Full Answer
Why and when do I need a twin needle?
Why and When Do I Need a Twin Needle? A twin needle produces two parallel lines of stitching along the top as the bobbin thread zigzags between them. For stretch fabrics, the zigzag stitch allows the threads to stretch so that they will not break when you pull your fabric over your head or push your arms through the sleeves.
How do you use a twin needle on a sewing machine?
Twin stretch needles are two-pronged ballpoint style needles. To use this, simply unscrew your sewing machine’s needle from the clamp, then insert the twin stretch needle and tighten. There are two eyes, one on each needle, so you will thread your machine with two separate threads. You can use the same color, contrasting, or complementary.
What size twin needle for knitting stretchy knit fabric?
Twin needles for stretchy knit fabric are usually thinner (size 75) and produced in two types: with an inter-needle distance of 2.5 or 4mm. Compared with the same size universal twin needle, the stretch twin needle has a more rounded tip called also a “ballpoint”.
What is a stretch needle?
A stretch needle may sound a bit like an oxymoron. The last thing you want is for your rigid sewing needle to start flexing and stretching everywhere! Thankfully, the needle itself is every bit as firm as any other needle. A stretch needle gets its name because it is specifically created to use with very stretchy fabrics such as lycra and spandex.
How to use twin stretch needles?
To use this, simply unscrew your sewing machine’s needle from the clamp, then insert the twin stretch needle and tighten. There are two eyes, one on each needle, so you will thread your machine with two separate threads. You can use the same color, contrasting, or complementary.
What is a Stretch Needle for Sewing?
A stretch needle may sound a bit like an oxymoron. The last thing you want is for your rigid sewing needle to start flexing and stretching everywhere! Thankfully, the needle itself is every bit as firm as any other needle.
What is universal needle?
A universal needle is what you can leave on your sewing machine 90% of the time until you work with something that requires a ballpoint or stretch needle. I hope you are now convinced that you need to add several of these tools into your sewist arsenal kit.
What is the difference between a ballpoint needle and a stretch needle?
These needles are very similar. Both have rounded tips that work their way through the fabric fibers instead of the traditional method of piercing through. However, the ballpoint is slightly more round, so it may work for looser fabrics.
What is a super stretch needle?
The super stretch needle is made for when you are working with highly elastic thick fabrics and thick threads. It has a special flat shank and a special design of the scarf area that help prevent skipped stitches and sew with thicker threads that will not break.
What makes a stretch needle particularly useful?
What makes a stretch needle particularly useful is that it has a specific coating on the outside of the needle that helps it glide through those rubbery fabric strands. It’s pretty amazing!
How much does a pack of stretch needles cost?
If you are someone who enjoys sewing, the answer is absolutely YES. A pack of stretch needles will set you back between $5-$12. At this price point, I’d highly recommend you stock up and get a few sizes—you never know when it may come in handy!
How to use twin needle for sewing?
Turn the twin needle with the flat side away from you and insert it in place of the previous one until the needle touches the stopper. Holding the needle with your hand, tighten the fixing screw. For sewing with a twin needle, two spools of thread are needed.
What is a twin needle sewing machine?
Twin needle sewing machine – everything you need to know about sewing with a twin needle. In this sewing tutorial I want to show you how to use a twin needle – a very simple tool that expands the capabilities of even the most ordinary sewing machine. The twin needle is made of the two needles that are attached to a single crossbar.
What is triple needle?
The triple needle is threaded into the sewing machine just like the twin needle is (see above). Just like with a twin needle, threads are pulled through the triple needle eyes. However, you need an additional spool. In terms of function, triple needles are especially good for decorative stitches.
What is the size of a double needle?
The thinnest double needles for knit fabrics are numbered 75. The number 80 is usually for sewing with metallic thread. No. 80, 90, 100 are universal or embroidery needles. Denim needles have a size of 100.
What type of needles are used for embroidery?
Embroidery is usually done at a higher speed than the regular sewing. Specially coated, larger eye allows smooth thread flow at higher speeds. This type of twin needles can be used with different embroidery threads – rayon, polyester, cotton.
How many pins does a sewing machine have?
Modern sewing machines like Janome, Brother, and Juki have two pins for spools.
How to prevent tunneling when sewing?
The second thing that may help to prevent tunneling is using stabilizers and interfacing. You can place a piece of a lightweight wash-away or tear-away embroidery stabilizer right under the fabric (if you decorate a big piece of fabric) when you are sewing with the twin needle.
