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Quilting is Fun

Hi to all the Quilters out there.
Have a look at my "Quilting" Page for some helpful advise on Fabric requirements and more.
Happy Quilting
Gill

USE THE CORRECT NEEDLE FOR YOUR PROJECT.

Not only should you use the best quality needles to keep your machine in tip top condition, you should use the correct size needle for the project at hand.
Fabric weights vary from very light weight chiffon, fine satin & soft jersey to the thickest denim fabric.
All of these fabrics are able to be sewn on most machines.
The deal is that you use the correct needle for the thickness & type of fabric or application.
Below is the chart to show the most commonly used needles for your Janome machine.

KISS QUILTS

Know Your Needles

           

USE JANOME BRAND NEEDLES FOR JANOME MACHINES

Needle Chart:              Change your needle regularly.

SIZE:

9                      very fine fabric only

11                    fine fabric / lightweight fabric 

Blue Tip /11     sharp point-embroidery- stretch & any fine fabrics

12                    medium weight fabric / cotton etc.

14                    heavy fabric / drill etc.

Red Tip /14     used for it's sharp point -curtains- embroidery on towels/thicker fabrics & Top
                        quilting.

16                    very thick fabric “Denim needle” is best (see below)

Denim /16       used for it's sharp point - for jeans and any thick denim or densely woven fabric

For Janome Overlockers, please use Janome Ball Point  needles.

For any older overlockers; if you are not sure of the type of needle to use - take the manual to the store to check for the correct needle type. 

For the older type overlocker they are not always the Janome brand needles.

What size to use:

For most overlockering you should only need size 11 or 12 needles for medium weight fabrics. Most overlockers are not for sewing very thick fabrics.

Size 12 needles are still OK for most fine fabrics – always test on a scrap first to see if it does not damage your fabric.

SKIPPED STITCHES: time to change the needle

The main causes;

Needle too large for fabric used

Needle blunt / damaged or too old

Pulling work through machine- very bad for your machine as well

Some older machines will skip, even with the correct needle

Ran over a pin and damaged the needle

Used needle for the wrong fabric before – “now damaged”

©Gillian Williams 2007

KISS QUILTS

Know Your Needles 

For Most Brands

You must use the correct size needle in your machine.

Needle Size Chart:        Change your needle regularly.

Microtex           60/8         Microfibre and extra fine fabrics

Microtex           10 & 12    Medium densely woven fabrics

Stretch             75/11       Knitted fabrics, stretch, Lycra, T-shirt fabric etc.

Ball Point         80/12       Other knitted fabrics – (thicker fibered knits)        

Universal         70/10       Most fine fabrics

Universal         80/12       Any medium fabrics – cottons etc. piecing a quilt.

Universal         90/14       Heavy weight fabrics

Jeans               80/12       Embroidery / most fabrics (used for the sharp point)

Jeans              90/14       Medium denim – toweling / Embroidery & Top Quilting

Jeans               100/16     Heavy denim fabrics

Jeans               110/18     Extra heavy - thick denim

Jeans needles have a sharp point, which allows greater needle penetration power, when sewing dense or thick fabrics. Also great for embroidery machines.

Skipped stitches: Time to change the needle.

The main causes:

Ø  Needle too large for the fabric used

Ø  Needle blunt / damaged (too old)

Ø  Poor quality needle (cheap)

Ø  Pulling the work through the machine- bends or takes the tip off

Ø  Some older machines will skip, even with the correct needle

Ø  Ran over a pin and damaged the needle – take pins out first.

Ø Used the needle for the wrong fabric before – “damaged”

SCHMETZ  makes the best quality machine needles, the scarf of the needle is longer and more pronounced, permitting a preciseness not found in other needles. 99% of all domestic machines of any vintage will take SCHMETZ needles.

Most new overlockers will take the same needles as machines now. Always check your manual for older overlockers. They are sometimes different to machines.

The life of a needle.

Some facts that we must consider are – fabric has changed over the last 30 years. Manufacturers now use metal dyes, polyester threads to make the fabrics and chemicals for pressing permanently.

A very simple garment/project can have a minimum of 40,000 stitches, therefore one garment/project puts a lot of mileage on the needle, one needle should last for two or three garments/projects provided there are no mishaps with the needle.

Feel free to ask any questions on my face book page. 

©Gillian Williams 2007

Sewing Hints & Tips

KNOW YOUR NEEDLES 

Always use the correct needle for your type of sewing machine.

If you own a Janome Sewing Machine, you will need to use Janome brand Sewing Machine needles.

For most other brands of Machines you should use a good quality brand of needle such as Schmetz. 

Schmetz needles are an excellent quality German made needle.
If you use low grade (cheap) needles in your machine - you may experience problems with stitch quality, these problems may include loopy stitches, tight stitches, thread breakage, skipped stitches plus many other problems. The tension is often blamed for these problems.
The tension should never have to be changed.
When you are having trouble like this - the first thing to do is look at the needle that you are using - if the needle is a good one and also the right size for your project, then look at the bobbin and check if it is inserted the correct way around. Next thing to check is the top thread by taking the thread out and rethreading the machine.
Remember to always have the presser foot up when threading the upper thread.
When the presser foot is up the upper tension disks are open for the thread to lay inside - for perfectly tensioned stitches.
When the presser foot is down - the tension discs are closed ready for sewing and if you try to thread the machine with them closed the thread will lay outside the tensioning and will not sew a nice tight (perfectly tensioned) stitch.
When the thread is laid inside the discs and they are closed by lowering the presser foot, you will have perfect stitches because the thread is held between the discs with just enough tension to keep the stitches beautifully  tight & neat.
Call back soon for my next post about what size needles to use for your project.
HAPPY SEWING
Gillian

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