Some people swear by ballpoint needles, and use them for pretty much everything. Again, this may require some experimentation. A sharp needle is generally used for embroidering on thick fabrics with heavy weight thread, like denim and canvas. The point of the needle is intended to pierce through the fabric rather than slide along side it. Embroidery needles can have different shank shapes. The shank is the top of the needle that gets inserted into the embroidery machine.
If the shank of the needle is not designed for your embroidery machine, its like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Using an incompatible needle can cause problems like tip breakage, skipped stitches and poor tension. Actually, you can buy titanium embroidery needles.
Titanium needles are more expensive than regular embroidery needles but they are also stronger and last longer. They are recommended for use in commercial embroidery machines that stitch through tough fabric, but you can also use them in home machines.
In addition to titanium needles, you also have the option of buying gold or silver embroidery needles. Gold and silver needles cost more up front but they do not cause oxidation. Oxidation is the corrosion of metallic parts due to chemical oxidation. It can be a problem when embroidering with metallic floss because after a while, a dark gray residue starts building up on the inside of your hoop and in your embroidery machine.
There are two schools of thought on this. You can wait until the needle breaks, or you can be proactive about changing your embroidery needle. I have read that embroidery needles should be changed every hours of stitching. But who keeps track of the hours they spend embroidering? Other clues that you probably need to change your needle on your embroidery machine is when you start seeing skipped stitches, and definitely if you notice bent tips or a lot of dust around the machine.
The dust is caused by thread and dirt building up on the tip. I treat changing needles more like an oil change. I simply make a note of when I last changed my needle on a post it near my machine. Some embroiderers claim that they can HEAR when the needle s need to be changed.
I certainly can not. Maybe I need to get more in tune with my embroidery machine?? Anyway — if you are having thread trouble, changing your embroidery needle is a good place to start troubleshooting.
If you are using temporary adhesive or adhesive-backed stabilizer, your needles can get a bit gummed up. Fortunately, you can remove the stickiness with a bit of alcohol. An alternative suggestion is to put wax paper under the hooped item and the needle plate. It keeps the adhesive from sticking to the needles. It can be super annoying when your needles break when you are embroidering. Check out my previous post on why embroidery needles could be breaking.
I hope at this point you are feeling more confident about what needles to use for different scenarios on your embroidery machine? But, what did I miss? Please let me know in the comments below!
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Other types of specialty needles include hemstitch needles with create open decorative stitches and twin needles used for topstitching. If a needle begins to get bent, replace it to prevent breakage. Although needle size increases as the number gets higher, embroidery thread is exactly the opposite.
A higher number weight is actually a lighter weight thread while decreasing numbers are heavier. That means that a weight embroidery thread is heavier than the standard weight thread. Rayon has long been a favorite for its easy accessibility and wide array of color choices.
The biggest problem with rayon is that the colors tend to fade over time. Today, polyester embroidery thread is quickly taking the place of rayon as a favorite choice because it is strong, has a similar appearance and shine to that of rayon, and it also resists fading.
Polyester threads are made from multiple filaments to create a trilobal pattern that catches light and makes embroidery shinier. Cotton thread is often used in traditional or heirloom embroidery where a matte finish is desired. Machine embroidery using cotton thread looks more like hand embroidery making it ideal for quilting some some designs.
There are numerous types of threads on the market that are used for special types of projects. Of these, metallics are very popular in spite of the difficulty many people have in using them. The thread is made by wrapping holographic fibers around a core. Round thread tends to work best and a larger topstitch needle can help. Some experts also recommend lowering the machine tension when working with metallic threads. Light sensitive thread that appears white in normal lighting and glows in the dark is ideal for creating holiday items, especially for kids.
The choice in embroidery thread is based primarily on the appearance you want for your final project but the fabric choice matters here, too. The fabric should be capable of handling the thread weight for the pattern. A standard "set" or "sharp" point needle punches its way through leather like materials which may make irregularly or undesirably shaped needle holes. The very narrow wedge point "slices" through the leather like materials while making a cleanly cut needle hole.
Other available wedge point needles typically have a longer wedges then the DB-K5SS embroidery needles. That's fine for most sewing operations, but in machine embroidering, the stitches are very close together, The longer wedge point needles will actually punch out the design created by those close pattern of embroidered stitches.
The extra narrow wedge point of the DB-K5SS embroidery machine needle leaves enough distance between stitches in embroidered patterns to maintain the strength of the leather like material and avoid punching out the embroidered design. It has a long extended groove, longer deeper scarf, tapered blade and a slim extra light ball point. The eye of this needle is shaped like a rectangle. Ball point needles are designed to alleviate making holes in knit or loosely woven materials.
The cross fibers which constitute the knit or loosely woven materials are relatively far apart as compared to those in tightly woven materials.
When a needle with a standard "set" or "sharp" point encounters one of those fibers in penetrating the fabric, it cuts right through the fiber. This creates a hole in the fabric. The ball point needle pushes aside the fiber it encounters in penetration and thereby avoids making a damaging hole in the fabric. It is also recommended to use the thinnest possible needle for a particular fabric.
PD needles have a titanium-nitride ceramic finish which makes them more wear-resistant than any other needles. When embroidering large stitch patterns or penetrating very abrasive, dense or tough materials the needle points and surface will maintain its original shape and dimensions 3 to 5 times longer.
PD needle points will not wear down as fast as chromium plated needle points. The use of PD needles gives you longer needle life, fewer defects due to "dulled" needle points, and increased productivity. The Cool-Sew finish was developed to alleviate needle problems resulting from the following situations: 1 Heat Buildup in penetration of synthetic, chemically treated, or very dense materials 2 Materials or residue sticking to needle surface or in eye 3 Excessive sewing thread breakage due to friction in the needle eye As a needle penetrates synthetic, chemically treated or very dense mate-rials a great deal of friction may develop.
The needle may get so hot as to actually melt or fuse the sewn material along the seam. When the machine stops, the melted residue may stick to the needle surfaces as it cools.
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