This is our third video in our Beginner's Guide to Embroidery mini-series.
We're going to dive in and talk about some needles.
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Welcome, everybody. Tricia here with Sewing Parts Online.
As I mentioned, this is our Beginner's Guide to Embroidery mini series.
We've already covered choosing a machine and stabilizers.
Let's start talking about some needles.
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The very first thing that you want to do is grab your instruction manual.
There's always a page that gives you the manufacturer's recommendation.
My Babylock Verve recommends a size 11 embroidery needle.
A size 11 is pretty standard with embroidery.
I am a really big fan of Schmetz needles, so that is my brand of choice, but
many different brands are available.
Some common ones are Organ, Klasse, and Singer.
Just to name a few.
With needles, there are all sorts of different kinds.
Universal, Leather, Sharp, Stretch
again, just to name a few.
Among that list, you can select an embroidery needle.
To help you understand why you choose an embroidery needle over a different needle,
I want to show you a breakdown.
Here's a picture showing the anatomy of a needle.
We're going to focus on the tip and the eye.
This great little pamphlet demonstrates the embroidery needle having a lighter ballpoint than a universal
and it also has a wide eye and groove.
The wide eye and groove will help prevent friction allowing trouble-free stitching.
Embroidery needles work great with rayon, polyester, and speciality threads.
Although an embroidery needle can accommodate speciality thread like metallic thread,
when using metallic thread, I do specifically like to use a metallic needle.
The reason being is that, in addition to a wider eye, it also has an elongated eye.
With that design, the thread goes through more easily and avoids thread breakage.
Also, I like to bump up the size from an 11 to a 14.
That, too, helps avoid thread breakage.
You can also look at getting something like these Schmetz embroidery gold needles.
The gold needle option has a similar description to the embroidery needle; however,
the gold needles have a ceramic coating on them.
The coating prevents sticking and friction.
This is beneficial because oftentimes with embroidery, you use an adhesive spray.
You know how sometimes it kind of gunks up on your needle?
These needles specifically help with that problem.
The titanium helps with wear so that your needles will last longer.
Another great option are the chrome embroidery needles.
They resist heat. They, too, resist wear so your needle is going to last longer.
And the chrome also stays cooler, longer to help reduce friction and stitch distortion.
Are you seeing a pattern when it comes to embroidery needles?
They're specifically designed to help make your embroidery project hassle-free.
Let's talk about changing out your needle.
How often should you do that?
It's usually recommended to either change it at the beginning of every project, or
about every 8 hours of embroidering.
Unless you're using a metallic thread;
then it is recommended to change it about every 4 hours of embroidering time.
That's because metallic thread is pretty hard on the needle so they wear quickly.
Another thing to keep in mind is if you're using a heavier fabric like denim,
a size 11 needle is not going to work well.
In that case, I would bump up to at least a size 14.
Also, if you're using knit fabric,
you want to use a ballpoint needle.
The ballpoint needle has a tip that is slightly rounded.
It pushes the knitted fibers to the side, versus piercing them.
The special design helps eliminate skipped stitches.
When embroidering, a good time to use a sharp needle is when you are using a water-soluble stabilizer.
You want your needle to pierce through easily without ripping it.
I would suggest having several of these different options on hand.
That way you have resources in case one doesn't work well or
it's just not doing it for you.
Also, always test on scraps of fabric that are similar to what you will be working on.
You don't want to stitch it all out and it's all wonky and weird.
Needles can be a little overwhelming at first.
I hope that this information has helped you.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
You're welcome to comment below
or, if you go to sewingpartsonline.com, we have a contact form.
Just fill that out and any one of our representatives will be happy to help you.
If you've not yet seen our other videos in this mini-series, be sure to check those out.
Like I said, they're on choosing a machine and stabilizer.
There's a lot of good information in there.
Once again, thank you so much for joining me.
Please make sure to check back for our 4th video, which is going to be on embroidery thread.
Until next time.