Updated at: 13-04-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

If you’re wondering what needle size to use when sewing jeans, your best bet is to go with 100/16. Needles for stitching jeans will also be covered in detail.

The best sewing machine for sewing jeans is also recommended by us. So the machine can work with anything as large as a jeans needle and be powerful enough to tackle huge items like jeans.

Sewing jeans on a regular basis? Check out our guide to the best heavy-duty sewing machines.

What Is A Denim Sewing Needle?

When stitching denim and jeans, you’ll need a special needle called a denim sewing needle. With a long and robust shaft, it’s capable of stitching even the heaviest of textiles.

The needle for sewing denim has big eyes to accommodate the thick threads needed to sew denim. The needle comes in two different sizes: 70/10 and 110/18.

Is it possible to sew something other than denim with a jeans sewing needle? To stitch heavier fabrics like canvas or tightly woven fabrics, this needle’s robust and sharp characteristics and size options make it a good choice.

What is a twin-denim needle?

For denim, there’s a twin-needle version of the needle available. It’s just as strong and precise as a conventional denim needle, but it has two needles on the same shaft instead of just one. For heavier textiles, the further apart they are, the better.

Using twin needles, it is possible to stitch two rows of fabric together in one stroke. This will come in in when it comes time to sew your jeans up. The first number on the size label refers to the distance between the two needles, whereas the third number identifies the needle’s actual size.

What Size Needle Is Good For Jeans?

To avoid breaking or bending the needle while stitching jeans, use a 100/16 needle. However, this does not imply that you should not change the needle at least every six hours of working time.

Also, make sure that your needle machine is properly attached so that you don’t end up with imbalanced or skipped stitches. If you have a heavy-duty sewing machine, you can also sew denim that is thicker.

When it comes to making denim jeans, there are a plethora of fabric alternatives to consider. Some denim can be sewn on a home machine, but heavier denim or multiple layers may necessitate the use of an industrial-grade machine.

The needle must be replaced every six hours, so it is necessary to know how to properly dispose of sewing needles.

How Do I Know What Sewing Machine Needle To Use For Jeans?

The denim needle is the best needle for stitching jeans. Due to its incredibly sharp point and thicker, more durable shaft, this needle is designed to withstand the harshness of denim.

Needles bending or breaking aren’t a problem when working on jeans because there’s little chance of fabric getting snagged. It’s important, though, that you choose the correct size and weight of cloth for your project.

The best thread size for denim is 100/16, however be careful of the varying denim kinds. Make sure the needle you’re using is compatible with the thread you plan to use.

What Kind Of Stitch Is Used For Jeans?

When sewing denim seams, straight and zigzag stitches are the best options, according to the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension. Stitch the edges to keep the fabric from ripping using a straight stitch and pinked edges.

Flat felling is the most common method of creating a denim seam. This is the best stitch for jackets and pants because it’s both stylish and long-lasting.

Do I Need A Special Needle To Sew Denim?

To work with denim, you’ll need to use a denim needle. This style of needle is longer, sharper, and has a larger eye so it can handle the thick thread required for stitching denim. In addition, if you’re working with stretch denim, you’ll need a special needle for the job. Normal needles would not be able to manage the demands of a denim cloth due to its toughness.

When using a conventional sewing machine to sew denim, you’ll need more than just a needle. It’s impossible to sew them with the same materials or techniques that you would use to stitch conventional fabrics, such as polyester.

Tips to Make Sewing Denim Hassle-Free

To ensure that the stitching process goes as smoothly as possible, here are a few things to keep in mind.

  • Soften your denims before sewing to make it easier for you and your machine to deal with If you wash and dry your denim more than once before sewing, you’ll get the best results. Because denim is made of cotton fibers, washing it more than once minimizes color transfer and keeps it from shrinking. When purchasing denim fabric, be careful to ask the retailer if the fabric is Sanforized.

Pre-washed and treated to decrease shrinkage to 1%, sanforized denims are ready to wear. You don’t need to prewash your denim if it’s been Sanforized. Raw denim is the way to go if you have to. They’re more eye-catching because of their darker hues. To lessen the natural denim color, sanforized denim is subjected to chemical treatment.

