So far, in the last month or so, I’ve broken two [tag]sewing machine[/tag] needles and bent one (today). This is getting ridiculous! I know I’ve been [tag]sewing[/tag] like a crazy woman lately, and when I worked at [tag]Hancock Fabrics[/tag] there were people who came in and bought needles all the time… but this seems excessive.
Sewers, is this normal? Or do you think maybe I need to get my sewing machine checked?
I guess I’ll be picking up some needles this weekend… and [tag]JoAnn Fabrics[/tag] has a 50% off coupon valid this Friday and Saturday, which I am definitely going to take advantage of (not for the needles though; for something more pricey).
Hi! I'm Emily. I'm a Navy wife and brand new stay at home mom. I cook simple, delicious, grain-free recipes, do crafts, decorate on a budget, and keep a happy home. I breastfeed, babywear, cloth diaper, and co-sleep, but I'm not a hippie.
I’m sure you have moved on from this, but one thing to check is for a ‘lint pad’ in the feed dogs. Lift up the plate under the presser foot (check your machine instructions) and see if one of these little critters isn’t lurking there. It will deflect needles and cause breakage…
Twitter: JoyfulAbode
Well, my machine foot isn’t too loose, and I don’t think the needles were too small for what I’m sewing… I probably do run into pins now and then though, so I bet that doesn’t help.
I guess I’ll take it into the sewing shop soon to get it looked at. I hope it’s more like Wendy’s $35 fix than Bobbi’s $250 work.
Sometimes it’s just a mismatch between the tension and the fabric…They can break if it’s too tight.
Hey sis, I had machine needles breaking and it turned out my machine foot was loose, so it was off center and when the needle came down it smacked into the metal foot and snapped. So the real problem was that my foot doesn’t stay tight. Sad. Unlikely that it just happens to be your problem too, but might be worth checking.
You know I’m no expert, but I have to agree with the above. Even as a dumb beginner who does stupid things sometimes, I’ve only ever broken one needle, and that was when I ran over a vertical needle. I’m pretty sure I remember my mom saying that needles should last a pretty long time… I think if you’re breaking needles so frequently, you probably need to have your machine serviced…
If the breaking and bending of needles trend continues, you may need to have your sewing machine’s timing checked. that happened to mine once after a long and heavy bought of sewing with it.
I would say this could be normal. I used to go months without breaking a needle, and then on one item, I would break two or three needles. It really depends on how heavy the materials are and the shape of your sewing machine. I always pin my items, and sometimes I can sew right over the pins, and other times, the pin and the sewing machine needle hit, and then the needle breaks!
BTW, I had my sewing machine overhauled this summer ($250 to do the job!) and I don’t think the machine needs servicing again… Just be aware of how heavy the fabrics are, the tension of the threads, and you might be able to avoid it.
It depends on how long it’s been since you’ve had your machine serviced. If it’s been awhile, it might not be a bad idea to just to it anyways… but if it’s been done more recently, I’d chalk it up to sewing so much recently. I got gobs of needles from JoAnn’s earlier this year when they were 50% off, so I wouldn’t pay full price for them even if they are cheap!
I agree with Jenn.
If you are sewing heavy duty Materials i.e denim you need a bigger needle.
If not, are you sewing too fast? I find that that is my problem half of the time.
Not too abnormal – it depend on how often you change your needle. If it’s dull it’ll break a lot more often. And if you are sewing heavy materials the needle is a lot more likely to break (especially if it’s dull).
I’m no expert, but in my experience I don’t think that’s normal at all. Sounds way too frequent. I had a similar problem (albeit, mixed with some stupidity, I inserted the needle wrong finally, but before that the issue was exactly what you’re saying) and I’m pretty sure it was a “timing issue” which took about a week and 35$ at the shop to fix.
Needles are cheap, but I’d think if they’re breaking and bending that often it must be hitting something wrong somewhere and that would worry me that it might damage your machine.