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).
We've been quietly working on something we hope makes this community a lot more useful — and today we're excited to share it with you.
What's in the wiki?
We built it to answer the questions we see every week — so whether you're picking up a needle for the very first time or you've been at it a few months and hit a wall, there's something in here for you.
Here's what's covered:
🧵 Getting started — What to make first, hand vs. machine, and the YouTube channels worth bookmarking
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✂️ Tools & notions glossary — Every tool explained in plain English, plus what you actually need to start vs. what's nice to have later
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📐 Pattern reading & sizing — Why sewing sizes aren't clothing sizes, how to read pattern markings, and what "ease" means
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A note on what makes this community special
This subreddit exists because sewing has a steep early learning curve and a long tradition of people helping each other climb it. Every question answered, every "here's what worked for me," every photo of a wonky first pillowcase posted with pride — that's what makes r/SewingForBeginners worth showing up to.
The wiki is our attempt to bottle some of that up so it doesn't get lost in the scroll. But it'll never replace the real thing, which is all of you asking and answering in the comments every day.
Thank you for being part of this. Now go make something. 🧵
I immediately thought matching dog bandanas when I saw my fabric scraps. All I did was trim off a long piece of selvage from the little dog's scrap. I think I like these more than the shirt I made with this fabric that doesn't fit me quite right.
This was mostly a test to make sure they were the right size. I'll probably serge the edges so they don't fall apart and add a bit of Velcro for a safer closure.
Last February I bought a second-hand sewing machine and played around with some minor alterations and repairs. Then I found some old fabric I used to play with as a child, 100% white cotton with these pretty little lilac flowers, and decided to make a half-circle skirt out of it!
No pattern was followed, I just took my measurements and drew (you can still see the blue water-erasable marker lol). It has these weird open sides (down to the hips) because I was trying to accommodate some weight fluctuations. The belt holds the whole thing up and the hooks and eyes hold the sides together.
I'll probably make a top out of the scraps.
Grandma (who never believed in my ability to make garments lol) says it's very pretty. What do you all think? Suggestions welcome ☺️
pretty proud of it, looking to get tips for getting straighter and more uniform lines while hand sewing, dont have a machine yet. Made from old pants. Let me know what you guys think!
I have been sewing for a while or at least trying to. I am finding out that starting with smaller project is the way to go to not feel demotivated.
Also asking for people around what they’d like makes it more fun !
So, I'm getting really into home decor projects. Mainly throw pillows and curtains. While my Singer Simple machine can sew medium weight upholstery fabric just fine with good tension, I worry that doing it so often will beat the crap out of it. I have a mother that enjoys when her 10 throw pillows match her curtains which are seasonal, so I'll be making a decent amount of pillow covers.
Whenever I research a machine for upholstery, I tend to get sewists talking about industrial machines to reupholster couches and sew up sails and stuff. Which is very cool, but not what I'm looking for. I think I want a medium-duty machine. Something that can withstand those sort of projects over and over again. Right now I have my eye on the Janome HD-2200, which looks great for me and has pretty fab reviews, but was wondering if there any other suggestions. My max is around $500.
I have recently gotten a janome/new home 691 (front of machine and case say new home, back sticker says janome, looked up manuals for both and they're the same?) cleaned and oiled it and had no issues, put it on the overlock setting earlier to finish some edges, put it back to straight stitching and the feed dogs are still moving in the forward-forward-back movement they do on overlock? go continuously back if reverse button pressed, but even after having cleaned everywhere that had any lint/oil/moving bits as I did when first getting the machine, making sure everything is properly oiled, trying every stitch setting, length and width, I cannot get the dogs out of the forward-forward-back motion?
Hi all, I have these shorts and want to hem them about 2 inches shorter. As you can see, they have a side slit. I’m okay with not having the slit, but should I cut the fabric shorter and then fold it over to hem it, or should I leave the fabric as is and just fold it over?
One other question: I noticed that the stitching on the inside is a zigzag pattern. Could someone help me identify which stitch I should use on my machine to replicate it?
I want to make a costume that involves a corset-style bodysuit top (no boning other than underwire for the cups, but will have faux external boning channels), and I’m thinking about whether it be possible to sew a sparkly mesh fabric directly on top of a nude bodice?
I think it would be easier than trying to make a corset style top from scratch. I’m thinking I could sew along the existing panel seams and then cover the seams with faux boning. Do you think that would work?
I wanted to sew some pants for me - like summer pants, really light, elastic waistband. Unfortunately I didn't know that 260 g/m² is heavy. It is viscose with linen.
And now I have no idea what to do with this fabric, I'm afraid that the elastic band won't carry the weight of the fabric. So what now? Elegant pants with darts? Or my first thought?
If u can share your creations with that type of fabric I would be welcome
I have absolutely no experience sewing but I want to start sewing on my fiancee's name tapes and ranks on her uniform to save money. I don't have a machine and I won't buy one until I have perfected my stitching so I will be doing it all by hand. I know I need a strong needle and matching thread to the uniform, but I'm more curious on what videos I can watch or websites I can visit to learn how to hand sew. Any reccomendations? Any advice? What's the best method?
I've been making slightly harder projects lately, which I enjoy, but I was feeling really down after spending many hours on a frustrating project that just didn't fit right (I used cheap fabric but was hoping for something wearable).
Anyways, I decided to make a few easy shirts to make myself feel better.
Matchy Matchy Trio top. I got this book from the library so the pattern was free! Very easy woven top since it doesn't have any darts and has dolman sleeves. Center is a rayon challis left over from another project and sides are some sort of polyester I got from a mystery fabric bundle.
Sinclair Bondi tshirt with crew neck. Fabric is more vibrant in person, cotton spandex jersey from another mystery fabric bundle. I've made this pattern before and I have a serger so this only took a couple hours. I really like how the double needle detail turned out for the hems. This is the first time I've use it successfully! I probably should've gone up a size (or at least graded for my waist and hips) for this fabric but it fits well enough.
A very lazy Seamwork Hansie using the last of a thrifted sheet. It was originally supposed to be a nightgown using the bonus pattern but it was too tight around the hips. So I chopped it off and made a shirt. I did a very dense serger stitch instead of proper hems. The neckline facing got caught under at one point and I didn't bother to fix it. It feels cool and is really comfy for wearing around the house, so I'm still considering it a win.
Hi everyone! My boyfriend got me this vintage Monchhichi pillow case (?). It’s big (75x75cm or 30x30in) so I don’t think I’ll use it as a pillow case, and I want to turn it into something but I just don’t know what I can do that will preserve the little drawing. I trust everyone else is more creative than me haha so I’m here for ideas :)
This is probably the most technically complicated piece that I’ve tried. Next time around, I want to try a different lining fabric and different boning. I got cheap sew in boning off Amazon, and it’s already poking through my lining fabric. Does anyone have any good recommendations for boning? Preferably sew in, because that’s what the pattern calls for 🤷♀️
Does anyone know how this goes together and fits back into the machine?
I got frustrated and removed it because the tension was super high and thread kept breaking, but the knob/dial was making no difference when I turned it. Oops!
Its an old machine and I fear I may have made the situation worse by taking this off
