Change your needles often! Some sewists replace their sewing machine needles every time they start a new garment, others do so every other garment. Some don’t bother changing a needle unless it breaks. A good general rule is to change sewing machine needles at least every 6-8 hours of sewing time. If the fabric you are using is prone to dulling needles (e.g. polar fleece or silk) you should change your needle even more frequently. Why risk damaging your fabric with a dull needle?
What a good reminder. I think it is so easy to forget.
Thanks Annette! It IS easy to forget!
Man, I often forget! I recently realized I had no idea how long it had been since I’d changed my serger needles- it was a whole new animal after I swapped ’em out!
I am WAY worse with my serger, and off the charts bad with my coverstitch needles. But I am religious about my sewing machine! #halfwaythere
Good advise. I don’t change them frequently enough. I do, however, note on a small piece of paper the needle size, and amount of use and tape it to the sewing machine so I always knows what’s loaded. In addition, I always test the stitching on a scrap of fabric before I start any new project to see if the needle needs to be changed – that has saved me on a number of projects.
Ohh, that is a good habit to get into too, Linda – writing down what you have loaded in the machine. And testing – ALWAYS! Thanks, and happy sewing!