Comments on: Broken - 2, Bent - 1

By: Joyful Abode

Joyful Abode — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:09:24 +0000

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.

By: yayanana

yayanana — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 23:49:09 +0000

Sometimes it’s just a mismatch between the tension and the fabric…They can break if it’s too tight.

By: Caroline your sister

Caroline your sister — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 23:26:01 +0000

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.

By: Meagan

Meagan — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 21:14:05 +0000

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…

By: Nisa

Nisa — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:01:29 +0000

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.

By: Bobbi

Bobbi — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:29:27 +0000

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.

By: mub

mub — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:36:01 +0000

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!

By: Feli

Feli — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:51:33 +0000

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.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 06:22:00 +0000

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).

By: Wendy

Wendy — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 05:57:17 +0000

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.