Why You Should Change Your Sewing Machine Needle Regularly

Do you really need to change your sewing machine needle? The short answer: YES! But let’s talk about why, because it’s one of those things that many people overlook.

If you’ve inherited a sewing machine from your Gran and the needle looks fine, trust me, it’s probably not. And you’re not alone if you’ve never really thought about changing it. But here’s what happens to your needle over time….

What Happens to a Needle as You Sew?

Even though your needle might look sharp and straight, a lot can go wrong with it after repeated stitching. Let me break it down:

It can bend.
You might not see it with the naked eye, but over time, the force of sewing bends your needle slightly. If you take it out and line it up against a ruler, you might notice a tiny bend at the tip. A bent needle can cause skipped stitches or uneven sewing. If your machine starts making clunky noises, this is often the culprit - change the needle!

It can shred at the tip.
If you put your needle under a microscope, you’d see that after a lot of use, the tip starts to fray. This rough surface will snag your fabric, creating larger holes than needed and could even damage delicate fabrics, which is probably not ideal.

It can go blunt.
Even if it feels sharp to the touch, sewing over and over will wear down the point. A blunt needle forces its way through fabric instead of piercing cleanly, which leads to skipped stitches, fabric puckering, and – well - just plain frustration.

How Often Should You Change Your Needle?

A good rule of thumb is every 8 hours of sewing or at the start of a new project. If your machine starts acting up e.g. skipping stitches, making odd, normally clunky, noises, or it’s struggling to sew smoothly, change your needle first. It’s often the quickest and cheapest fix.

By the way – if I haven’t used my machine for a while, I will have forgotten how long I’d been stitching with the needle for. So, unless you write yourself a note, I’d recommend changing it for a bright, sparkly new needle before you get started.

The Bottom Line

Needles are inexpensive, but keeping a fresh one in your machine will make a world of difference in your stitching. Change your needle regularly, and your sewing machine (and your sanity) will thank you for it.

Hope this helps - happy stitching!
Kim
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