NLS #3, Needles and Pins, where it all begins.

OK, be honest here, when is the last time you changed the needle in your sewing machine? Ah, Mon Dieu! You've never changed it? Excuse me while I run to get the smelling salts..........

I'm back! Such tiny little items like pins and needles that can be so cute, so sharp, so useful, important and sooooo painful if you get stuck with one.  Are there differences in pins? You bet! There are tons of "cute" pins which could be kind of sweet tucked in a hat. You can find loads on Etsy that are made by some very talented craftspeople. They make nice stocking stuffers for sewing friends. While they  are really cute, they are not too practical other than they are harder to lose. You won't find those suckers hiding in the carpet!  Seriously......there are all sorts of pins so let's see what we have here. 

I call these fork pins. So does Clover! Would you believe they are 10.99 for 35 pins at Joann's and 5.99 for the same amount at Wawak?   And why would you need  fork pins? Matching plaids, lining up seamlines for stitching across, getting that waistline seam to match across the zipper. They have great holding power and you will wonder how you lived without them. They are very handy.

Then there are silk pins. There are two kinds, cheap, lousy silk pins and good strong silk pins that will last you years. On the left you can see Dritz silk pins. They bend and nothing is more frustrating than reaching for a pin and getting a bent piece of crap. On the right is a box I picked up at Claire Shaeffer's "store". They are from Clotilde who, sadly, I don't think is in business any longer. But you can get Iris pins which are similar and have a great reputation. They are available from Nancy's Notions. When do you use silk pins,aka, super fine pins? They are great for delicate fabrics like silk organza, organdy or handkerchief linen when a larger pin might leave a hole. When using delicate fabrics its a good habit to pin in the seam allowance. Pins can and will mark delicate fabrics. These pins are not what you use when making jeans, wool coats, etc. They are just too fine and usually  a bit shorter than other pins. Then there are glass head silk pins, too.............

On the left are glass head silk pins. Why these? Glass heads can be ironed over without melting the little head. But these, by Dritz also are pretty weak and bend and frustrate. But their little blue heads make me smile so I keep them around. Glass heads come on nearly every type of pin, making them great to have on hand for those hot ironing moments. Annie's craft store carries a big selection  glass headed IBC pins, the brand Clothilde sold.

The pins on the right are my basic go to pin for most projects that aren't delicate. They have plastic heads but I don't make a habit of ironing over pins. That can sometimes leave indentations that won't come out after so I just don't do it. So why would I want thes big headed, longer than normal pins? Because they are easy to see and their length gives them great holding strength! They also show right up on the floor when they fall. They are quite strong and work well for heavier projects like coats and jeans and such. I use them a lot. Most importantly, they stack up nicely in my egg cups and make me smile when I look at them. But they are little work horses. On to that more interesting subject.............................needles!

If you are one of those who never changes your needle in the machine, for shame! Maybe you are lucky and never have pulled threads from a dull old needle with a blunt hole or a burr on the shaft. Maybe you can sew rayon knit with a number 12 universal needle that's 3 years old. Maybe you have a superneedle that is enchanted and will never break no matter what you sew. None of those thing apply to me or most sewists. Different fabrics need different needles.

There are all sorts of needles in many many different sizes. Most of my sewing is done with a Microtex needle, Size 11. I rarely rarely use a universal needle anymore for anything. The rest of my sewing uses HS stretch needles. They are great on knits and vinyls and faux leathers. Ever sew faux leather? I don't own a roller foot or teflon foot. Instead I have a bottle of "Sewer's Aid" a silicone lubricant for sewing. I put the tiniest film of the stuff on my finger and rub down the needle shaft, the bottom of the presser foot, and the needle plate, The faux leather flies through beautifully and makes a very nice stitch as well. A bottle will last for years. But make sure you use that HS needle for your fauxs. 

My needle box sideways for easier reading for you. 

There are so many different needles and using the right one will make your sewing so much less frustrating and your stitch quality that much better. A disclaimer here: I do not do any machine embroidery. that has it's own special needles, Organs and titaniums and other such that I know nothing about. You will have to find that info elsewhere. If you don't know that you may need a different needle for your latest project you might want to invest in either Sandra Betzina's "More Fabric Savvy" or Claire Shaeffer's Fabric Guide. You look up the fabric and they tell you exactly what needle, thread and stitch to use. Both are wonderful resources and that's where I learned to use the HS needle for the vinyls and fauxs. 

