Sewing Pins & Needles

Selecting the correct sewing machine needle depends on your fabric weight and weave. Universal needles feature a slightly rounded point suitable for most woven fabrics like cotton and linen. For stretch, jersey, or knit fabrics, use Ballpoint or Stretch needles, which slide between the yarns rather than piercing them, preventing skipped stitches. For heavy materials like leather or thick vinyl, choose specialized Leather needles, and use Twin needles for creating professional parallel hem stitching on stretch garments.

Glass head pins feature solid glass heads that are completely heat-resistant. This means you can press and iron directly over pinned fabric hems without worrying about the pin heads melting onto your fabric or iron soleplate. Plastic head pins and extra-long button head pins offer brilliant visibility and easy handling during cutting, but they should be removed prior to pressing to avoid heat damage.

Specialised needles are engineered for specific haberdashery tasks where standard needles fall short:

• Curved Needles: Essential for upholstery, repair work, and stitching lampshades or thick scatter cushions where you cannot reach the underside of the material.

• Leather Needles: Feature a sharp triangular chisel point designed to slice clean holes through tough real leather, suede, and heavy vinyl without tearing.

• Doll & Repair Needles: Extra-long needles perfect for soft toy making, mattress tufting, and heavy-duty fabric repairs.

As a general rule in dressmaking, you should change your sewing machine needle after every major garment project or after approximately 8 hours of continuous sewing. Dull, bent, or burred needles and pins can snag delicate fabric threads, skip stitches, or cause timing issues in your sewing machine. If you notice a clicking sound while sewing or see pulled threads in your fabric, replace your needle or pin immediately!