Sometimes we forget that our piecing and quilting is all about ‘a needle pulling thread!’
This GIF is brilliant for showing how a sewing machine really works. Mesmerizing! It shows so clearly just what good tension looks like and how the top and bottom threads come together to make a line of stitching. I’d like to focus on the needle. Did you know that for every stitch the thread passes back and forth through the eye of the needle 4 times?! That’s why the size of the needle’s eye is so important.
The eye of the Topstitch needle is nearly twice as long as any other needle.
This elongated eye allows the thread to pass easily as it moves back and forth through the eye. If the needle’s eye is too small it will cause friction and shred the thread!
Use a 100/16 Topstitch needle if you are:
- Free-motion-quilting on or off a frame
- Machine quilting sitting at your sewing machine
- Having trouble with thread shredding or breaking
- Using Metallic threads
The extra-large eye really helps, enabling the thread to move easily through the needle’s eye as the fabric moves every-which-way for free-motion quilting.
The wider and deeper groove protects the beautiful speciality threads that I love to use for machine quilting. The Top stitch needle has a sharp point that is very slightly rounded at the tip. The sharp point easily pierces though multiple layers even bulky seams. The slightly rounded tip slips through the fibres in your fabric without cutting them. Last but not least, the bigger eye makes it easier to thread!
Schmetz make a Topstitch needle that’s available in most sewing shops. Remember that size matters. For machine quilting or working with Metallic threads be sure to get the 100/16 size Topstitch needles.
Superior Threads make a Topstitch needle that’s titanium coated. The titanium coating extends the working life of the needle, keeping it sharper for much longer. Many industrial and professional long arm needles have been titanium coated for years. Now home quilters can enjoy the same technology. Titanium coated topstitch needles are available online from the Machine Quilter shop.
Both the Schmetz and Superior Threads 100/16 Topstitch needles fit our JUKI DX7 and JUKI TLQVP Mini sewing machines.
