← Threads Magazine Podcast: "Sewing With Threads"
Threads Magazine Podcast: "Sewing With Threads"
Choosing and Using Schmetz Needles, with Rhonda Pierce | Episode 75
00:36:11
Selecting the right sewing machine needle can make a big difference in how your sewing project turns out. Rhonda Pierce, a spokesperson for Schmetz needles, explains how to determine the right needle, what are some needle options, and even when you...
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- [00:01]
A
Go to threadsmagazine.com and explore our helpful project guides. Each guide is a curated collection of articles and videos on a specific sewing topic, so it's easy to find the information you need. There's the Learn to Sew project guide for beginners. And there are even more guides for every level of sewer, focusing on fitting, sewing tops and pants, working with knit fabrics, and making the perfect pair of jeans. Each project guide includes dozens of posts that lead you through a logical learning sequence. Let Threads magazine be your guide to a comprehensive sewing education. Hello and welcome to Sewing with Threads, the monthly podcast with the staff of Threads magazine. I'm your host, Janine Clegg. Today I'm joined by Rhonda Pierce. Rhonda is the VP Marketing Director of Euro Notions and spokesperson for Schmetzneedles.com North America. She says she holds a dream job and that is teaching sewing enthusiasts about what she describes as the most important 2 inch piece of steel in the home sewing machine, the Schmetz needle. Welcome Rhonda.
- [01:10]
B
Well, I'm delighted to be here. Thanks for inviting me.
- [01:14]
A
Well, we are very happy that you're here and we just want to jump right in and talk about Schmetz needles for home sewing machines. And I have a ton of questions but I'll try to try to group them a little bit. And you know, the first thing that I always think of is needle selection and that might be the most often discussed topic for you. I'm not sure, but how do you choose the correct needle type and size? The schmetzneedle.com site offers information under the Resources section on matching the needle to the fabric and the thread. Can you walk us through that a bit and offer some guidance?
- [01:53]
B
Sure, sure. There's a wealth of information of free information@smetsneedles.com just click the resource page and that's something that you can actually download into your phone or your computer. So what's on the resource page? Well, we have the little ever popular Schmetz ABC Pocket Guide. That little guide talks about all the different needle points, it talks about how to read the Schmetz color chart, it talks about clues to change your needle and then each needle type that's available for our home sewing machine is photographed with specific information on how to use that needle, what the sizes are, etc. So there's a wealth of information including a wonderful reference of over 100 fabrics and suggested needle types and sizes online. Also, there's a link to some of the major thread companies with their suggestions for Specific needle types and sizes for their specialty threads. So lots of free information. Yeah, because we want to make sewing fun for you.
- [03:09]
A
Well, you know, you mentioned the color chart. Now, Schmetz has been color coding needles since 2013, right.
- [03:16]
B
Schmetz has had. Earlier, Schmetz had five needle types that had a single band of color. But in 2014, two bands of colors came into existence. The top color band identifies the needle type, and the lower color band identifies the needle size. So if your needle has a top color band of yellow, well, you know, that's a stretch needle. And the lower color band, maybe it is a rosy color. You would look under size, and you would find size 7511. So many of the Schmetz needles have two bands of color. There is, of course, an exception, and that major exception is universal needles. And universal needles have only one band of color, and that's to identify your needle size. So if you have a universal universal size 8012 needle, well, that's just a single band of orange. If It's a universal size 90, 14, it has just a single band of blue. So, again, the two color bands were instituted in 2014. So you can kind of date some of your needles.
- [04:36]
A
Okay, good. Well, all right. So you just mentioned two numbers for each needle size, like 70, 10, or 80, 12 example. And why are there two numbers for each needle? What is that about?
