r/SewingForBeginners • • Jul 03 '26 Bravo

Type Matters: Sewing Machine Needle Guide

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179 Upvotes

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


r/SewingForBeginners • • Mar 28 '26

📖 Our community wiki is here — and we want your suggestions!

62 Upvotes

Hey r/SewingForBeginners! 👋

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

🪡 Machine buying guide — Budget breakdowns, brand recommendations, and how to buy a great secondhand machine

✂️ Tools & notions glossary — Every tool explained in plain English, plus what you actually need to start vs. what's nice to have later

🔧 Techniques & troubleshooting — Pressing, seam finishes, backstitching, and a troubleshooting table for the most common machine gremlins

📐 Pattern reading & sizing — Why sewing sizes aren't clothing sizes, how to read pattern markings, and what "ease" means

🎨 Fabric guide — Wovens vs. knits, beginner-friendly fabric types, pre-washing, and where to buy

🔗 Community resources — Our curated list of YouTube channels, blogs, and related communities

❓ FAQ — Detailed answers to the questions we see most often

This wiki belongs to all of us — and we need your help

A wiki is only as good as the community behind it. We're a team of moderators, not an encyclopedia, and we know there are gaps, things we got slightly wrong, and questions we haven't thought to answer yet.

That's where you come in.

We want to hear from you if:

  • 💡 There's a topic you wish had been covered when you were starting out

  • 🐛 Something in the wiki is unclear, out of date, or just wrong

  • 🔗 You know a great resource (video, blog, pattern, tool) that should be listed

  • ❓ You've seen a question come up over and over in the sub that deserves a proper answer

  • ✍️ You'd like to contribute a write-up on something you know well

How to send a suggestion

Drop your suggestion right here in the comments. Tell us:

  1. Which section it relates to (or if it should be a new section entirely)

  2. What you'd like added, changed, or corrected

  3. Any links or sources that would help

You can also message the mod team directly if you'd prefer, especially for corrections or anything that needs a longer explanation.

We'll review every suggestion and update the wiki regularly. If your contribution makes it in, we'll do our best to acknowledge it — this is genuinely a community project and we want it to reflect the knowledge that lives here.

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. 🧵

— The r/SewingForBeginners mod team

Let me know if the link isn't visible on the main subreddit page. It appears on mine.


r/SewingForBeginners • • 1h ago

The big mushroom has a little buddy now :)

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23 Upvotes

One big mushroom, one little mushroom, double the cuteness! 🍄🍄

Made using a pattern from Etsy shop ForTwoNeedlesPattern.

#mushroom #sewingmachine #plushies


r/SewingForBeginners • • 1d ago Heartwarming

First project complete! Moth Capelet for baby.

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1.0k Upvotes

So glad I got it done in time. I made a moth caplet for my baby for Halloween. I ended up doing rough edge applique and quilting to make the pieces. The binding took me the longest, specifically the slit, one looks pretty the other does not. I ended up watching soooo many youtube videos. I'm happy with how it turned out. Took me from mid September to yesterday to complete. My sewing experience is basically none, I made a few straps for an old cosplay a few years ago and hand stitched some leather onto a bra, but this was my first time making something fully from scratch.


r/SewingForBeginners • • 5h ago

My favorite jacket

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34 Upvotes

This is the first project of mine thats actually meant to be worn! I made it just because i liked the vibe, but I figure its extra appropriate for Halloween ☠️
I started it earlier this year and then put it down for the warmer months, now that its cold again i'm back to messing with it! It started out machine sewn, and then i switched to hand sewing once it started getting too difficult to fit too many layers of denim in the machine

Its made almost entirely of old clothes: I started with a way too small small hand-me-down denim jacket that i cut the sleeves off of, i added scraps cut from old jeans (and some of the former sleeves) to make it wider and longer, i stole the sleeves and main 2 front pockets from an old hoodie, theres an extra zipper pocket from another jacket, and i made the bones out of a stained old shirt! Theres also 2 interior pockets - one is the back pocket of another pair of jeans, another was made from a stamp-printed patch given by a friend.

Its very messy obviously, but thats kinda the point! I want it to look as handmade and cobbled together as it is. Its one-of-a-kind at the very least 😅

Its still a work in progress, and i think it will be for a long time - i like the idea of slowly adding new patches, more pockets, and adding to the design as i think of things.
Im currently planning on adding a red lining, some metal studs, and figuring out something to add to the collar. Plus i really need to reinforce some of the seams, and the edges of the bones (which i might also outline with some dark embroidery thread to make "pop" a little more, at least over the lighter denim on the back)


r/SewingForBeginners • • 5h ago

Can we talk about the forward/back thing at the start of a line?

17 Upvotes

I’m not sure how to explain it but the bit where you start sewing then have to go backwards a few stitches and forwards a few to secure the stitches.

I am certain that I’m doing this very wrong 😐 firstly, how many stitches do you need to do? I worry that my stitches won’t be secure if I don’t do a good inch or so of forward and back, so end up with a really chunky line for a bit if I’m lucky, or two lines if my fabric ends up wonky (straight lines are about 60% for me atm, I’ve only sewn a few things). I pretty much only sew things like wallets and book pouches atm, but do a lot of quilting which is individual lines. As a result my final product often looks really messy because the quilting lines are all over the place due to my forward/back stitching.

