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Jersey/Ballpoint Needles
A jersey needle is a ballpoint needle and vice versa, these names are used interchangeably. This needle was created for the first knitted fabrics. These first industrially made knit fabrics only stretched in the east to west direction, selvedge to selvedge. A jersey/ballpoint needle has a blunted round tip which allows the needle to pass between the fibers and not through them (cutting them). On a woven fabric the sharpness of a needle can actually pierce the fibers sometimes, which is why it’s best to use the smallest needle appropriate for the project. The less holes/smaller holes the less pierced fibers there will be.
There are many sizes of jersey/ballpoint needles but Mallory and Zede defer to the size 80’s because they are in the middle of the size range. They note that it’s also useful to have 70’s and 90’s on hand too but if you only have one pack, go with size 80.
Many times you can see the actual knit stitches and the spaces between each individual stitch on knitted fabrics. The texture of knitted fabrics comes from all the connected knit stitches. These spaces allow the fabric to stretch and recover. Jersey fabrics were originally manufactured without spandex, lycra, or elastane. There were many types of jersey like cotton jersey, polyester jersey, wool, silk, etc…
Why didn’t fabric and clothing labels say 95%/5% spandex/lycra? Because these fibers didn’t exist yet, at least not in fabrics yet.
Stretch Needles
A stretch needle is a medium ballpoint needle with a longer/deeper scarf on the back of the needle and a longer and deeper groove on the front of the needle. Stretch needles were designed by needle manufacturers this way because they assume this needle will be used on fabric containing some type of rubber be it spandex, lycra, or elastane.
Fun fact – spandex is an anagram of expands, get it! Zede loves sharing this neat fact.
This longer/deeper scarf and groove helps accommodate the bounce and drag of the spandex on the thread and needle. The bigger groove and eye helps deliver the thread through the spandex fabric and delivers the proper thread loop and size of thread loop in the bobbin system at the correct time. Needle type matters and can make a huge difference in how well a stitch is made. When you see a skipped stitch on your knit fabric it generally means the top thread was not delivered properly.
These special features of the stretch needle allow a larger thread loop to be made in the bobbin area. The top thread makes the loop in the bobbin system and the bobbin thread goes through this loop and creates a lock stitch (this happens in all bobbin systems).
For a really good visual of how a stitched is formed check out this video of Mallory and Doug from the Babylock technical department.
Stretch needles also have a ballpoint needle tip because you still want it to go between the fibers and not cut the rubber and other fibers in the fabric. The rubber/spandex will cause the needle to drag going into the fabric so the groove is larger the protect the thread and prevent dragging. The thread should ride in the groove and complete the cylindrical shape of the needle. The thread should fit perfectly in the groove which is why there are different size needles to accommodate the different sizes of threads.
So far we have discussed jersey/ballpoint needles for use on knit fabrics without spandex/rubber but you may be able to use them, just do a test first. It’s possible you could use a universal needle on some knit fabrics too, again test.
Schmetz (one of our favorite needle manufacturers) says that jersey/ballpoint needles and stretch needles have medium ballpoint tips and universal needles have slightly rounded points making it something in between a sharp and ballpoint needle. Universal needles are designed to accommodate a wide array of fabric types.
Zede points out a good quality and correct type of needle are very important but equally important to your sewing success is thread quality. She says she would rather sew on crappy fabric with a good needle and thread than sew on really nice fabric with low quality thread and needle. The quality of her needle and thread are very important to her.
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Microtex/Sharp Needles
The following information/discussion has caused heated debates and controversy before and Zede and Mallory have angered people and seen others anger people by suggesting microtex needles can be used on knit fabrics.
Schmetz puts out information on all their needles and this is what they say about microtex needles found here on their website:
Microtex (Sharp)
Size: 60/8, 70/10, 80/12, 90/14, 100/16, 110/18, Assorted
Color Code: Purple
Feature: Very slim acute point.
Fabric Use: Micro fibers, polyester, silk, foils, artificial leather, coated materials. Very thin acute point creates beautiful topstitching and perfectly straight stitches for quilt piecing when precision is paramount.
We however also find microtex needles to be very helpful on fabrics with high spandex/lycra/elastane counts.