- [04:49]
B
Well, I think when you're learning about home sewing machine needles, it's important to understand the parts of the needle. And the blade of the needle, which is the longest part of the needle, on top of the blade is the groove that cradles your thread. But the actual blade of the needle actually determines the size of the needle. So Schmetz, being a German company, they'll actually measure the area of their blade using the metric system. They'll get a measurement like 0.7, 0.80, etc. And they take that physical measurement times 100 to come up with the sizes that we're familiar with. Sizes 70, 80, 90, etc. Are based on the actual measurement. So now that you know that the size is based on a measurement, it's easier to understand that a size 90 needle is larger than a size 70 needle. Oftentimes in our books and patterns, et cetera, we see a second number. So it might be 70, 10, or 80, 12, et cetera. So that what is that second number? Well, Smuts is not the only needle manufacturer in the world. Right. There are other needle companies that make home sewing machine needles, and they use A sizing system that is referred to as the Asian, the international or Singer sizing system. So many decades ago, the needle companies got together and said, hey, let's standardize our sizing. So a size 80 will always equal a size 12 or a size 14 will always equal a size 90. So no need to fret over those numbers. Hopefully I've brought some logic to those numbers for you.
- [06:47]
A
Yes, thank you. We appreciate that. Don't we all wish that dress sizes, pant sizes, garment sizes are standardized as much as needles are? I wish they did. I wish they were.
- [06:58]
B
I wish they did too. Make my sewing so much easier.
- [07:03]
A
Well, I did. I had a couple of specific needle selection questions. For instance, what should someone consider and choose when they're sewing, like vinyl or faux leather or fur, you know, very textured or heavy duty fabrics like those.
- [07:20]
B
Okay, well, that's kind of a loaded question, but of course, let's look at that. So, so vinyl. Let's talk about vinyl first, because I know vinyl has become more popular as people are making, of course, little cosmetic cases and now tote bags and larger bags too. So vinyl is popular. So in 2019, we introduced a new needle called the Schmetz Super Nonstick Super Universal needle. And when you look at that needle, the first thing you're going to notice is it has a different color. It's kind of a gunmetal color or charcoal gray. And that is an anti adhesive coating. So the Super Nonstick is a great needle to use when you're working with vinyl. You can use maybe a microtex or some other needle when you're sewing on vinyl. But what happens is when you're sewing, especially if you're sewing fast, the vinyl gets warm and then the vinyl has a tendency to hug your needle and then you can't see where you're sewing. So that Super Non stick will resist the vinyl from hugging your needle so you can see where you're stitching and you'll get a better stitch. So Super Nonstick, I really love that needle. Use it for vinyl. Use it for machine embroidery, machine applique. If you sew on oil cloths, splash fabric and, oh, Velcro or the hoop and loop tape, Great, great products to use with the Super Non Stick. So vinyl, does that answer your question? The Super Non stick I go to. And the Super Non stick comes in four different sizes. Sizes 7010, 80, 12, 9014, and the size 100. So, you know, depending on the weight of your vinyl, you've got some variety in your Needle size for faux leather? Well, that's kind of a trick question, and that's okay for leather. Again, for faux leather, that super non stick would certainly be an option, especially if it's a lighter weight faux leather. Otherwise, you might want to try the leather needle. But the leather needle, you want to remember has a cutting blade. So once that stitch is made and it goes through your faux leather, even if you rip out the stitches, the stitch hole is going to remain. So you need to be confident in your stitch. So for faux leather, yeah, I would use the super nonstick maybe, depending on the weight. Or a leather needle.
- [10:16]
A
Okay.
- [10:17]
B
Universal could be a possibility too, just depending on the weight and the texture of your leather too. Faux leather.
- [10:24]
A
Now, will the universal needle pierce the vinyl or the leather? If you're as well or as obviously.
- [10:34]
B
As right, you might feel some and see some resistance. The universal needle has a slightly rounded point. So I would only use that on very lightweight faux leather, certainly not on a medium or a heavy weight.
- [10:51]
A
Okay. Okay, good. All right, now, and what about fur? Would you stick with the non stick needle for that as well?
- [11:00]
B
Well, my question on fur, and are you talking about fun fur or faux fur or real fur?
- [11:09]
A
Fun novelty, you know, faux fur.
- [11:13]
B
Okay.
- [11:14]
A
It's so popular now.
- [11:16]
B
Yeah, it is. And I'll tell you what, I sew with a lot of minky and cuddle fabric. I sometimes consider a fun fur or faux fur, and I use the stretch 9014. So if your fun fur actually has stretch, maybe it's got lycra or spandex in it, then I would definitely use that stretch 9014. You might be able to go down to the smaller size, but I think Overall the size 9014 is going to work best with your fun fur. Other needles that you might consider would be a universal or a jersey needle, too. So again, when I'm using the stretch needle, my criteria is if the fabric has lycra, spandex or elastic, I use that stretch 9014. So that applies to a lot of the fun fur that's popular right now.
