The Sharpest Sewing Needles
by Kelsi Watts: If you decide to buy only one type of needle you should consider Sharps. Sharps medium length needles are among the most commonly used hand sewing needles available. They are also very sharp!
While that sounds cheesy, some sewers may prefer a needle with a very fine, sharp point for working with delicate fabrics, while others may prefer a needle with a slightly blunter point for working with heavier fabrics.
In general, sewing needles made of high-quality, hardened steel are considered to be among the sharpest available.
It is important to choose the right needle for the job, not just the sharpest needle, in order to prevent the needle from damaging the fabric and to achieve the best possible results.
Most sewing machine needles are universal
The three most common types of needles are sharp, ballpoint, and universal. Sharp needles work with all woven fabric. A sharp point is especially helpful when sewing straight lines and tasks such as top stitching. The majority of needles are universal needles.
How to tell your sewing needle is dull
A dull sewing needle will make a popping sound each time the needle penetrates the fabric. A dull needle will not feel sharp to the touch. Using a magnifying glass you can confirm a needle is dull by comparing it to a sharp needle. You can sharpen a dull needle with the same sharpeners used on knives.
The best universal sewing needle size
The slightly rounded points of the best universal needles are sharp enough to pierce woven cotton fabrics but not so sharp as to damage knits. They come in sizes ranging from 60/8 to 120/19, however, a good starting point is the 80/12 size.
To save money look for assorted needle packs that include two or three different needle sizes.
Embroidery needles vs sewing needles
Embroidery needles have larger eyes than regular sewing needles to accommodate embroidery thread. The sharp tips on embroidery needles penetrate tightly woven fabric and felt better. Embroidery needles, sometimes called crewel needles, are used for crewel embroidery
Choosing the best needle for free motion quilting
For free motion sewing machine quilting choose the needle size that best suits the weight of your thread. As a general rule 40 wt thread requires a size 75 needle. Unless you are piecing together extra thick padding a small to medium sized needle that is sharp to slightly rounded will work fine.
The best machine quilting stitch length
The best stitch length for machine quilting is 2.5 to 3.0 which will give you 8 to 12 stitches per inch. Adjust your stitch length based on fabric thickness and weight, Stronger fabrics often require fewer stitches per inch but pieces with heavy padding require more.
What the numbers on sewing machine needles mean
The numbers assigned to sewing machine needles represent the fabric thickness they are able to sew. Larger numbers are capable of sewing thicker fabric. Conversely, smaller numbers are for sewing lighter weight fabrics. Care must be taken to match needle size with project material for best results.
How to know what sewing machine needle to use
As a general rule: smaller needles are best used on lighter weight fabric and larger needles work best on heavier weight fabric. The thread used for your sewing project will determine the size and type of needle you choose. In general, product labels will tell you which fabric type they were designed for.
Sewing machine needles that work on leather
Cutting point sewing machine needles work well on heavy leather materials. For lighter weight leather something like an R point Groz-Beckert sewing needle works well. R point needles are considered sharp enough to punch through light leather quite easily.
