So you've decided what type of needle eye you want. That covers your thread choice, but how about the fabric?

The Point of a needle is very important. This is what pushes--or pierces--the thread through the fabric. Choose the wrong one and you might just ruin your sewing project.

Here's a little run down of needle Points:

Universal

Universal needles are made for average projects. The Point is... average. Not too sharp, not too blunt.

Jeans/Denim

 Denim needles have sharper Points in order to pierce through dense and tightly woven fabrics (like Denim).
DO NOT use for Leather or other unwoven fabrics.

Ball Point/Jersey

Ball Point needles are rounded on the end, so as not to tear the project. This makes them ideal for Knit and other easily unraveled or damaged fabrics.
DO NOT use for Leather or Denim

Leather

Leather needles are not only sharp, they're also bladed. This allows them to slice through unwoven fabrics (like Leather or Vinyl).
DO NOT use for Regular or Knit fabrics

Now you should be ready to pick out the perfect needle for your next project.

Having trouble threading your needle? Check out last month's post The Eyes Have It and our YouTube video on Sewing Needle Basics.

Needles. We know they're important for any sewing project, but why is it so hard to thread them?

Needles vary in three specific ways-- Eyes, Points, and Size (or "Weight"). Each of these factor into what the needle is best used for. In regard to threading, we'll be talking about Eyes.

The Eye of a needle is the hole where the thread goes through. On machine sewing needles, the Eye is located at the point, while hand sewing needles have it at the opposite end (this is one of the numerous reasons why NOT to interchange the two).

Let's look at some different types of Eyes:

As you can see, the Eyes of each needle are different sizes.
The smaller the Eye, the harder to thread. Makes sense, right?

So why all the different options?
Singer needles come in various sizes ranging from the 8 (small) to the 18 (large). As the needle gets bigger, so does the Eye. As you can see from the picture, the Size 18 needle's Eye is wider than the Size 8's shaft.
Small needles are for delicate projects where you don't want to leave holes in the fabric.

What if the Size 18 Eye is still too small?
Here are two options:

1. Top Stitch Needles. Top Stitch Eyes are long and wide and can be purchased in Size 14 (which is the Standard needle size)

2. Self Threading Needles. Made especially for those of us who can't slip that thread through the Eye, Self Threaders have a slot on one side which allows the thread to slide on in--no poking required. They also come in Size 14.

Hope understanding Eyes helps you thread a little easier.
For more information on needles, check out our YouTube tutorial:

Sewing Machine Needle Basics