Sewing with stretch, should I change my needle to a Ballpoint?

Hey, my name is Emma and I am a big fan of sewing all the things.

I started with upcycling items as a child, bag and clothing making as a teen, progressed to quilting in my 20s and now have so many projects I want to do that I sometimes struggle to pick which to do first. Obviously Ellie & Mac patterns always play a big part in my choice and I have been making lots of bags recently, although I always fall back into sewing stretch as my youngest of 3 kiddos LOVES momma made tees.

I am guessing if you are here reading some of the great Ellie & Mac blogs, that you are a fan of sewing, be that a newbie or an experienced stalwart of the sewing alumni.

No matter which we are, we all have one thing we all have in common, we use sewing needles. This could be hand needles or machine needles which both come in a vast array of shapes (yes truly they do when you look closely) and sizes. Choosing the correct needle for the correct fabric can totally make or break a project (plus your will to throw something at your machine).

Lets break down the different parts of a needle…

·  Butt – the top edge of the needle which is shaped to help you slide it into the machine clamp

·   Shank – the top of the needle which is held inside your machine. Needles for home sewers have a flat back and a rounded front on the shank, this is to ensure you put the needle in your machine the right way (or it just won’t sew). Industrial needles on the other hand tend to be totally round.

·  Shoulder – where the upper part of the needle narrows to make the shaft/blade. Some suppliers will colour code this area to help identify the needle use and size.

·   Long Groove – the channel that runs down the shaft and where your thread sits. Its kind of difficult to see by eye but you can feel it.

·    Shaft – the main body of the needle and holds all the main components you need to check are correct for your fabric

·    Scarf – is a small indent in the shaft which creates an area for the bobbin hook (underneath your thread plate) to grab the thread and form a stitch. Using the wrong needle for your fabric can cause skipped stitches.

·   Eye – the hole for your thread. The eye can be different shapes and sizes which determine their use with different threads.

·    Point – where the needle starts to narrow

·   Tip – these vary amongst different needle types, some have a sharp tip and will pierce fabric like a Microtex needle which pierce through tightly woven fabrics. Other needles may have a round tip which pushes its way through fabric gently, moving the fibres apart and not puckering fabric like a Ballpoint. The tip of a needle will determine how it enters the fabric. Again, choosing the right needle is imperative for success!

So, why should I use a Ballpoint Needle:

Ballpoint needles are often called Jersey needles and are designed to be used with the most commonly sewn stretch fabrics such as cotton jersey, french terry, sweater knits and interlock. Along with their special rounded tip to push fabrics gently apart, the eye is normally slightly larger to accommodate thicker threads and avoid damaging both the sewing thread and fabric. This all helps prevent puckers, pulls or extra holes you don’t want in your fabric which can occur if you use a sharp tipped needle which can slice the threads as it sews, in time these damaged threads can become holes along your seams.

To cause confusion though, there are other needles that can be used with stretchy fabrics. These are ‘Stretch’ and ‘Universal’ needles, below is a chart to show their basic differences. If you are unsure which to use, a good guide is if it’s a standard cotton jersey or similar then use a ballpoint. If it’s a very stretchy fabric like athletic wear or swimwear the use a stretch (or microtex) needle.

Now you’ve chosen the right type of needle…..what about the size?

This can also be confusing with all the different numbers and letters. Essentially most needles have two sets of numbers such as 80/12 or 90/14, the first number is the European sizing and measures diameter of the blade in 100ths of a millimetre (so tiny), therefore a 90 needle is 0.90mm, size of needles range from 60 to 120. The second number is the American imperial sizing system and ranges from 8 to 20, both systems work together to denote the same needle size so a 90 European will always be a 14 American. Manufacturers print both sizes on the make needles saleable worldwide. 

How does this relate to a ballpoint and my fabrics?

For ALL types of needle, the smaller number needles are used for the lighter versions of the fabric type and on the flipside the larger numbers are for the heavier fabrics. In relation to stretch fabrics, the standard size would be an 80/12 as this covers all standard jersey, tee fabrics, interlock and lighter french terry. For heavier french terry, sweatshirting and sweater knits, I would suggest a 90/14.

Tip and Hints

·       Just like you shouldn’t use a jeans needle on a nice stretch fabric, its not a good idea to use a ballpoint needle on a woven fabric as it would have to force its way through and this will result in pulls, uneven stitching, snapped threads and a whole load of unpicking!

·       Make sure you change your needle regularly. We are all guilty of not doing this (well I certainly am) and needle lifespans aren’t as long as you may think. A ballpoint needle can be well and truly into its geriatric phase after 8 hours of sewing. By this point it has lost its nice round smooth tip and can start misbehaving and causing snags and holes. Equally a sharps needle will start to dull and not pierce effectively.

·       If your stitches aren’t quite right, check you have the right needle type, needle size and it is inserted properly as these can be one of the main causes!

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Hopefully that might help you when choosing the correct needles for your next Ellie & Mac project. Here’s wishing you a seam ripper free next sew!

-Written by Emma Cockerline-Smith