Impressions - April 2024 - 45

Embroidery Needle Basics
The best way to understand machine embroidery needles is by
recognizing they are classified by size and point type. All needles
are specified according to one of these two characteristics and
knowing both is vital to understanding how you're going to use
them. At the start of each embroidery project, you will need to
decide what needles your project requires. You must choose both
the size needed for the thread you're going to stitch with and point
type according to the kind of fabric being embroidered. Failure
to make the right choice can leads to various issues.
Needle Size: Needle size refers to the thickness of the needle
shaft. All sizes of industrial machine embroidery needles will fit
in an industrial embroidery machine, because the shank (the part
that goes into the machine) is the same. However, the shaft of the
needle (the main part of the needle) is rated according to thickness.
The size markings are found on the label and are listed as a
pair of numbers separated by a slash mark. The first number is a
metric one based on a European standardization system from the
1940s and represents the size of the needle shaft in millimeters
without the decimal point. For example, a number " 90 " needle
indicates a 0.90 mm diameter needle. The second number is a
U.S. needle system number originally derived by Singer that is
now used industrywide.
Needles are made in various sizes to accommodate various
weights, or thicknesses, of thread. In addition to allowing for
thicker or thinner threads to pass through cleanly, the thickness
of the shaft and eye determines the size of the penetration hole
the needle makes in the fabric. This is important, because a thicker
thread requires a larger space to pass through the textile without
snagging and breaking. Likewise, a smaller size needle with a
slimmer profile will create a smaller penetration hole for thinner
thread. Small lettering and fine details look crisp and lie flat when
the appropriate size needle is used.
Because embroiderers should choose needle sizes based on the
weight of the thread they are using, and because 40-weight thread
is the most common thread weight used in machine embroidery,
75/11 needles are the most common needle size used. They are
often packed with new machine starter kits or with 40-weight
thread samples, because they are the most appropriate size for #40
thread. Machine embroidery needles range from the very fine
60/8 all the way up to the very large 100/16.
Needle Point Type: Needle point type refers to the penetrating
tip of the needle. For most machine embroidery, needles are
classified as being either sharp or ballpoint. Every needle size is
available in either one of these point types.
Sharp needles have a pointed tip that is meant to pierce the
fabric during the stitch penetration. Sharps should be used for
heavy woven fabrics and heavy non-woven materials, like vinyl
and leather. They create a clean hole in these kinds of stable textiles
so that the thread can pass through unencumbered. Use sharps on
substantial woven materials like heavy twill, baseball caps, canvas,
heavy weight linen, denim, wool coating fabrics like tweed, and
boucle, burlap and duck cloth. These fabrics will not be compromised
by piercing with a sharp point, and embroidery done
on them with a sharp needle will lie flat with a crisp appearance.
Conversely, using a sharp-point needle on lighter, less stable
fabrics, like knits, can damage the looped matrix of the fabric. The
continuous loop construction of knit fabrics is what makes them
stretch in every direction and using a sharp needle on them will
sever that construction, creating pulls, puckers and holes. Sometimes
the holes made on a knit with a sharp needle will become
immediately evident as soon as you unhoop, especially near the
edges where upon close inspection they will appear as tiny tears.
Other times, the holes will become obvious after the garment
has been washed and worn a couple of times, at which point the
damage will appear as pinholes that begin to unravel and widen
in and around the design area.
To avoid these kinds of problems, ballpoint needles are recomThe
needles employed in machine embroidery include a number of distinct,
purpose-built features. Image courtesy Madeira USA
April 2024
P.45
Impressions - April 2024

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