Sewing Machine and Needles

Lesson card: the machine and needles

• The lockstitch: made from two threads: the top thread from the spool, passing through the needle, and the bottom thread from the bobbin under the needle plate. They lock together inside the fabric.
• The main parts: the presser foot holds the fabric, the feed dogs move it towards the back, away from you, the tension dial balances the top thread, the take-up lever pulls the thread to lock the stitch, and the handwheel is turned towards you.
• Needle sizes: for example 80/12. The European number (80) is the diameter of the needle shaft in hundredths of a millimetre. A smaller number is for lighter fabric, a larger one for heavier fabric.
• Needle types: universal for wovens, ballpoint for knits, stretch for very stretchy fabrics, jeans for dense fabrics, sharp microtex for silk and fine fabrics, and leather needles with a cutting point.
• Threading: with the presser foot up, so the tension discs open and the thread can sit between them, and the needle at its highest point.
• Change the needle: manufacturers advise changing it after about 8 hours of sewing or with every new project, and straight away if it bends or stitches start to skip.