- [12:14]
A
Okay. All right. So, yeah, let's talk about the stretch needle for a second. I know sometimes people wonder if they should use like a jerk, a ballpoint needle or a jersey needle for working with jersey knits or, you know, rayon spandex combinations. Does the stretch needle benefit you in any way? You know, is it better to use a stretch needle than the ballpoint needle? And I know I just, I just changed fabrics on you, but I'm trying To understand what is the benefit of the stretch needle over some of the other needles you have.
- [12:50]
B
Yeah. So the stretch needle and the jersey needle both have medium ball points. Generically, when we refer to a ballpoint needle generically, we're referring to a jersey needle. But the stretch needle, when you compare it to a jersey needle, the stretch needle has a smaller eye and a deeper scarf. So now your needle, your thread, your machine, and your technique are all going to play just a little bit differently. So if you're sewing on knits, and let me tell you, I love to sew on knits, and I always suggest that you have two needle types in your stash for sewing with knits. One is the jersey needle, and the second is the stretch. So my rule of thumb that works about 80% of the time is if your knit fabric has lycra, spandex, or elastic, use the stretch needle. If it's just a regular cotton knit, use the jersey needle. But here's the thing. Sometimes stretch and jersey are interchangeable, but not always. So sometimes you just have to test. If you stop and think about it. Well, when I learned to sew first, learned to sew, double polyester was popular. And but now today, we have beautiful knit fabrics, an array of textures, colors, patterns, and manufacturers. So now we need choices. So jersey and stretch are great needles to have in your stash when you're sewing with knits.
- [14:36]
A
Okay, thank you. Yeah, I think a lot of people are trying out Ponte knits, and, you know, those may be the substitute for double knits that you were talking about.
- [14:46]
B
Yeah.
- [14:47]
A
From years ago.
- [14:48]
B
So.
- [14:49]
A
So for a Ponte knit, you would. You would go with a stretch needle?
- [14:53]
B
I would probably go with the stretch. You know, if it has, like, 2 or 3% or more Lycra or spandex, I would use that stretch needle. And again, as a backup, I would have that jersey just in case, because, again, the Pontis come in different, you know, different dyes, weaves or knits, etc.
- [15:15]
A
Right, right, exactly. And I think a lot of times it just depends on your fabric. You just have to test. I know, I know folks just want to jump right into the project, but I think in long term, or, you know, for benefit for the whole project, it's better to test things out first on a piece of scrap fabric.
- [15:32]
B
Well, sometimes when you just. I know I'm one of those people that's eager to just jump right in, but sometimes you can tell right away, like, there might be resistance to the needle passing through your fabric. And that is a clue that you need a different type of needle or a different size of needle. So be aware of that.
- [15:56]
A
All right? Okay. So we know that you love to sew, and I know you quilt a lot. Are quilting machine needles designed for piecing or quilting through multiple layers of batting and fabric. What do you use?
- [16:12]
B
My favorite. I'll tell you what my all time favorite needle is, and that is a microtex size 8012. I use microtex 8012 when I'm working on garments, a woven garment, and I also use it for piecing. For piecing. Maybe I'll move up to a 9014 if I'm quilting. But quilting needles, I like to think that you have five great options for piecing and for quilting. So let me just hit upon those really quick. There is the universal needle, you know, the workhorse of all needle types. And lots of famous quilters use the universal needle. There's the jeans needle, which has a reinforced blades, which is really great when you're making those heavy duty raggy quilts or flannel quilts or denim quilts. You've got the top stitch needle that is oftentimes used for piecing and for quilting. The top stitch needle has an elongated eye, so there's less stress on your thread as it's passing through the eye of the needle. There is the microtext, which is my favorite for piecing and for quilting. The microtex has a very slim acute point, specifically where you get really clean, precise stitches. And because the microtex has that very slim acute point, it's going to dull quicker than any other needle type. The microtex is great when you're working with batik fabrics also. So that fifth needle type for piecing and quilting. Yes, that is the quilting needle, but don't let that name fool you. The quilting needle was specifically designed for piecing and for quilting. The quilting needle has a special taper, A special taper to go through your layers of your quilt and also just the regular piecing of your project. So.
