Which needle and thread should I use for which fabric?

Needles are treated as a consumable that occasionally gets changed. In practice, needle point and size cause most of the skipped stitches, snagging and puckering blamed on machines and technique.

Step by step

1. Match the point to the fabric structure.A sharp point pierces the threads of a woven fabric. A ballpoint pushes between the loops of a knit rather than piercing them, which is why it stops jersey laddering and skipping.
2. Match the size to the weight.European sizes run roughly 60 for very fine fabric, 70 to 80 for cotton and shirting, 90 for heavier woven fabrics, and 100 or 110 for denim and canvas. Too fine and it bends and skips; too heavy and it leaves holes.
3. Use a jeans or denim needle for heavy work.A stronger shaft and a sharper point that gets through several layers of denim without deflecting into the plate.
4. Use a microtex needle for fine and dense fabrics.Silk, microfibre and tightly woven cotton — a very slim sharp point that does not leave visible holes.
5. Use polyester thread as a default.It is strong, has a little give, and does not rot. That slight stretch is what makes it right for garments, and particularly for anything that has to move with the body.
6. Use cotton thread only on cotton.Cotton thread has almost no stretch, which suits quilting and patchwork where nothing should move, but it snaps under strain in a garment seam.
7. Match thread weight to fabric weight, not colour first.A heavy thread in a fine fabric looks clumsy and cuts the cloth; a fine thread in a heavy fabric fails. Choose weight, then shade.
8. Change the needle regularly.Every project or so, and immediately after hitting a pin. A blunt needle is invisible and causes skipped stitches, puckering and snagging.
9. Test on a scrap first.Two layers of the actual fabric with the actual needle and thread. It shows a bad match in ten seconds.

Tips

• Skipped stitches on jersey almost always mean a sharp needle where a ballpoint is needed.
• Change the needle far more often than feels necessary. They blunt long before they look blunt.
• Polyester thread is the sensible default for garments; cotton is for quilting.

Common mistakes

• Using one needle for everything — Point shape is not a detail. A sharp needle in jersey cuts the loops and causes skipped stitches and ladders; a ballpoint in tight woven fabric deflects and pushes threads aside.
• Keeping a needle until it breaks — Needles blunt and develop burrs long before they fail, and the symptoms — skipped stitches, snagging, a thumping noise, puckered seams — get blamed on the machine.

If it doesn't work

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