Once you start buying those various needles, you need to organize them. I keep mine in a 7 day pill dispenser. Make sure you bring one of your Schmetz needle cases with you when shopping for your  pill organizer. It doesn't fit in most but if you keep looking you will find one. I got mine I think at WM. Some mailing labels and a bit of time in Word got me the labels. This organizer is right next to my machine reminding me to use the proper needle and change it often. How often is that? Some say every 8 hours of sewing. I put in a new needle with each garment.  You can stock up on those 50% off sales at the chains. 

Listen to your needle, really! They will talk to you. Before you start any new garment do some stitch samples with the scraps. Make a sample with your chosen needle and stitch away. Listen carefully. If the needle makes a click or pop or sticks and moves the fabric up and down, or just sounds "heavier", you need a different size needle or a different kind. I don't think I have used a ball point needle in 20 years and I haven't missed it at all. Those will often make the tiny little pop sound. That means they are to fat for your fabric and you need something sharper, a universal or microtex.  Today I worked on a top of almost sheer rayon knit. I thought for sure my microtex 11 would be perfect. Wrong! the fabric and thread would get sucked down into the bobbin case, the machine would lock up and threads would break and jam around the bobbin mechanism. I changed to a straight stitch foot, no good. I stitched on Solvy, no help. But when I changed to a Size 11 HS stretch needle, Alleluia! Momma's happy. Your machine, fabric and thread will all affect how your needle choice works and often I have to try a couple of needles on my samples before I get the stitch I want. 

I like to do heirloom pin stitching. Some use a wing needle for this application. I prefer a size 18 sharp needle. I find the wing, which is very sharp on it's edges, can cut delicate fabrics and the round shaft of the universal or microtex needle will make a big hole and not damage the delicate heirloom fabric. I know some disagree with me and that's OK. 

Schmetz has a great site to give you much more technical information on needles than I know and I think it is good to take a read of it. Their Learning Center is loaded with info, a bit dry reading but expert knowledge from those who know needles best. 

Did you think I would forget the hand needle? Heck no!  This little box above measure about 3x5 inches, a tiny tote! I've turned it into a little file cabinet of sorts  for my hand needles. If you sew, quilt, embroider, do heirloom sewing, you need ALL SORTS of hand needles and keeping track of them can get messy. This system has worked well for me. 

Milliner's are my go to for sewing bullions. Bullions are such fun to sew! That big file in the front is all embroidery needles, different sizes for different threads. I use to do a lot of crewel and have tons of crewel needles. There is a hand sewing needle for every sort of stitching imaginable and using the right needle will make it all easier to stitch and give you better results. If you've ever hand quilted you know how a tiny quilting needle will give  you the  most even small stitches. Those itsy bitsy needles, whatever kind they are, or needles with tiny eyes like milliner's and darning needles, can be intimidating. Use them. It takes a bit of getting used to a "different" kind of needle but your improved results will make the effort worthwhile. 

Have trouble threading those multi ply or thicker threads or just have plain old aging eyes? Here's a way, one I learned when I did lots of embroidery, that can make threading your needle a bit easier. In the last post we discussed threading the needle as it comes off the spool. But what do you do if the thread is thick or several plies? Do you lick it and shove it through and all the little fibers go this way and that  and one odd sibling ply refuses to enter they eye? This method has served me well when using regular thread and needles as well. 

Give your thread a nice sharp cut. Lick if the plies are flying every which way. Then with your left hand squeeze the thread between your thumb and index finger, really tightly. You just want to see a tiny dot of thread. While still pinching tightly, shove the eye of the needle on top of thread and push down. Done!

Here you see the final obvious results with the thread pushed through the eye of the needle. Due to the lack of a third hand, which would be nice to have when sewing, I couldn't take the picture while shoving on the needle, but trust me, it works. 

Pins and needles are not the most thought provoking topic of sewing but they are one of the most important tools we use. Get to know them and what they can do for you. Your sewing will improve, your frustration level will lower, and your results with be worth it. .....Bunny