- [18:20]
A
All right. Yeah, yeah, okay.
- [18:22]
B
It's in two sizes. So the quilting needle is in two sizes. 75, 11, which is probably what you'd use for the piecing of your project and the larger size 9014 for the quilting of the project. And I'll also just mention if I can drop a name, and that's Louise Cutting. You know, she loves sewing with wovens, and the quilting needle is her favorite needle when she's sewing with her woven. So you've got choices.
- [18:51]
A
Yes. Thank you for mentioning Louise. Louise has been a contributing editor to Threads for many, many years, and she's just wonderful. And yes, precision is what she's all about. So thank you. Yes. And thank you for explaining a little bit more about the microtex needle, because I think that's more of a relatively newer needle. It's not brand new, but it's a newer needle and people are wondering what is the benefit of that? So thank you for talking about that a little bit more. You did say, though, that it dulls quickly. How do you tell that it dulls quickly and what should you do about it? And, you know, I know in your literature you talk about how soon you should be changing your needle between projects, but maybe we can talk a little bit about that and figuring out exactly what does that mean?
- [19:46]
B
One of the most popular questions I get is how long does the needle last? And I'm going to say, I don't know, it could be three seconds if you hit a pin right away, or maybe if you're not a very aggressive sewer, maybe it's 20 hours. So three seconds, 20 hours. That's quite the time difference. So I know that people like to average out their sewing time to six to eight hours of sewing time. But, Janine, have you ever tried to time yourself sewing?
- [20:20]
A
Well, that was going to be my follow up question. How do you determine 6 hours, 8 hours, 20 hours? I mean, I don't put a, I don't put a clock by my, by my sewing machine.
- [20:34]
B
I have tried and, you know, it's impossible to time yourself because we get interrupted. Maybe it's a phone call, email, or you need a snack, or you have to take a kid out or the pet knocks something off the table. So rather than ask how long does a needle last? What I would prefer that your listeners do is reframe that question too. What are the clues to changing your needle when you're sewing? What are the clues to changing out your needle? So one of the clues is what's happening to your thread? Is your thread breaking or is it shredding? Well, hello, that's a clue that you need to change out your needle. So what are you going to do? Change out your needle? What you may not know is that if you're not changing your needle frequently enough, the thread will actually wear a groove in the eye of the needle. And that's not a good thing. A groove in the eye of the needle is going to break and shred your thread. So what are you going to do? Change out your needle. Another clue is, well, when you're sewing, what's happening to your fabrics? Is your fabric snagging? Is it puckering? Or in a really bad case, when the needle hits your fabric, it's actually tucking the fabric into your throat plate. So what are you going to do? Change out your needle? What's happening to your stitches? Are your stitches uneven? Are your stitches skipping? Or maybe you're sitting at your machine and you're saying, well, Rhonda, I'm sewing in a straight line. How come my stitches look kind of wiggly, squiggly? Well, guess what, your needle is dull. What are you going to do? Change out the needle. Okay, and then there's one other clue. And hopefully when you're sewing, you're in that wonderful bubble. Your machine is humming along, right? And then you start to hear that little click, click, clicking sign sound. What is it? Oh, it's your, your needle saying, hey, I've been working hard here. Change me. If you ignore the clicking sound, then it graduates to a pop, pop, popping sound. Now your needle is yelling at you, Change me. Change me. And if you ignore the clicking and popping, what's happening now? You hear that clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk. So your first inclination might be, oh my gosh, something's wrong with my machine. Maybe. But even if you take your machine to your local tech, what's the first thing the tech is going to ask? Hey, when's the last time you changed out your needle? So changing out the needle can solve a lot of problems. So be aware of the clues to change the needle, which I would like to say, and as you know, is the least expensive part to your machine. If you stop and think about it. You spend a lot of money on your machine or your machines. Right?
- [23:44]
A
Right.
- [23:45]
B
You spend a lot of money collecting your fabric stash. Even your fabric stash, your hidden fabric stashes. You spend a lot of money collecting all those beautiful specialty threads. You've invested a lot of money in books and patterns, lectures, workshops, retreats, and let's not forget your sewing time. Your sewing time is an investment too. So let's look at that entire investment cycle, right down to the hardest working 2 inch pieces steel in your sewing machine, Smet's needles. So have a stash off to the side. So at 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning, you can just replace your needle easily.
