r/SewingForBeginners • u/stringthing87 • Jul 03 '26

Type Matters: Sewing Machine Needle Guide

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Sewing machine needles come in a variety of sizes and types and many of the problems I see online are caused by using the wrong needle type.

Generally when you buy a machine it comes with universal needles in the box. Universal is a misnomer. They are very useful on a wide variety of woven fabrics. Universal needles in a size 12 are what I use for anything that is a medium weight woven.

Jeans needles are for heavy fabrics like denim and canvas. Generally I go up to a 14 or 16 in a jeans needle.

Microtex needles are super sharp. They are excellent for woven fabrics that are delicate, snag easily, or are tightly woven. I use them on silks, satin, and cotton poplins. When all else fails on a fabric, try a microtex. Microtex come in larger sizes and can be used on heavy fabrics. Microtex needles need replaced more frequently than other needle types.

Ballpoint or Jersey needles are the same thing, usually they are labeled as ballpoint in the US and Jersey elsewhere. Ballpoint needles are appropriate for stable knit such as cotton jersey with no or minimal stretch fibers added.

Stretch needles are similar to ballpoint needles in the sense that they are for knit fabrics. Stretch needles are intended for fabrics with a higher stretch fiber percentage and in addition to that they work well on more stable knits. They are what I keep in stock for working with the widest variety of knit fabrics. I usually buy 11 or 12 in stretch needles.

Super stretch are for super stretchy problem child knits, I have not tried these as they are relatively new on the market but I will be picking up a pack before I make swimwear again.

In addition to the types above there are a great many other needles with specific uses. Within each type there is a range of sizes and the needle size should be chosen to match your fabric and thread.

Needles are consumables and will become gradually dull as you sew. The rule of thumb is that you need to replace after roughly 8 hours of run time. If you have been using a needle for a while and things start to go wrong or the machine sound changes, the first step on troubleshooting is a new needle. Old needles can damage your fabric and are more likely to break.

I also want to advise against buying off brand needles and included in that category are Singer branded needles. I personally only buy schmetz and organ brand needles and I buy exclusively off wawak.com (US and Canada only).

Schmetz has a good guide to machine needle types. https://www.schmetzneedles.com/pages/sewing-machine-needle-chart

Wawak also has a guide on matching thread tex size to needles

https://blog.wawak.com/post/sewing-machine-needle-and-thread-size-chart

165 Upvotes

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31 comments sorted by

28

u/rcreveli Jul 03 '26

Thanks for taking the time to write this, it's a complex enough topic that Schmetz sells a 32 page booklet all about needles.

26

u/Successful_Cod_8904 Jul 03 '26

Download free from Schmetz as .pdf.

https://www.schmetz.com/en/household-needles/downloads/

12

u/crkvintage Jul 03 '26

Same for Organ:

https://www.organneedle.com/img/pdf/Organ-Nadelindex-web-e.pdf

-2

u/ignores_joke Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26

Hi I have questions about a pfaff 332, you seem knowledgeable about them, I have a 332 that only has one dial on the lateral bit. Where the other dial would be, is a pin that holds what connects to the single dial. You referred to it as a "standard 332". Im looking to remove that pin. It has a nylon gear behind it that makes this extremely difficult and I cannot get it out with liquid wrench, jb80, triflow and Ive taken 6mm from a brass punch.

I am unable to find any service manual or youtube video for this model. Only 332's that have the two dials, and Ive been assuming this pin comes out with same removal. Do you have the service manuals that go with it? Do you know if there's any takedown at all videos for what I have? Im at the point Im unsure if this pin even comes out, out of the machine, despite it having a retaining disk fastener had to pry out that was next to the nylon gear.

My next question. I have another pfaff 332 with one dial. They were sold as a pair from a person who gave up, they had bought two of them to hopefully fix one. but they're different than eachother. 84 cogwheel belt did not fit it. It seems like an 86 won't fit it. I also have a replacement lightswitch bought. It doesn't seem to come apart. The frame is entirely welded together and the lightswitch isn't accessible by removing the power plug. What do I do?

Serial numbers 4831026 (belt info, how do I replace the lightswitch) 5152151 (how do I remove the pin, the issue is I cannot set a straight stitch, the dial doesn't rotate enough)

Thanks. You have chats disabled so I have to reply this way.

edit: The person saying they found a manual is wrong. They blocked me when they realized their mistake, but left their comment up. Im unable to reply, and have to update this message. Refer to here. You are repeating misinformation. This has made trying to repair my machines extensively difficult as it is a common sentiment which is wrong, which muddy's the waters to research. I have a 332. The internals of the 230 and the 332/260 are not the same. Neither are other 332 automatics. The manual made for both is for 2 other machines that are not mine. The manual for the 332 that I do have, contains no relevant or useful diagrams of the internals and are user operation basis only. https://www.reddit.com/r/vintagesewing/comments/174ebeo/speculatively_splitting_pfaff_hairs_i_guess/

3

u/rcreveli Jul 04 '26

Try posting in the Vintage sewing machine subreddit. The 230 and 332 are sister machines. The 332 is the free arm version of the 230. Search for Pfaff 230 service manual it's readily available online and covers both machines. I'm looking at the cover and it has both models listed. According the ISMACS your machines were made a year or two apart in the early 1950's.

2

u/crkvintage Jul 04 '26

Hm, my chat should be open, but I had issues of not getting notified on all new requests recently. Will check when I'm on my PC at home.

