Your Cart is Empty
QUILT ALONG WITH RANAE LIVE IN HER STUDIO—JOIN THE FREE-MOTION MASTERY IN A MONTH FACEBOOK GROUP!
In my previous post I talked about choosing the right needle for quilting. Normally we're quilting on a woven fabric. But what about if you're quilting a T-shirt quilt? What needle should you use for that?
There are a lot of factors to consider here....:
The fabrics are knits, so you might consider a jersey or stretch needles with a round point designed to push aside the threads of the fabric, avoiding broken threads thatwould lead to runs. But, that rounded point would act like a dull needle and it would be very difficult to push it through a layer of batting.
And what about those logos? Sometimes the ink or decals can be rather sticky, making it difficult to get a needle through them at all.
I brought up this question to the Schmetz representative one day at a show where we were teaching in adjacent classrooms, and she instantly had a solution that I had never heard of before: non-stick needles!
Non-stick needles -- also called vinyl needles -- have several attributes that make them perfect for T-shirt quilts. They have:
A non-stick Teflon coating that helps them go through logo ink and coatings.
A universal point - the best compromise between sharp and rounded for knits.
An extra-large eye - easy to thread, helps avoid thread breaks due to kinks.
Next time you're making a T-shirt quilt, ask your local quilt shop for non-stick needles or vinyl needles and see the difference.
(If they don't have them, then go ahead and order online. But remember always support your local quilt shop! Even if their prices are a bit higher, think of the service they provide in terms of community and convenience and education. If you don't support them you won't have your Happy Place -- and that's SOOOO worth it!)
And by the way, if there's a T-shirt quilt in your future, be sure to check out my book T-Shirt Quilts . . . One Block at a Time! Instead of stressing over sewing together all those stretchy T-shirts and then wrangling a big, heavy, stretchy top for quilting (or paying someone else to do it), I show you how to easily quilt one T-shirt at a time on your domestic machine (or sit-down longarm), then assemble them into your quilt. You'll have a LOT more fun! Click here to buy it today.
Comments will be approved before showing up.