- [24:33]
A
Well, well said, well said. So okay, so let me ask two related questions then. Can you tell if a needle is worn or bent by just looking at it, like maybe with a magnifying glass? If your eyesight's not so good, can you tell or should you just say, I'm going to change it?
- [24:55]
B
Most likely you'll be able to tell if a needle is bent.
- [24:59]
A
Right?
- [25:01]
B
And actually, your schmetz needle should not bend. It should just snap. It shouldn't shatter. Your schmetz needle should just snap when it breaks under too much pressure. It should not shatter. But if you have some slightly used needles, because I know that in the real world, we oftentimes juggle projects, maybe you've. You're working on a quilt and now you want to change your needle so that to a stretch needle because you're going to work on a little T shirt, a stretch T shirt for a kiddo. So when you come back to that original needle, how do you know that it's still sewing worthy? Well, there's two things that you can do. You can take that slightly used needle and you can run it over your fingernail. And if it leaves a scratch on your nail, well, guess what? You've got a burr. And what do you need to do? Toss that needle. The other thing that you can do is if you've got a pair of old hose. And after the pandemic, I am never wearing pantyhose again. So I've got hose, I've got scraps of jersey and knit fabrics. Run your slightly used needle across your fabric. If it snags or pulls, you know you've got a burr and you just need to toss it. You cannot always tell with your naked eye whether the needle is sewing worthy. So those two clues will help you out.
- [26:32]
A
Okay. Thank you. All right. Okay. Troubleshooting. Are skipped stitches an indication of using the wrong needle?
- [26:41]
B
It. Yes, absolutely. The wrong needle or that your needle is dull. So the first thing I would do would be to replace that needle with the same type and size. If your stitches are still skipping, then you need to investigate a different needle type.
- [27:01]
A
Okay. All right. Good. All right. So in. In what? In all of your experience with sewing, what is your worst wrong needle for the project story? How did. And how did you figure out a solution to it? I mean, I'm. I know you. You've been sewing for years, and you've done a lot of quilting and a lot of other types of sewing. So there must be a story in there.
- [27:28]
B
Oh, sure. Well, I'll give you an example. 2017, I made a through my local quilt shop. I Did a year long quilt challenge and we had quarterly due dates and there were over a hundred different blocks. And I thought, oh, this is fantastic. I bought K Facet fabrics. I love all the colors and patterns of his fabrics. And I thought, let me just start stitching. I got my microtex size 8012 needle out and I'm thinking, I'm sewing and I'm thinking, you know, I don't really like the stitch quality. So I thought, well, that's kind of odd. So I got another microtex 8012 and I kind of got the same experience. I could feel some resistance to the needle passing through the fabric and I thought, well, that is really weird. So as. And I generally sew at 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning. But the great thing is I have a pretty generous stash of needles at home. So I thought, well, let me go down a needle size. So I went to a microtex size 7010 and oh my gosh, it was like night and day. Then microtech 7010 just it stitched like butter. It was really a wonderful experience. And just. And I changed that needle quite a bit because of all the piecing that I had. And I'll just finish that story up by saying that I finished that quilt, happy to say, in record time. And then I went to quilts.com and I'm just kind of scrolling and I'm looking, oh, you know how you can enter quilts. And I thought, oh my gosh, they have a due date in two weeks. I have nothing to lose. Let me just enter that and see if it'll get into their quilt exhibit. And it did.
- [29:29]
A
Oh, congratulations.
- [29:34]
B
That was unexpected. That was unintended, but that was really wonderful.
- [29:39]
A
A great bonus.
- [29:40]
B
I'll give you a second. Yeah, that was a huge bonus. The other thing was, you know, these super non stick needles, I love them, I use them quite a bit even when I'm sewing on knits. And maybe I'm using a fusible with my hem. I might use the super non stick, especially a smaller size. So I thought, oh, super nonstick. You know what, let me try the super non stick stick in my serger because my serger, I, I use regular home sewing machine needles. And yeah, that didn't work out. I was really disappointed, but at least I know I didn't break anything. But I did, I did try it. So if you've got a serger, at least with my machine the super non stick didn't work. But maybe with somebody else's make and Model it would, but super nonstick. I just use it in my home sewing machines.