What is a twin-needle?
A twin-needle has, as the name implies, two parallel needles that sew two rows of straight stitches on the upper side and underneath a zigzag-like pattern is formed. The stitch will stretch out nicely, thanks to the zigzag, so you can use a double needle to hem even very tight-fitting garments with negative ease.
What is the standard size for twin needles?
Twin-needles come in several different widths, the standard for stretch twin-needles seem to be 4.0 mm but you can also find a 2.5 mm option. In this tutorial, I’m using the 4.0 width which looks nicer in my opinion, plus there is often a bigger risk of ridges forming when using a more narrow twin-needle, but test and see for yourself.
Why use a coverstitch machine?
That’s the main reason why a coverstitch machine will be superior for stretchy knits since you can adjust the feed dog speed with the differential feed setting. But by trying out the following suggestions, you will be able to at least reduce this issue. 1. Use double-side washable tape or stabiliser.
What stitch to use on the reverse side of a quilt?
While a twin-needle stitch that covers the edge of the fabric looks really neat on the reverse side, it will also increase the amount of tunnelling, since it’s sewn unevenly. Notice the ridges, this is due the upper needle only stitching over one layer. 3. Use fusible stretch interfacing on the folded hem.
What is the best stitch length?
A good stitch length to start with is around 2.5 to 3 mm. Remember it’s the zigzag that adds stretch, so a longer stitch length means less stretch since there will be fewer zigzag intersections, i.e. fewer points than can stretch out. So keep that in mind when picking a good stitch length.
Which is better, needle tension or needle tension?
Needle tension. A slightly lower tension setting usually looks better, as it makes the stitch look flatter with no puckering and minimal tunneling. Let’s look at some samples to see the difference: As you can see there will always be some trade-offs. A lower needle tension settings look better on the right side.
Why does my sewing machine stretch out fabric?
Stretched out fabric. A regular sewing machine tends to feed the upper layer slightly unevenly, especially when sewing knit fabrics since they are so malleable. This means that the seam can look a bit wobbly and stretched out, or there might be draglines (twisted fabric) along the edge, due to the uneven feeding.
What is a twin needle?
A twin needle is great for creating two perfectly parallel lines of stitching. This is great for hemming clothing, especially on knit fabrics, as it allows for stretch. Above, you can see what the stitching looks like from the top and what the stitching looks like on the bottom. Twin needles can also be used for decorative stitches (like you’ll see ...
How to use twin needles in sewing machine?
Step 1. Insert the twin needle into your sewing machine the same way you would a standard sewing machine needle. Ensure the gap in the sewing machine foot can accommodate the twin needles. You don’t want the needle hitting the foot and breaking! I’ve done it before and it put the timing out on my sewing machine.
Why use twin needles on knit fabric?
It’s just so perfect! Using a twin needle is especially great for finishing off hems on garments made of knit fabrics. It’s allows for the stretchiness of the knit fabric as well as giving the garment a professional looking finish with your everyday sewing machine. How to do a Ladder Stitch or Invisible Stitch.
How to test decorative stitch?
If using a decorative stitch, always manually turn your hand wheel towards you to test that the needles are not going to hit the top of the foot at the widest point of the stitch. This could be disastrous too. You can try decreasing the width of the stitch and stick to a twin needle that has a gap of no more than 4.0mm.
How to stop top threads from tangling?
If your top threads are on the same spool holder, try to have them coming off the spool in opposite directions to decrease the chance of tangling
What stitch to use to make parallel lines?
Sew using a straight stitch to form two perfect parallel stitched lines.
What to do if fabric is tunnelling?
If your fabric is ‘tunnelling’ (bunching up between the sewn lines) try decreasing or loosening the tension
How to sew a hem with two needles?
Iron your hem. If you HAVE to, pin it. But you don’t want to sew over the pins. Two needles = 2 x the chance you will hit a needle.
What needle do I use to sew hems?
As I mentioned, I mostly use my twin needles to sew knit hems. Here is a step-by-step of how I do that:
What gives a bobbin hem its stretch?
And like this on the back. That zig-zagging of the bobbin thread is what gives the hem its stretch.
Which hand to use to sew hem?
Sew with the top side of the hem up. I use my finger on the left hand to feel the seam as I feed the fabric. Remember to leave LOOOOONG tails before you start stitching.