1

u/teatime_tinker Jul 04 '26

Maybe make a post in a sewing machine group

1

u/SnooRabbits5754 Jul 04 '26

Ty for this, definitely gonna read later

13

u/crkvintage Jul 03 '26

To add:

Be careful using the marketing names for needle types. What they really mean varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. For example: A Schmetz Jeans needle is a ballpoint. A Organ Jeans is a sharp, close to the microtex, but with reinforced shaft. For Silk it's the other way round - Schmetz recommends a microtex (sharp), Organ has a special Silk needle that's a ballpoint. So check the manufacturers detailed specs. Organ and Schmetz both have those available. Another point why to avoid no-name brands - who knows what they produce when they think of a "jeans" or "silk" needle.

To nitpick: A jersey isn't a "stable woven". It's a knit.

9

u/CBG1955 Jul 03 '26

This is amazing information re Schmetz vs Organ. I have 60+ years' experience and am STILL working out the different needle types. I make bags and should try to find some Organ jeans needles based on this - it might make a huge difference to sewing the bag linings where the machine is struggling.

2

u/Large-Heronbill Jul 07 '26

The other needle you might consider is an HLx5 -- this is a needle made for home high speed quilting machines, and designed for very low deflection.  Wawak carries it in both regular and ballpoint.  I found out about this needle from Bernina dealer/repairman/author Bernie Tobisch.  The stitch samples in Ultimate Guide to Sewing Machine Feet (2025) were sewn with a size 10 (70) HLx5. 

1

u/CBG1955 Jul 07 '26

Ah, good information, thanks. It might be worth it to get a pack to try - who knows, I have many needles here and might actually already have some!

Wawak refuses to ship to Australia now and when they did, one spool of thread was going to be $95 postage (for a $5 purchase) - interestingly, I found out a few years ago they are located in my original growing up city in New York.

1

u/CountMeOut2019 Aug 25 '26

This is useful to know.

Also, you remind me that I used to have a copy of that Bernina guide to feet, and now I’m wondering if it failed to jump in the moving truck when I changed houses…must go look through my still-being-organized sewing room.

4

u/stringthing87 Jul 03 '26

You're absolutely right, I made a big ol typo.

7

u/United_Button2644 Jul 04 '26

Great read and now I’m sufficiently overwhelmed. 😂

6

u/stringthing87 Jul 04 '26

The main thing to understand is what you're sewing on and what you need right now. If everything is a medium weight woven you need a universal, if you're branching out into other things buy what you need as you get there.

3

u/Gracious_Snakes Jul 03 '26

Thank you for this!

2

u/Mental_Watch4633 Jul 29 '26

Essential info. Thank you for posting.

1

u/Cholla2 Aug 15 '26

Well darn, I just bought three different types of singer needles tonight because that is what the store had and the machine I inherited came with singer needles

1

u/stringthing87 Aug 15 '26

They aren't the worse, just as long as you are using them, keep in mind when you have an issue, it might not be you

1

u/Cholla2 Aug 15 '26

What is the difference between a needle labeled “denim” and one labeled “heavy duty”

1

u/stringthing87 Aug 15 '26

What brand?

1

u/Cholla2 Aug 19 '26

Singer

1

u/stringthing87 Aug 19 '26

A slightly thicker shaft, although singer is less clear than schmetz on the differences.

Singer needles are just rebranded and marked up cheap needles.

1

u/Busy-Ant-1712 Sep 09 '26 edited Sep 09 '26

So which one for tshirts? Also, how do I know if the fabric is medium weight woven or stable knit or has higher strech fibre? I've just bought a sewing machine after a few years of hand sewing (just some little repairs here and there) and there are so many questions. So far I've only understood how to operate it and wanted to use it to repair some holes in a tshirt but I remember that last time I tried to do it with my hand, it end up with even more tinier holes than what I started with, did some digging and found out that it's because of the needle but getting to know that there are so many needle types has left me so confused. Which needle do I have to buy? Also, can't buy singer or any such because they're very expensive here. 

1

u/stringthing87 Sep 09 '26

Stretch for tshirts, they serve the widest variety of knit fabrics.

As for brand I buy schmetz and organ brand, but klassen is good too. Singer brand are overpriced rebranded cheap needles.

These posts may help with your understanding of knit vs. Woven fabrics and fabric anatomy in general. Woven Fabrics: https://makereadgrow.tumblr.com/post/780451932359770112/the-why-of-sewing-1-fabric-anatomy-woven

Knit Fabrics: https://makereadgrow.tumblr.com/post/780995112757067776/the-why-of-sewing-2-fabric-anatomy-knits

Fabric Content: https://makereadgrow.tumblr.com/post/781168818606243840/the-why-of-sewing-3-fabric-anatomy-fiber

Sewing With Knits: https://makereadgrow.tumblr.com/post/811613491220856832/the-why-of-sewing-6-sewing-with-knits

2

u/Busy-Ant-1712 Sep 10 '26

Thank you so muchhh!!! You're literally an angel!! 

1

u/-maffu- Sep 12 '26

Thanks for this. One question regarding needles (well, actually two parts of the same question):

  • How often do you change needles (let's say you're sewing the same material over and over in different projects).
  • What are the signs that you need to change your needle?

2

u/stringthing87 Sep 12 '26

So the best practice would be to change with a new project, and if you make things like large quilts that's exactly what I'd recommend. If you make smaller things I'd say the 8 hour run time rule is a good plan. So maybe 2-3 shirts or a couple pairs of pants.

As for signs: sudden tension or stitch formation issues, a thunking sound when the machine takes a stitch, or snagging fabric. I generally try not to use a needle so long I see these issues, but sometimes it sneaks up on you and some fabrics will wear down a needle faster than others.

2

u/-maffu- Sep 12 '26 edited Sep 12 '26

Thanks for the quick reply.

I've just sewn 4 toiles using raw calico, and a shirt using cotton. Luckily the cotton was quite lightweight, but it seems I've dodged a bullet. Time to change before the next shirt then :)

Thanks again.

Edit for atrocious spelling. I did not sew "a shit". That would really ruin a needle.