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In my previous post I talked about the relationship between needle size and thread size.
Now I want to talk about types of needles and how their differences might affect your free-motion quilting.
Look at the needle types shown on the right-hand side of this diagram. See the different shapes? Some are rounder and some are pointier.
A universal needle is a combination of pointy and round that's designed to do alright in a wide variety of sewing situations.
The jersey and stretch needles are quite round. The round point is designed to push aside the threads of the fabric, rather than just push through them. Since the fabric is a knit, broken threads would lead to runs. But, would you quilt with this needle? NO! That rounded point would act like a dull needle and it would be very difficult to push it through a layer of batting.
("What about T-shirt quilts?" you ask. "They are knits . . . " True, but there's still the problem of the batting. I'll address T-shirt quilts in the next blog post.)
Many quilters like microtex needles for quilting, and you can see why: the point is nice and sharp, and the shaft is narrow, so this needle passes through the layers of the quilt easily.
Quilting needles have a long sharp point like microtex needles
Some needles are coated with titanium. Titanium is a very strong, lightweight metal. When you coat the needle with it you get a stronger, longer-lasting needle.
One other needle feature to think about is the size of the hole. Top-stitch needles have an extra large eye. (And let's face it, ladies, many of us are at the stage of life when having a bigger eye in the needle isn't just about sewing better!) One advantage of a larger eye is that it can help avoid thread breakage due to kinks. How? A kink can get stuck at the eye of the needle; since it can't pass through, the thread shreds and breaks. Superior Threads recommends top-stitch needles for many of their threads.
Want to learn even more about needles? Click here to read Schmetz's guide to needles, including an explanation of how they color-code them to make them easy to identify.
So, to sum up this post: what's the best type of needle for quilting?
Answer #1: A quilting or microtext needle with a topstitching eye and titanium reinforcement.
Answer #2: The needle you have. Because if the question is "To quilt, or not to quilt" the answer is always: Quilt!
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