- [30:39]
A
All right, and but for your serger, what do you usually use?
- [30:43]
B
Well, first of all, my serger, the owner's manual, and it's actually stamped on the machine to use needle system ELX705. So that is a specific serger needle. But I know from all of my serger expert friends that I can sometimes use a regular home sewing machine needle in my serger. So if I'm sewing on knits, I might use a stretch or a jersey needle or a universal. Those are probably the three most popular needle types I use in my serger. If my serged stitches are looking a little bit wonky, well, I'll do what the manufacturer suggests, and I'll use that ELX705, and that generally takes care of any stitch problems.
- [31:31]
A
Okay. Oh, good. All right, well, you've mentioned a bunch of needles that you use often, with your favorite being the Microtex 8012. But so let me pose this question. If you could only have five Schmidt needles for your own sewing, what would you choose?
- [31:51]
B
Ew.
- [31:52]
A
For your own sewing, I know you do a lot of quilting, so.
- [31:56]
B
Oh, for my own. You know what I would do? You know, we have combo packs. Does that count?
- [32:05]
A
Okay, cheating a little bit.
- [32:06]
B
Okay, I'm gonna cheat a little bit. We have a combo pack that is called piecing and quilting, and it has micro tacks and quilting needles. So I would be covered for both sewing with wovens and with some of my fashion sewing, too.
- [32:28]
A
Perfect. I love it.
- [32:30]
B
But Microtex is my favorite universal. You know what? It's the workhorse of all needle types. I don't care what kind of sewing one does. You always need a universal, especially 8012 and 9014 in your. In your stash.
- [32:45]
A
I absolutely agree. I. I do resort to the universal a lot, although I have been trying the microtex, and I really like the microtex, too. I have to agree with you totally on that. So.
- [32:58]
B
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Well, Rhonda, I just want to mention that the generic name for a microtex needle is a sharp needle. So when the books and patterns, they use a sharp needle, they're referring to a Smets Microtex needle. So just want to clarify.
- [33:18]
A
Definitions are helpful. Thank you so much, Rhonda. This half hour went by like, we're way past a half an hour, and it went by so quickly. I have a million more questions, but I thank you so much for your time for sharing your extensive needle knowledge with all of us and I hope we can have you back to ask you more questions.
- [33:39]
B
I would love to come back and I'd also like to offer that your subscribers or that your listeners actually subscribe to my monthly newsletter. You just go to smetzneedles.com and after about 20 seconds there'll be one of those irritating pop ups that says sign up for the newsletter. The reason why I want you to sign up for the newsletter is because oftentimes about two or three times a year, I have a special just for our awesome subscribers. And right now I have a smet's 10 that we have just for our subscribers. It actually includes some chocolate that will be available. And also during the holidays we also have a special offer. And the first Wednesday of every month, I do a free Smet snippet live on our website, smetzneedles.com it's on Facebook. It's about 45 minutes. I do a lot of Q and A. Sometimes I'll be traveling. I might be in Florida at a store. I might be at International Quilt Festival or somewhere. So I bring in special guests. So just some freebies for your, your listeners.
- [34:50]
A
Oh, thank, thank you so much.
- [34:52]
B
Yeah, thanks for inviting me here today. And again, SmithsNeedles.com is our site and I love to sew. And you know what, Janine, what's your favorite Smith's needle?
- [35:02]
A
Ah, well, I do, I do like the universal needles, but I have been leaning lately to the, toward the microtex. And I have to say I, I go with a slightly smaller one because some of the fabrics that I sew are, are thinner. So I go down. You have the 80 12, so I go with the, you know, the 70. So but thank you. Yes, I appreciate it. And we'll have, we'll include in the show notes from for this podcast where you can access schmetzneedles.com on Facebook and Pinterest. And you also have an app. We'll include information about that. So thank you again.
- [35:41]
B
Well, thanks for inviting me. And so Schmetz, thank you to our.
- [35:47]
A
Guests for joining us and thanks to all of you for listening. Please remember to send your comments, questions and suggestions to threadsmagazine.com and please like comment and subscribe wherever you are listening. Until next time, keep on sewing with threads.