AND THREAD

IF THE NEEDLE IS TOO SMALL FOR THE THREAD

• Thread will not pass freely through the eye

• Thread will not fit properly into the long groove.

• Thread will suffer from excessive abrasion.

• Can lead to costly thread breakages in

production

production

IF THE NEEDLE IS TOO LARGE FOR THE THREAD

which may cause slip stitches.

the stitches and give an unattractive seam

appearance.

stitch line, and in closely woven fabrics, pucker along the seam line due to fabric distortion.

Most machine needles will

look similar but they will

differ in their tips:

Set/Spear point - These

are used for most woven

fabrics.

NEEDLE POINTS

Ball point - These have a rounded tip and are used for knitted fabrics The rounded end allows the needle to separate the yarns without cutting them, which reduces the chance of the fabric laddering

Wedge point - These are designed to cut a hole as they penetrate the fabric They are used for machining leather and plastic materials.

SLIM SET POINT

SET POINT

HEAVY SET POINT

SPEAR NEEDLE POINT

LIGHT BALL POINT

MEDIUM BALL POINT

HEAVY BALL POINT

BALL NEEDLE POINT

CLOTH POINT NEEDLE

BALL POINT

NEEDLE

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT NEEDLE POINTS

NEEDLE POINT

Uses: Safest needle choice for most fabrics.

Configuration: Has slightly rounded point and

elongated scarf to enable almost foolproof meeting of needle and bobbin hook

Troubleshooting: When fabric is not medium-weight woven, consider needle specifically suited to fabric For example, size 18 universal needle works on heavy

denim, but size 18 jeans needle works better

UNIVERSAL NEEDLE

Uses: Ballpoint needle for heavier, looser sweater

knits; stretch needle for highly elastic fabrics, like

Spandex, or Lycra

Configuration: Both have rounded points that

penetrate between fabric threads rather than pierce

them (Stretch-needle point is slightly less rounded than ballpoint.)

Troubleshooting: Test-stitch knits with ballpoint,

stretch, and universal needles to see which doesn't cut yarn and yields best results If ballpoint skips stitches, try stretch needle

BALLPOINT & STRETCH NEEDLES

Uses: Sewing microfiber, silk, synthetic leather;

precisely stitching edges; and heirloom sewing

Configuration: Has an acute point

Troubleshooting: Essentially trouble-free, but fabric may require a Teflon, roller, or even/dual-feed presser foot

MICROTEX & SHARP NEEDLES

Uses: Excellent for sewing natural leather.

Configuration: Has slight cutting point (almost like

an arrowhead)

Troubleshooting: On synthetic leather, unless it's very heavy synthetic, cuts rather than pierces stitch hole and can tear leather Most synthetic leathers

require Microtex or sharp needle

LEATHER NEEDLE

Uses: For heavyweight denim, duck, canvas, upholstery fabrics, artificial leather, and vinyl.

Configuration: Has deeper scarf, acute point, and

modified shaft to sew without pushing fabric down into needle-plate hole Goes through fabric and meets

bobbin hook better on dense woven fabrics

Troubleshooting: If stitches skip when sewing very heavy fabrics, try larger needle and sew more slowly or walk needle through fabric (by turning hand crank)

DENIM (JEANS) NEEDLE

Uses: Enables easier threading for sewers with vision problems.

Configuration: Universal needle with slip-in

threading slot at the eye

Troubleshooting: Always pull sewn piece back away from needle before cutting thread so needle doesn't

unthread Needle works well on woven fabrics, but may occasionally snag knits, so test-sew to check for fabric and needle compatibility

HANDICAP/SELF THREADING

NEEDLE

Uses: Hemstitching or heirloom embroidery on linen and batiste.

Configuration: Has fins on sides of shank to create holes as you sew

Troubleshooting: Stitch is more effective when

needle returns to same needle hole more than once

HEMSTITCH (WING) NEEDLE

Uses: Topstitching, pin tucking, and decorative

stitching

Configuration: Two needles on single shaft produce two rows of stitches Measurement between needles ranges from 1.6mm to 6mm, and needles come with universal, stretch, embroidery, denim, and Metallica

TRIPLE NEEDLE

Uses: Same uses as for double needle

Configuration: Cross bar on single shaft connects three needles to sew three stitching rows Comes with universal point in 2.5mm and 3mm widths

Troubleshooting: Same as for double needle

SPRING NEEDLE

Uses: Free-motion stitching with dropped feed dogs

Configuration: Has wire spring above point to

prevent fabrics from riding up onto needle, eliminating need for presser foot

Troubleshooting: Before using, practice free-motion stitching with heavy regular needle, paper, and dropped feed dogs Don't pull paper/fabric; instead gently guide it through stitching Wear safety glasses for free-motion work, since needles often break

Thanks