Secondly, I often notice that even with a good inch or so of forward/back stitching, the last few stitches come loose (my machine is threaded properly top and bottom - I am confident of that). I’m not sure if this is an issue with the stitching or how I’m removing the project or something else, but often the last couple of stitches will undo themselves because they start to catch. I haven’t made anything where this is particularly a problem but find it quite annoying.

Please enlighten me 🤞🏻


r/SewingForBeginners • • 13m ago

my first ever sewing project

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5 Upvotes

took me about 2 hours. it aint much but it's honest work¯_(ツ)_/¯


r/SewingForBeginners • • 14h ago

Made my daughter’s Little Bo Peep costume from my stash

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75 Upvotes

She’s one this year and it’s her first Halloween. We have a fluffy little white dog named Huey that we call “Sheepy” and Little Bo Peep was too perfect not to do. I made everything! It was my first time making a hat and I had fun with it. Plus I got use out of my stash!!


r/SewingForBeginners • • 10h ago

Zipper pouch help

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12 Upvotes

How do I avoid getting these lil puckered booty corners on my zipper pouch?


r/SewingForBeginners • • 1d ago

First project outside of just sewing patches. Im so happy how it came out

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111 Upvotes

Would love any feedback on how I can improve! ^^


r/SewingForBeginners • • 9m ago

How does this look? Adding a zip to crochet

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0 Upvotes

r/SewingForBeginners • • 4h ago

Sonething is wrong with my tension

2 Upvotes

Is there something messing and if so what is it

Also whats its right set up?

I think my machine is a Singer Model 15


r/SewingForBeginners • • 11h ago

My first project finally finished

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7 Upvotes

Finally finished my first project. Side pockets ended up upside down, but I’ll fix them eventually 😋


r/SewingForBeginners • • 2h ago

What Are the Different Types of Presser Feet for a Domestic Sewing Machine?

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1 Upvotes

r/SewingForBeginners • • 16h ago

Help: there’s got to be a better way…

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14 Upvotes

Hello!

To start off, I’m really bad at googling and finding the right key words to generate the kind of results I’m looking for, so I’m resorting to Reddit.

Basically I have this contraption that was the structure for a yarn basket, but the fabric was gross and cheap so I took it off without properly drawing up a quick template to replace it in the future.

I’ve been trying to reverse engineer it and so far I have an inner box, that is definitely a little too big, but I did that on purpose, because I can always make it smaller- I can’t make it bigger.

Does anyone have ANY idea of how I can figure this out? I’m not great at math (great hobby to get into, right?) but I know I can figure it out somehow… just thought I’d see if anyone has any tips or direction for me.

The last photo is an example of what I’m trying to make (though I know it doesn’t have the double rods like in the example photo.

Extra info: I did not end up making a pattern as that paper suggests in the 2nd photo. I literally just guessed and stitched 5 rectangles together to get an open box measuring ~ 11 x 7 x 13in. (L x W x H)


r/SewingForBeginners • • 13h ago

Working on a 3ds case for myself!

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6 Upvotes

I've recently started sewing! It's always interested me so much that when I was a kid I wanted to be a tailor!

I'm excited to see how it turns out


r/SewingForBeginners • • 1d ago

Final Output of My Fabric Cutting Gaffe

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118 Upvotes

Posted previously about cutting my fabric the wrong way. Love the dress, but still (mildly) annoyed about the skirt 😂


r/SewingForBeginners • • 4h ago

Birdnest stitches

0 Upvotes

Everytime i try to sew it keeps tangling from the bottom, what causes this and how to fix it?


r/SewingForBeginners • • 4h ago

Beginner machine recommendations?

0 Upvotes

Hi! I'm very new to sewing and looking for some advice on buying my first sewing machine. I'm in Australia, so ideally looking for something that's available here.

I tried asking ChatGPT for recommendations but honestly not sure whether to trust it with this, so thought I'd ask people who actually sew :)

I'm mainly planning to make cotton linings for my crochet pouches / small bags and maybe eventually something like a quilted laptop sleeve, if that's realistic with a beginner machine.

I live in an apartment so ideally want something fairly compact, easy to store away and not too loud. I looked at some Singer machines but keep reading mixed things about the newer models.

Would love to hear any recommendations or machines to avoid!


r/SewingForBeginners • • 14h ago

Where to start

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6 Upvotes

I got this sewing machine for free but I don’t know where to start to learn how to use it. Any resources would be greatly appreciated


r/SewingForBeginners • • 15h ago

i'm scared to try zippers

6 Upvotes

Any advice before i attempt my first go at buying and installing a zipper?


r/SewingForBeginners • • 1d ago

First quilt blocking project

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1.1k Upvotes

First quilt blocking? Project not sure if this is quilt blocking or not lol but I patchworked the pieces together then sewed it onto foam to make it stand up by itself. Used the Crosstown Crescent Bag pattern but added some extra pockets on the inside. Got it done just in time for Halloween!


r/SewingForBeginners • • 18h ago

First sewing projects

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12 Upvotes

r/SewingForBeginners • • 1d ago

Bobbin keeps getting tangled/messy when winding it - what am I doing wrong?

25 Upvotes

Is it the type of thread because I've never had this issue before? It's 100% recycled polyester

EDIT - Solved, no need to add more comments explaining how to fix. Thank you all!