Sewing machine needles come in a variety of sizes and types and many of the problems I see online are caused by using the wrong needle type.
Generally when you buy a machine it comes with universal needles in the box. Universal is a misnomer. They are very useful on a wide variety of woven fabrics. Universal needles in a size 12 are what I use for anything that is a medium weight woven.
Jeans needles are for heavy fabrics like denim and canvas. Generally I go up to a 14 or 16 in a jeans needle.
Microtex needles are super sharp. They are excellent for woven fabrics that are delicate, snag easily, or are tightly woven. I use them on silks, satin, and cotton poplins. When all else fails on a fabric, try a microtex. Microtex come in larger sizes and can be used on heavy fabrics. Microtex needles need replaced more frequently than other needle types.
Ballpoint or Jersey needles are the same thing, usually they are labeled as ballpoint in the US and Jersey elsewhere. Ballpoint needles are appropriate for stable knit such as cotton jersey with no or minimal stretch fibers added.
Stretch needles are similar to ballpoint needles in the sense that they are for knit fabrics. Stretch needles are intended for fabrics with a higher stretch fiber percentage and in addition to that they work well on more stable knits. They are what I keep in stock for working with the widest variety of knit fabrics. I usually buy 11 or 12 in stretch needles.
Super stretch are for super stretchy problem child knits, I have not tried these as they are relatively new on the market but I will be picking up a pack before I make swimwear again.
In addition to the types above there are a great many other needles with specific uses. Within each type there is a range of sizes and the needle size should be chosen to match your fabric and thread.
Needles are consumables and will become gradually dull as you sew. The rule of thumb is that you need to replace after roughly 8 hours of run time. If you have been using a needle for a while and things start to go wrong or the machine sound changes, the first step on troubleshooting is a new needle. Old needles can damage your fabric and are more likely to break.
I also want to advise against buying off brand needles and included in that category are Singer branded needles. I personally only buy schmetz and organ brand needles and I buy exclusively off wawak.com (US and Canada only).
We've been quietly working on something we hope makes this community a lot more useful — and today we're excited to share it with you.
What's in the wiki?
We built it to answer the questions we see every week — so whether you're picking up a needle for the very first time or you've been at it a few months and hit a wall, there's something in here for you.
Here's what's covered:
🧵 Getting started — What to make first, hand vs. machine, and the YouTube channels worth bookmarking
🪡 Machine buying guide — Budget breakdowns, brand recommendations, and how to buy a great secondhand machine
✂️ Tools & notions glossary — Every tool explained in plain English, plus what you actually need to start vs. what's nice to have later
🔧 Techniques & troubleshooting — Pressing, seam finishes, backstitching, and a troubleshooting table for the most common machine gremlins
📐 Pattern reading & sizing — Why sewing sizes aren't clothing sizes, how to read pattern markings, and what "ease" means
🎨 Fabric guide — Wovens vs. knits, beginner-friendly fabric types, pre-washing, and where to buy
🔗 Community resources — Our curated list of YouTube channels, blogs, and related communities
❓ FAQ — Detailed answers to the questions we see most often
This wiki belongs to all of us — and we need your help
A wiki is only as good as the community behind it. We're a team of moderators, not an encyclopedia, and we know there are gaps, things we got slightly wrong, and questions we haven't thought to answer yet.
That's where you come in.
We want to hear from you if:
💡 There's a topic you wish had been covered when you were starting out
🐛 Something in the wiki is unclear, out of date, or just wrong
🔗 You know a great resource (video, blog, pattern, tool) that should be listed
❓ You've seen a question come up over and over in the sub that deserves a proper answer
✍️ You'd like to contribute a write-up on something you know well
How to send a suggestion
Drop your suggestion right here in the comments. Tell us:
Which section it relates to (or if it should be a new section entirely)
What you'd like added, changed, or corrected
Any links or sources that would help
You can also message the mod team directly if you'd prefer, especially for corrections or anything that needs a longer explanation.
We'll review every suggestion and update the wiki regularly. If your contribution makes it in, we'll do our best to acknowledge it — this is genuinely a community project and we want it to reflect the knowledge that lives here.