Zede says she’s had to resort to a microtex needle when sewing on some performance type knits to get a decent stitch. These types of knits have a high percentage of spandex and a tight recovery. Of course people have told her using a microtex needle will cut the fibers and it might but because the tip of the microtex needle is so thin and acute it goes between fibers quite well. She says if a ballpoint or stretch needle are not giving her a good result she will try a microtex and that usually does the job.
Zede makes a point of noting that those spandex fibers will eventually break from everyday wear and tear and washing/drying. She has made leggings that she’s worn so many times to aerial yoga that all the spandex in the knees have worn out making the knee area appear a different color/thinner. But what Zede and Mallory have never experienced is having a fabric run or a bunch of broken spandex fibers peeking out of the fabric after using a microtex needle.
Mallory and Zede generally default to using stretch needles when sewing on knits with a sewing machine and they both test this needle on their project because sometimes a ballpoint needle or microtex is needed to get a better stitch.
Mallory has been asked if a microtex needle can be used as a default needle and Zede and her believe you can. They both really like microtex needles and use them for lots of applications. There are so many fiber blends in fabrics today that microtex needles can be very handy. They see no reason why microtex needles can’t be an everyday needle.
Serger Needles
First thing you’ll want to do is check your owner’s manual for the type of needle your machine requires. Sometimes this information is on the inner cover or face of the machine. If you can’t find your owner’s manual check online because many of them are available as PDF’s.
Some sergers will use home sewing machine needles (those labeled H) or it may say HA which is a specialty needle. Zede says in the 60’s-80’s sergers did not use regular home machine needles they took needles with a rounded shank/butt (no flat back). So if you have an older serger this is something you need to know.
Zede and Mallory are Babylock gals and they have the Acclaim which is a 4 thread overlocker that takes HAx1SP needles. Below is information from the Schmetz website about this needle:
“Special point universal needles. Chrome-plated with a reinforced blade. Has a medium ball point and is mainly for stretch and other elastic materials. Has a longer and wider eye than the normal Universal needle which makes the needle suitable for thicker sewing or embroidery thread.”
When Mallory gets asked what needle people should use in their 4 thread baby lock sergers for knits she tells them to use the HAx1sp because it’s made for use on stretchy material. Mal and Zede have used this type of needle on woven fabrics as well with success but it’s always good to test.
Something Zede really loves about the higher end Babylock overlockers and combination overlocker/coverstitch machines are how the needles are set perpendicular to the fabric. Other sergers will have the needles slanted back about 30 degrees. The reason she likes the perpendicular needle set up is because there is more penetrating power and this angle wears less on the needle.
They also have the Babylock Triumph which is an 8 thread combination chain/coverstich and overlocker machine. This machine can use ELX705, ELx705CF, and ELx705CFSUK type needles.
Below are needle descriptions for each type sourced directly from the Schmetz site.
“This is an ELX705 needle with a regular point. The ELX705 needle system is specially designed for cover stitch machines. This needle has a long grove on both the front and back as well as a slightly larger scarf and a light ball point. The chrome finish (CF) reduces heat and wear and aids in slipping through the fabric. Consult your manual for the proper needle selection for your brand and model number.”
“This is an ELX705 needle with a medium ball point. The ELX705 needle system is specially designed for cover stitch machines. This needle has a long grove on both the front and back as well as a slightly larger scarf and a medium ball point. The chrome finish (CF) reduces heat and wear and aids in slipping through the fabric. Consult your manual for the proper needle selection for your brand and model number.”
So once again this highlights how the needle is used as a thread deliverer and not just a fabric piercer. Needles have all these special surfaces to deliver thread properly. There are more serger needles than the ones we’ve mentioned so make sure to consult your owner’s manual.
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Schmetz Serger needles CHECK YOUR OWNER’S MANUAL FOR TYPE HAx1SP
Schmetz Serger needles CHECK YOUR OWNER’S MANUAL FOR TYPE ELx705
Schmetz Serger needles CHECK YOUR OWNER’S MANUAL FOR TYPE ELx705CF
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Braden Bills says
April 9, 2019 at 10:13 AMI’m planning on getting some spandex to sew with. It makes sense that I would want to ensure that I use the right kind of needles! It makes sense that stretchy fabrics would be different to work with.
Beth H says
April 23, 2019 at 6:47 PMWhat a great overview and guide for choosing needles for stretchy fabrics. I have some friends and some clients who would likely be interested in this type of information. Thanks!