What Are Quilting Needles and Why Do You Need Them?
If you’ve been looking around my store, you may have come across quilting needles and then wondered why on earth you need a special needle just for quilting. After all, a needle is just a needle, right?
Well, not quite!
Quilting needles are designed specifically to handle the unique challenges of quilting, and using the right needle can make all the difference to your quilting (and sanity levels). So, let’s have a closer look at them.
What Makes a Quilting Needle Special?
Quilting needles have a tapered point with a slightly rounded tip. This design helps the needle glide through the fabric layers rather than punching through them aggressively. The tapered point gently parts the fabric fibres, making it easier to sew through the multiple layers of your quilt but without causing damage or (commonly) skipped stitches.
Why Does This Matter?
When you’re quilting, you’re stitching through not just one layer of fabric, but multiple layers:
- The quilt top – This includes not only your fabric but also all the seams where pieces are joined together.
- The wadding (or batting) – The soft, fluffy middle layer that gives your quilt its warm and cozy feel.
- The backing fabric – The final layer of your quilt sandwich
A universal needle might struggle with all these layers, sometimes skipping stitches or struggling to go through all the layers of your quilt smoothly. Quilting needles, with their special design, help prevent these issues and make the quilting process much smoother.
A Quick Quilting Tip!
When you're quilting, make sure you increase your stitch length to 3.0 or 3.5mm. This allows your stitches to pass cleanly through all the layers and creates a lovely, even quilting effect.
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Using the right needle makes a world of difference when quilting. If you've ever struggled with skipped stitches or fabric bunching, switching to a quilting needle might be just the simple fix you need.
I hope you’ve found this helpful. By the way, read this blog post here if you’re wondering what size quilting needle you need. And I have a deeper dive comparing universal and quilting needles here.