A note on what makes this community special
This subreddit exists because sewing has a steep early learning curve and a long tradition of people helping each other climb it. Every question answered, every "here's what worked for me," every photo of a wonky first pillowcase posted with pride — that's what makes r/SewingForBeginners worth showing up to.
The wiki is our attempt to bottle some of that up so it doesn't get lost in the scroll. But it'll never replace the real thing, which is all of you asking and answering in the comments every day.
Thank you for being part of this. Now go make something. 🧵
It is so (sew) nice to see that sewing is making a comeback! It’s an art that many people I speak with thought had been lost. It’s wonderful to see this timeless craft being appreciated and embraced again.
It’s really wonderful to see all the new talent out there taking on projects and creating something meaningful to the soul.
I’m an avid seamstress and have been sewing for 50+ years. I was a beginner once too. 😊 I mainly sewed for my family, but a few years ago, I started doing alterations for others, and that eventually became my side hustle.
I also make clothes, mainly Indian outfits, and I truly enjoy what I do. Sewing teaches us patience, creativity, and perseverance. There’s something incredibly rewarding about seeing the finished piece and knowing that you created it with your own hands.
It’s so nice to see sewing making a comeback and inspiring a new generation. Keep creating, keep learning, and most importantly, enjoy the process! 🧵❤️
Tried a trick to sew lace more smoothly by running it with toilet paper/paper towel. Used a napkin instead, first sandwiched between two lace pieces (bad idea, harder to remove), then switched to running it underneath. Ripped it off after, but bits are still stuck in the stitching.
I've washed it 4x, dried it twice, tweezed out the bigger pieces, brushed it with a hard bristle brush and toothbrush, and soaked it for hours before rewashing.
Photos are from after all my attempts, still painfully visible against the black lace.
Please helpp! This is my dress for a wedding I'm attending next week!
Not a question, I just wanted to share my current project and bad life choices. I decided to make this nice felled seam by hand on this pants I'm working on whithout realizing how horrible it would be to make tiny stitches with thin black thread on black fabric. 🫠
I was trying to recreate this top Kiara wears in the new season of OBX. It’s a bit of a mess tbh, there’s way too much fabric in the top part but it was my first time doing button holes and elastic casing in the waist and those were a success! The last photo is the short I was trying to mimic.
does anyone know where I could find a pattern for a quilted storage basket that looks similar to the one pictured? Struggling with Etsy as most of the results seem to be ai or use ai imagery!
I just recently started sewing and made my daughter this cute little whale shark bag! I got the inspo off of Pinterest and winged the pattern. It was such a fun and easy project and my daughter loved it so much she wore it out before I even got to put the eyes on it. Success? I think yes ☺️
I love these comme des garcons patchwork skirts. I have made a simple a line skirt but I have never pieced a quilt or attempted patchwork. I understand that aligning the grain might be tricky here but are there other aspects that might make it difficult for a beginner to make a version of this type of skirt?
As the title says..
the pink ones were winded one perhaps around Christmas and the other one maybe 1 or 2 months ago.. the process is exactly the same from my side I also googled and troubleshoot some stuff but still have the same result. My newly winded bobbins are all uneven same as white and dark blue on the right.. they are usable but I just hate to look at it… also I could get more thread on it if it was even and I don’t really know what it means for the machine using uneven winded bobbins..
All the thread should be polyester
Dark blue and darker pink are just random oldies from my mom
White and pink are new from Gutermann
My machine is Black & White from Texi
If that even matters in this situation
The bobbins should be all the same (3 from the picture are from the same pack even) and I compared and measured all the bobbins I own both correctly and wrongly winded a few times to figure this out but I have no other clue at this point as they are all the exact same.
Do you have any ideas what else I could try to fix this ? Or what it can possibly cause ? Any experiences?
This is my first attempt at freestyle or free motion quilting. It's going OK but this last meandering motive has suddenly started getting little loops. (Excuse the pin faux pas.) How do I fix this? This is a brand new machine for me so if it is attention issue, I hope they make it easy for me.
