NEE

DLE

Student Handouts,
By, Sunil Talekar, Faculty, SOFT-Pune

SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE

Functions of the needle

To produce hole in the material

To carry the needle thread through
the material and there form a loop
To pass the needle thread through the
loop

SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE PARTS

PARTS OF THE NEEDLE

BUTT
SHANK
SHOULDER
LONG GROOVE
SHORT
GROOVE
EYE
NEEDLE POINT
SCARF
BLADE

SEWING NEEDLE PARTS

BUTT
The end of the needle
The butt determine the length of the needle
when it is fully inserted into the needle bar of the
sewing machine.
SHANK
upper part of the needle
may be cylindrical or have a flat side.
larger in diameter than the rest of the needle for
reason of strength
SHOULDER
Intermediate between shank and the blade

SEWING NEEDLE PARTS

BLADE
Below the shoulder of the blade to the eye of the
needle
Longest part of the needle.
Accommodates the groove, the eye and the
scarf.
The blade reduces the fabric resistance as the
needle point and its eye passes through the fabric
Greatest amount of the friction .

SEWING NEEDLE PARTS

LONG GROVE
Slit above needle eye, should be large enough to
"cradle" thread for smooth stitches.
Provides a protective channel in which the thread is
drawn through.
A Correctly shaped long groove of a depth matched
to the thread diameter, offers considerable protection
to the thread.
SHORT GROOVE

It extends a little above and below the eye

Its function is to assist in the formation of the
loop in the needle thread.

SEWING NEEDLE PARTS

SCARF

Concave section above the eye of the

needle
Indentation at back of needle.
A long scarf helps eliminate skipped
stitches by allowing bobbin hook to
loop thread more easily.

EYE

Hole in end of needle through

which thread passes.
The hole through which the
thread pass
Eye is located below the scarf
Needle size and type
determine size and shape of

SEWING NEEDLE AND THREAD

IF THE NEEDLE IS TOO SMALL FOR THE THREAD
Thread will not pass freely through the eye
Thread will not fit properly into the long groove.
Thread will suffer from excessive abrasion.
Can lead to costly thread breakages in
production.
production

IF THE NEEDLE IS TOO LARGE FOR THE THREAD

There will be poor control of the loop formation
which may cause slip stitches.
It will create holes in the fabric which are too big for
the stitches and give an unattractive seam
appearance.
Tends to give rise to damaged fabric along the

NEEDLE POINTS
Most machine needles
will look similar but
they will differ in their
tips:
Set/Spear point These are used for
most woven fabrics.

Ball point - These

have a rounded tip and
are used for knitted
fabrics. The rounded
end allows the needle
to separate the yarns
without cutting them,
which reduces the
chance of the fabric
laddering.

Wedge point - These

are designed to cut a
hole as they penetrate
the fabric. They are
used for machining
leather and plastic
materials.

Set point needle

SPEAR
NEEDLE POINT

SLIM SET POINT

SET POINT

HEAVY SET POINT

Ball point

Set point needle

BALL
NEEDLE POINT

LIGHT BALL POINT

MEDIUM BALL POINT

HEAVY BALL POINT

CLOTH POINT NEEDLE

BALL POINT
NEEDLE

NEEDLE POINT
EFFECT OF DIFFERENT NEEDLE POINTS

UNIVERSAL NEEDLE
Uses: Safest needle choice for most fabrics.
Configuration: Has slightly rounded point
and elongated scarf to enable almost
foolproof meeting of needle and bobbin
hook.
Troubleshooting: When fabric is not
medium-weight woven, consider needle
specifically suited to fabric. For example,
size 18 universal needle works on heavy
denim, but size 18 jeans needle works
better.

BALLPOINT & STRETCH

NEEDLES
Uses: Ballpoint needle for heavier, looser
sweater knits; stretch needle for highly
elastic fabrics, like Spandex, or Lycra.
Configuration: Both have rounded points
that penetrate between fabric threads
rather than pierce them. (Stretch-needle
point is slightly less rounded than ballpoint.)
Troubleshooting: Test-stitch knits with
ballpoint, stretch, and universal needles to
see which doesn't cut yarn and yields best
results. If ballpoint skips stitches, try stretch
needle.

MICROTEX & SHARP NEEDLES

Uses: Sewing microfiber, silk, synthetic
leather; precisely stitching edges; and
heirloom sewing.
Configuration: Has an acute point.
Troubleshooting: Essentially trouble-free,
but fabric may require a Teflon, roller, or
even/dual-feed presser foot.

LEATHER NEEDLE
Uses: Excellent for sewing natural leather.
Configuration: Has slight cutting point
(almost like an arrowhead).
Troubleshooting: On synthetic leather,
unless it's very heavy synthetic, cuts rather
than pierces stitch hole and can tear leather.
Most synthetic leathers require Microtex or
sharp needle.

DENIM (JEANS) NEEDLE

Uses: For heavyweight denim, duck,
canvas, upholstery fabrics, artificial leather,
and vinyl.
Configuration: Has deeper scarf, acute
point, and modified shaft to sew without
pushing fabric down into needle-plate hole.
Goes through fabric and meets bobbin hook
better on dense woven fabrics.
Troubleshooting: If stitches skip when
sewing very heavy fabrics, try larger needle
and sew more slowly or walk needle through

HANDICAP/SELF THREADING
NEEDLE
Uses: Enables easier threading for sewers
with vision problems.
Configuration: Universal needle with slipin threading slot at the eye.
Troubleshooting: Always pull sewn piece
back away from needle before cutting
thread so needle doesn't unthread. Needle
works well on woven fabrics, but may
occasionally snag knits, so test-sew to check
for fabric and needle compatibility.

HEMSTITCH (WING) NEEDLE

Uses: Hemstitching or heirloom embroidery
on linen and batiste.
Configuration: Has fins on sides of shank
to create holes as you sew.
Troubleshooting: Stitch is more effective
when needle returns to same needle hole
more than once. If needle pushes fabric into
needle hole, put stabilizer under fabric.

TWIN (DOUBLE) NEEDLE

Uses: Topstitching, pin tucking, and
decorative stitching.
Configuration: Two needles on single shaft
produce two rows of stitches. Measurement
between needles ranges from 1.6mm to
6mm, and needles come with universal,
stretch, embroidery, denim, and Metallica
points.
Troubleshooting: Be sure throat plate
allows for distance between needles

TRIPLE NEEDLE
Uses: Same uses as for double needle.
Configuration: Cross bar on single shaft
connects
three needles to sew three stitching rows.
Comes with universal point in 2.5mm and
3mm widths.
Troubleshooting: Same as for double
needle.

SPRING NEEDLE
Uses: Free-motion stitching with dropped
feed dogs.
Configuration: Has wire spring above point
to prevent fabrics from riding up onto
needle, eliminating need for presser foot.
Troubleshooting: Before using, practice
free-motion stitching with heavy regular
needle, paper, and dropped feed dogs. Don't
pull paper/fabric; instead gently guide it
through stitching. Wear safety glasses for
free-motion work, since needles often break.

Thanks