Aahhh. . . the humble sewing needle. . . not a particularly interesting implement and to the novice sewer, one needle pretty much looks the same as the next. . . until you look a little closer that is.
With several students learning to sew in my Creative Craft classes this term, I’ve headed back to basics and having the right tool for the right job is a good place to start. I designed this vintage inspired needle book to store and separate the different types of needles.
Hand sewing needles come with different names depending on what their purpose is and in a range of different sizes. I always find the sizing of needles a tad strange. . . who would have thought - the smaller the size written on the needle packet, the larger the needle!
Here’s some of the basics I have in my needle book:
Sharps: Sharps are a basic multi purpose needle, of medium length, sizes ranging from 1 to 10 with a sharp point, a small rounded eye just large enough to accommodate thread and most commonly used for hand sewing. I tend to use these babies the most!
Ball-point Needles: Ball point needles have a rounded tip, so they're perfect for sewing knit fabrics. A sharp pointed needle can easily damage the knit fiber by poking though a thread and leaving a 'pull' in the the knit fabric. A ball point, on the other hand, will pass right through the knitted stitches.
Embroidery: Embroidery also known as Crewel needles are very similar to the sharps as they have sharp points however their main difference being in the eye. They have large oval eyes to make threading multiple embroidery flosses or thicker yarns easier to pass through.
Betweens or quilters Needles: Betweens or quilters needles are much shorter and a bit thinner than the sharps, with a small rounded eyes. Their overall thinness and small eye help them pass easily through heavyweight fabrics. . . making them perfect for sewing fine stitches when tailoring, quilt making and other detailed stitching.
Chenille Needles: The Chenille Needle is similar to a tapestry needle as it has the same long oval eye and comes in the same sizes (thickness) except it has a sharp point. Chenille needles are ideal for ribbon embroidery and other crafts that need to pull a thick strand through a closely woven fabric.
Beading Needles: Beading needles are very fine, with a narrow eye to enable it to fit through the centre of beads and sequins. They are usually long so that a number of beads can be threaded through at the same time.
Doll Makers Needles: The Doll Makers Needle or sculpturing needle comes with either a sharp point or a blunt tip and is available from short to extraordinarily long. Doll needles are used for the soft sculpturing of dolls, particularly facial details.
There are quite a few more needles that cover other less often required jobs like Tapestry needles, Darning needles, Milliners needles and Upholstery needles. . . but I think we’ve covered the basics today.
So now that you know a little more about needles. . . let’s get stitching!
Happy sewing ~ Kerryanne
I’m partying with the link up girls this week