  • When cutting out pattern pieces using a rotary cutter, it is much easier to use a new blade and a pair of scissors. There will be multiple layers to cut through if you’re working with denim fabric that has multiple layers. Even though you may not need it, it is a good idea to upgrade your pins if they flex too quickly.
  • If you don’t have a presser foot, you can still use your ordinary presser foot to sew denims. However, if you want to make your task easier, you could invest in a specialized presser foot. Sewing using a walking foot reduces the amount of cloth shifting. It’s also possible to use a jean presser foot, although this isn’t an option for every type of sewing machine. It’s a no-brainer if you can find one for your machine. An edge stitching foot will save you time and effort when adding the finishing touch of topstitching to your project.
  • Sewing Denim with a Quality Thread: The best thread for sewing denim is topstitching thread. The ideal thickness for sewing denims is a double spool of thread, but if you can’t find one, you can use that instead. It’s best to use the two threads from the spool to thread your machine and needle if you have an additional spool pin available on your sewing machine.
  • When we talk about thread tension, we’re talking about how tightly the bobbin and spool threads are pulled. The thread tension is usually set manually on most machines. You can choose between a loose and a tight setting on these machines. Thread tension suggestions for various textiles should be included in your manual. A high thread tension is required for denim and other heavy textiles.

Sewing Machine Needle Types

Sewing machine needles are all the same, therefore this is the first thing to keep in mind. Their compatibility ranges from Janome to Brother to Husqvarna to Elna and Pfaff. There is no need to worry about the compatibility of the needles you purchase from us with your domestic sewing machine.

The number of different types and sizes of machine needle can seem a bit bewildering at first. However, it’s not that difficult to get a handle on the different types. We’ve listed the most popular needles and the techniques and fabrics they’re used for.

UNIVERSAL NEEDLES

Bewildering at first, there are a lot of different types and sizes of machine needles. It’s not that difficult, though, to distinguish between the many kinds. Our list of the most widely used sewing needles includes the techniques and materials they’re most commonly used with.

BALL POINT NEEDLES

When using a ball point needle, the cloth fibers are pushed apart than than sliced, resulting in a cleaner finish. Knits such as rib, interlock, cotton, fleece, and double-knit are well-suited to the use of ball-point needles since they don’t run or ladder throughout the sewing process. Ballpoint needles work best with polyester and polyester/cotton blend threads, whereas finer needles require thicker threads.

STRETCH NEEDLES

To prevent skipped stitches, the hook can pass close to the needle and the’scarf’ of a stretch needle allows it to do so. This makes it excellent for materials like Lycra, power net, two-way stretch knits, silk jerseys, spandex, and high-elasticated synthetic textiles. Threads made of polyester or cotton wrapped polyester should be used instead of the other way around. It’s important to use the proper needle when working with stretch fabrics, as they can be tough to deal with.

SHARPS NEEDLES

A sharps needle should be used if you’re a quilter dealing with multiple layers of cotton and wadding or densely woven fabrics like silk and micro fiber. For sewing multiple layers of fabric, these needles are designed to be sturdy enough to avoid bent or broken needles, as well as sharp enough to puncture through the cloth and produce clean buttonholes. In addition, a short round threading eye provides additional sewing strength.

QUILTING NEEDLES

In addition to their strengthened shafts, quilting needles are meant to be used with multiple layers of fabric and wadding, but their length is significantly less than that of a sharps needle, allowing quilters to sew quickly and evenly. Larger needles such as a size 9 or 10 are preferred by more experienced quilters because they are easier to thread.

JEANS NEEDLES

It should come as no surprise that these needles are intended for a specific type of fabric. These needles are great for denim, but they’re also great for heavier fabrics like canvas, twill, and linens that are commonly used in workwear. When compared to other types of sewing needles, denim needles feature an extremely sharp point and a thicker shank to keep them from breaking or bending while pushing through thick fabrics. When dealing with these needles and textiles, it’s best to use threads like synthetic or mixes, 100 percent polyester, or stronger top stitching threads and cotton wrapped polyester.

LEATHER NEEDLES

A chisel-like point on leather needles gives them their common name of “chisel point needles.” No need to guess, these needles can be used with genuine leather, suede, and tough to sew projects, but should not be used with PU imitation leather, ultra suede, or synthetic suede because the qualities of these fabrics are very different from their true counterparts.