I have always loved fashion and always wanted to learn to sew! I am first generation American and my parents didn't really understand that my love of fashion could've been a career path. As many parents who migrated here to afford their children a successful future, our options were limited to medical, educational, and law degrees. Now at 47, a single mom to a beautiful 6 yr old special needs child, working full time, I decided this is what I want to do with my limited free time! I bought a beginner friendly sewing machine on marketplace from and elderly lady who could no longer see therefore did no longer needed it. I have no idea where to start. I barely even use needle and thread however I am a quick learner once I understand the basics. I am a true beginner! So I am asking for tips and advice on where the heck to start! Do I need to learn to hand sew along with machine? Do I take an in person beginner class vs a virtual one? What do I look for in an instructor? How do I learn about fabrics and measuring etc. I guess my goal is to play around and make clothes that I can actually wear. I am not trying to start a fashion brand at this age but think it would be fun to customize certain styles that I love but would tweak to suit my tastes better. Obviously also simples like hemming, taking in or letting out clothing to help family out but again nothing too serious. I am hoping I have a talent for it and learn to love it. Otherwise I hate it and move on to a new hobby! Thanks in advance!
Hey guys, I am new to sewing and made a mistake I never thought I would make haha. Accidentally caught my tip of fingernail in a sewing machine. At first, I didn't feel any pain, just shock, then pain but still not too bad. I was able to catch it on time so it didn't thread my finger (the needle is thin and not big). The picture below is my attempt of showing you guys the angle based on the puncture wound. I felt like a thud when it went through but I think that was just the nail, hoping it didn't hit the bone 🥲. I'm not in a lot of pain, I feel some pressure and have light bleeding like tiny-cut-level bleeding. Has this ever happened to you guys? And did you guys go to doctor? I live in the U.S., so I'd like to avoid going to the doctor if I can lol.
(On the bright side, I think getting a piercing wouldn't be so bad haha)
An x-ray of a finger with a red line going through the tip of a fingernail at a 73 degree angle, not hitting the bone.
I've been cosplaying for about 2 years and I've always sewn by hand, now I've been considering buying a sewing machines to be more precise and efficient.
I've never had nor touched a sewing machine in my entire life and I really dont know what to look for, my budget is €150 ($174), can anyone give me some suggestions?
For reference I'm into medieval cosplays with long skirts and dresses, I also use a lot of embroidery (which I often buy already done but it would be cool if I could make it myself).
Hello! My machine will not go in reverse. When I press the button the wire moves but it will not move the shaft. The shaft is not seized as I can move it freely with my hand, more photos in comments. This is my first machine and I just inherited it a week ago. Everything works perfectly except this
Any time I put patches on a jacket they’ve either been iron-on or I’d sew them, or both, and that’s the extent of my sewing experience . I had put some Velcro in my backpack to put hook-backed patches on, using this Aleene's Fabric Fusion glue, and it didn’t hold well at all. Which, I didn't read till after the fact that it doesn't work well on "patches with plastic backing and some nylon" , so my bad.
My problem is the bag has some thickness to it and the interior lining of the bag is plasticized in a way that I thought sewing would either not work or work but destroy the water resistance. Is that a real concern? Is there a particularly good way to sew this Velcro square in, or any sort of glue or iron-on adhesive that would work in a small space and without the iron melting the nylon? Thanks!!
I am a beginner looking to take sewing more seriously. I’ve been watching tutorials online and have finished a few projects, but my work definitely looks amateur.
I feel really passionate about learning proper and more professional looking techniques, specifically for making clothing. Does anybody have any recommendations of Youtube series’ or playlists? Or possibly affordable online courses? I live in a remote area so attending any classes in person would be challenging.
- i have already tried changing the needle and cleaning the plate where the lower thread is. if i'm constantly working with denim, do i need to change the needle more often than normal? but when i bought new needles for it, it still made that sound so idk
hello, i recently bought one of these off facebook marketplace, plugged it in and foul smelling smoke started pouring out of it. I am wondering if anyone might know why? and also if its worth getting it serviced/parts replaced or just biting the bullet and getting a new machine?
