KNOWING YOUR SEWING MACHINE —————————————————————————————————————————

REPLACING THE NEEDLE

This section provides information on sewing machine needles.

Needle precautions

Be sure to observe the following precautions concerning the handling of the needle. Failure to observe these precautions is extremely dangerous. Be sure to read and carefully follow the instructions below.

CAUTION

●Only use home sewing machine needles. Use of any other needle may bend the needle or damage the machine.

●Never use bent needles. Bent needles can easily break, possibly resulting in injury.

Selecting the needle depending on the thread and fabric types

The sewing machine needle that should be used depends on the fabric and thread thickness. Refer to the following table when choosing the thread and needle appropriate for the fabric that you wish to sew. Use the same size thread for the upper (spool) and lower (bobbin) threads.

 

Sewing fabrics

Needle sizes

Thread sizes

 

 

 

Fine tricot, Fine lace,

 

Cotton: 80

 

 

 

Synthetic/ Polyester Long

Very thin

 

Thin linen, Silk,

65/9

 

Fiber

 

 

Organza, Chiffon

 

 

 

 

Fine Mercerized Cotton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cotton: 60-80

Lightweight

 

Voile, Taffeta,

 

Silk: “A”

 

75/11

Synthetic/ Polyester Long

 

Synthetics, Silk, Batiste

 

 

 

 

Fiber

 

 

 

 

Mercerized 50

 

 

Cotton, Gingham,

 

Cotton: 50-60

 

 

Poplin, Percale, Pique,

 

 

 

 

Silk: “A”

Medium weight

 

Satin, Velvet,

90/14 (Supplied with

 

Lightweight wool,

your machine.)

Synthetic/ Polyester Long

 

 

Fiber

 

 

Fine corduroy, Suitings,

 

 

 

 

Mercerized 50-60

 

 

Linen, Muslin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denim, Gabardine,

 

Cotton: 40-50

Heavyweight

 

Tweed, Corduroy,

100/16

Mercerized Heavy Duty

 

 

Canvas, Duck

 

Polyester Long Fiber

Knits

 

Single knit, Double knit,

 

Cotton Wrapped

 

90/14 (Ball point)

Polyester

 

 

Jersey, Tricot

 

Polyester Long Fiber

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memo

●The smaller the thread number, the thicker the thread; and the larger the needle number, the thicker the needle.

●Use the ball point needle when sewing on stretch fabrics or fabrics where skipped stitches easily occur.

●Use a 90/14 to 100/16 needle with transparent nylon threads, regardless of the fabric being sewn.

●A 75/11 needle is already installed when the sewing machine is purchased.

15