METAFIL NEEDLES

A metafil needle is perfect for sewing or embroidering on woven or knitted materials if you’re a bit of a thread magpie who loves a lovely metallic or rayon thread. In order to avoid the threads shredding or splitting as a result of the sewing motion, metallic needles feature an extra large eye. Metallic needles are an excellent option if you’ve ever had trouble threading your needle due to the wider eye and their suitability for general sewing.

EMBROIDERY NEEDLES

In order to embroider with rayon, polyester, or cotton machine embroidery threads, embroidery needles are made with a broader eye. The cloth flexes up and down swiftly as a result of the fast moving embroidery stitch, resulting in missed stitches. In order to avoid this, embroidery needles feature a pontoon scarf with an enormous hump that decreases the amount of fabric movement.

TOP STITCH NEEDLES

Thick top stitching thread can be used with top stitch needles because of its wide eye and extra-sharp point.

TWIN NEEDLES AND TRIPLE NEEDLES

Pin tucking and ornamental stitches necessitate slower stitching with these needles. Always consult your machine’s handbook before using these products.

WING NEEDLES

Wing needles, when used in conjunction with your machine’s unique stitch settings, create holes in the fabric that mimic the look of drew thread work. These needles can only be used with natural fibers like cotton.

Quick Reference Chart

wadding-filled polyester

How Often Should I Change My Needle?

We recommend changing your needle every time you finish a new project. Needles are inexpensive, so you won’t have to spend a lot of money, and you can rest easy knowing that they will always work as planned.

You should also examine the needle thoroughly if your machine has become clogged. It’s possible to bend the needle when the needle gets jammed, which can result in poor stitch quality. A thumping sound as the needle goes through the cloth is a sign that you need to replace out your needle.

Anatomy of a Sewing Machine Needle

Finally, we’ll have a look at the various sections of a sewing machine needle in order to wrap up this essay.

This is the hole through which the thread is able to slide. The eye of high-quality needles is machined smoothly to reduce thread shredding. Depending on the intended thread type, the eye size can vary.

A stiffer shaft is needed for thicker materials, which necessitates the use of a thicker shaft.

It is attached to the machine via the shank. Prevents erroneous inserting with its flattened side

From ball point needles for knit fabrics to chisel points for leather, the tip shape varies greatly among needle kinds.

To avoid missing stitches, use a scarf to get the hook as close to the needle as possible.

So there you have it, a list of needles, their functions, recommended sizes, fabrics, and threads, as well as a brief description of each. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have a specific sewing guide or instructional requirement. Sew Essential will be posting more in-depth articles in the future.

The Best Sewing Machine Needles for Reliable Stitches

Sewing machines can be used to create fashion, home decor, and repair clothing, as well as to create fiber art. High-quality sewing machine needles guarantee that your machine will perform at its peak.. The appropriate needle glides through the fabric layers without snagging or producing runs, resulting in precise, flawless results. There are many thicknesses of sewing machine needles. 70/10 needles are the thinnest and best for sewing light materials like silk, while 80/11 needles are excellent for sewing medium-weight fabrics like cotton, and 90/14 needles are best for sewing medium- to heavy-weight fabrics like wool. Heavy materials like denim benefit from needles designated 100/16, while needles marked 110/18 are particularly thick and are best used for sewing the heaviest textiles like upholstery. To find the needles that best fit your needs, peruse our reviews of the top needles.

1. Euro-Notions Universal Machine Needles

Stitchers who use Schmetz needles include quilters, fashion designers, and other crafters. Schmetz’s 70/10, 80/11, and 90/14 needles are included in this set. The needles have slightly rounded tips, making them suitable for both woven and knit fabrics. In order to provide crisp, accurate stitching, they readily glide through a variety of materials. It’s not uncommon for one of them to last for many years. They can be used with a wide range of machinery.

2. Singer Heavy Duty Machine Needles

Denim, draperies, wool, corduroy, canvas, and vinyl can all be sewn with Singer’s 110/18 heavy-duty needles. Their tips are extremely pointed, allowing them to easily pierce through thick layers of cloth without jamming, splitting, or bunching up in the process. There are a number of reasons why you might require a heavy-duty needle, such as when you’re sewing large canvas bags, attaching zippers to coats, or sewing tents. Most sewing machines can use these needles. For easy identification, the needles have gray ends.

3. Organ Needles

When teaching the fundamentals of machine sewing to beginners, educators rely on long-lasting, high-performance needles. Organ needles are an excellent choice for art centers and classes on a budget because they are long-lasting and cost-effective, especially when purchased in bulk like these. For medium-weight fabrics like cotton and polyester, these 80/12 needles feature a gently rounded point. There is no bunching, no snagging, and no skipped stitches on delicate and heavier fabrics. Even if you don’t have an organ, you can use organ needles made by Brother because they’re compatible with Brother machines.

4. Superior Threads Topstitch Needles

Superior Threads’ 100/16 needles are ideal for avid sewing machine quilters. Designed for thick layers of fabric, each needle is coated with titanium nitride for frictionless sewing, which extends the needle’s life six to eight times above the standard. To accommodate thicker threads, such as those used in quilting and upholstery, the needles feature an expanded eye and a sharp point. Also great for embroidery and appliqué, as well as medium- to heavy-weight fabric sewing, these needles are ideal.

5. Janome Blue Tip Needles

Needles manufactured by Janome can be used on most other brands of machine despite being designed for Janome machines. The size 75/11 of these needles makes them ideal for machine embroidery because they have a little bigger eye to accommodate thicker thread. Unlike other scissors, they don’t skip stitches, snag, or bunch up the fabric, and they don’t shatter. Blue Tip needles by Janome operate nicely with preprogrammed fancy stitching, and straight stitches are cleanly executed.

How Do You Sew Seams When Sewing A Denim Fabric?

When sewing with standard seams, you’ll need to cut the seam to reduce bulk. Especially if you’re working with a curving seam, clip your seam allowance every 1 inch. The seam allowance should be graded as well.

Can You Sew Denims By Hand?

Denim can be sewn by hand stitches, but it’s a challenging task. To pull this off, you’ll need a strong, long-lasting thread. In addition, use a long, pointed needle with a large eye.

What Is The Ideal Machine Setting While Sewing Denims?

To sew denim, use a stitch length of 3.5–4 on your sewing machine. For thicker seams, your hand wheel could be required.

What size sewing machine needle should I use?

A Universal Needle in size 80/12 or 90/14 is appropriate for most medium-weight tasks.

First, the metric number 80, 90, is followed by the imperial number 12, 14. The packaging of the majority of needle brands includes both numbers.)

Medium-weight fabrics like cotton, polyester, and linen are well-suited to the 80/12 needle size.

For medium-weight materials, such as cotton and polyester that is a little heavier than regular cotton and linen, 90/14 is a good choice.

Light Weight Fabrics

Silk (chiffon, organza, crepe-de-chine) and other lightweight textiles necessitate a smaller needle. A smaller needle is needed for lightweight fabrics. A 75/11, 70/10, or 65/9, 60/8 might be a good choice to start with.

Do I need a smaller needle?

Acknowledging the needle size you need will become easier with practice and experience. But a tell-tale indicator that you’re using a needle that’s too big for the cloth is the appearance of puckering, gathering, and snagging. The puckering might occur at the point where the needle enters the fabric or along the sewing line itself. If the needle is too large, use a smaller one or, if you’re confident it’s the correct size, a new one (as puckering can illustrate a blunt needle).

Heavy Weight Fabrics

You will need a larger needle, such as a 100/16, 110/18, or 120/20, for heavier fabrics like denim, canvas, and upholstery. Larger needles are needed to work with heavier materials, such as wool.

Do I need a larger needle?

Thick and heavy fabrics necessitate a larger needle. Needle breakage is inevitable when you use a needle that is too tiny. Replace the needle with a larger one for an easy fix.

How do you know that you need to change the needle size?

One of two things will go wrong for you. If the needle breaks, you’ll need a larger needle. Additionally, the needle may cause the fabric to pucker or snag. This necessitates the use of a smaller needle (or a fresh needle if the needle is blunt).

Needle Size Guide:

No. 60/8 65/9 – Silks

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Conclusion

No. 60/8 65/9 – Silks

No. 60/8 65/9 – Silks

No. 60/8 65/9 – Silks

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No. 60/8 65/9 – Silks

No. 60/8 65/9 – Silks