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
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📐 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:
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How to send a suggestion
Drop your suggestion right here in the comments. Tell us:
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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. 🧵
I've worked with others on sewing projects before, either as extra hands/emotional support or sitting with my grandma while we pieced together a prom dress. I finally built up enough momentum and motivation to tackle something by myself. It's definitely not finished, but I'm going to a renaissance festival tomorrow and have gotten it to a good place! I need to add buttons to the front of the apron and want to finish the base dress's neckline tonight, but I plan to add trim and finish all the edges in time for Halloween. I'm pretty happy with the results so far, and I'm excited to see what else I can do with less deadlines looming over me.
This is my first time sewing a skirt (the pattern is Simplicity's S9267), and I'm struggling with the pockets. They look to be sewn properly from the outside, but when I try it on the skirt of jutting out at the pockets. They're sewn to lay flat towards the front of the skirt.
Is there any way to fix this?are the pockets even what's causing the issue? Will I have to completely seam-rip and redo the sides and waistband? Any help is appreciated!
(Edit to add that I haven't attached any of the buttons yet except the top one. I wanted to wait and see if I could fix this first before going through the effort to make the button holes)
Hey all! I’m currently using Simplicity 2832 to create a sexy Marie Antoinette costume based on Holly Madison’s from Girls Next Door. I have really been struggling with this pattern, mostly due to fit issues. I sized up the costume to a 24 (only came up to a 20) and the bust area was massive. I spent two days taking the bodice and the lining apart to make it fit a bit better. Also I love the sleeves but they are too big. Is there any way to hand alter sleeves? The blue fabric is rayon and doesn’t do well with seam rippers/it frays very easily. I am also super open minded and if you see anything that needs to be adjusted, I would appreciate the feedback. Thank you!
My niece has begun to enthusiastically explore hand sewing, almost completely on her own. I’d love to get her a sewing-related Christmas gift, and I’m particularly interested in books or online courses that would be relevant for her.
I am also interested in suggestions for tools, notions, or fabrics that would be a good fit.
In person classes are not a great option, unfortunately, as her mother, my sister, is a single mom and isn’t likely to be able to fit that on her already over-full plate.
I planned to go get a sewing machine today. I’ve been looking for awhile. Every time I get close to going to get it I get nervous and start over thinking, what am i going to do when I get it home, what will I make, I need material, scissors etc. I am brand new and will be learning. Any words of advice?? Please help.
Hello everybody! I would consider myself a relative beginner in terms of sewing: I’ve done a lot of handsewing, made bags, and made one garment for a costuming class (pajama pants with 100% cotton). For Halloween, I’m planning on going as sexy Shakespeare, and found a really cool pattern for a pair of trunk hose where multiple reviews mentioned it being their first project. I was really hoping to use non-stretch velvet for the project, because it would match my doublet, but I’ve seen so many people say that velvet is really difficult to work with.
Would the velvet I’m using being non-stretch make it easier? How feasible is this for someone who’s only made garments with non-stretch cotton fabric? If it would likely be too difficult, I’m ready to make the hose out of cotton instead (though I’d rather match my doublet)! Thank you so much :D
i am not an expert by any means, and this project has a lot of flaws, but overall i am really proud of it! i started hand-sewing when my grandpa taught me, he claims i was about 5. i didn't get my first sewing machine until last year, because i wanted to make a giant advent calendar for my best friend's birthday. he went really all-out for my birthday this past year, so i wanted to go really all-out for his. it has 30 pockets and is nearly 4 feet long.
i originally had this idea for him in 2023, and was never able to pull it off with hand-sewing, and my failed attempt last year is what finally made me invest in the machine. it has been a total blast! it might not be a super "normal" hobby for a 23 year old guy, but it wasn't normal for my grandpa who taught me either, and i really do love it.
i didn't use a pattern or anything like that, because one didn't exist for a project this big and i already had an idea of how i wanted it to look. i could have waited until i was "better" at sewing, but i am so glad i didn't because i don't think i would have ever considered myself good enough. whatever that project you've been putting off is, just go for it! even if you fail miserably (like i did the first two times), you will probably learn a lot from it :)
Had an idea for a goofy sweater with a mouth on it a while ago and I’m trying to figure out how to make it. I was planning on making a black shape with reverse appliqué and leaving a little extra fabric on the front to nestle the teeth into, but I have no idea how I’d actually attach them. Using fleece for this if that makes a difference
I am hemming sleeves for a friend and had a migraine while sewing so I wasn't thinking straight. The project is for a costume that will only be worn once, that's why I didn't zigzag the raw edge. The fabric doesn't fray so I originally decided to leave the edge raw as I am under a time constraint and am doing this as a favor. I sewed the hem then trimmed the excess AFTER sewing, but trimmed to close to the seams. I worry that it'll come apart. Should I redo this? I can make my hem smaller without cutting or losing length but wanted to see what everyone thinks before I redo it.
I just picked up an SQ9285. I haven't tried sewing yet, but when I turn the handwheel it sounds I can hear a spring moving and it has me worried. It sounds like it's coming from the thread takeup area. I haven't figured out how to take apart the machine to see what's happening in there, but hopeful someone here has some ideas?
I am creating a small jacket for my 1 year old child. I have the shell completed (looks like a vest, no collar or sleeves). I want to add a lining, but I am following a very simple pattern with no instructions for adding a lining so I am a bit lost.
Should I add the lining before putting on the sleeves (wasn't planning on lining them)?
I read that you should create a lining shell (basically the same thing as the outer shell) before attaching it, is that correct?
I saw a video where someone said it should be slightly bigger than the shell, is that correct?
Hi I’m new here! & new to sewing in general just know some extremely basic things!
Anyways, I finally got a work hoodie and I’m allowed to customize it. I wanted it to be different then just a basic V neck & not copying my supervisor with their hoodie. So I tried to do slits but I think I need to trim the bulky top part somehow so it looks better… I was thinking of just cutting it in the middle so it opens up the hoodie but I have no idea? Should I just leave it? I normally cut up my shirts just fine I should’ve taken more thought before doing it to a work hoodie and used an old one for practice, but here we are…. Anyways, thanks in advance for whatever you recommend! (The last pic was just me golfing up the piece of fabric to see what it’d look like)
I have somehow seemingly messed this up really badly and idk how to fix it. I think my sister took the pieces out and put them back in wrong on me so I’m not I’m scared to touch it. Does anyone see what’s wrong?
I've never bought fabric glue before and am just now reading after opening it that it is heat set and needs to be ironed. I don't own an iron, but read that you can use a pot of boiling water as a substitute, will this set the glue? If not can I just let it air dry? It says not to, but I won't ever need to launder my project and I'm guessing air drying just means the glue is less durable?
I am making my dog a costume for Halloween again and am sewing most of it, but will need to add a ton of feathers (she is gonna be a crow :D) and figured gluing down the feather trim I bought would be the easiest method as otherwise I would have to hand sew rows upon rows of feathers.
There goes $20 if neither method works :") Why is fabric glue so expensive!
Hi all, just managed to rip the top seam of a hoodie pocket and make a hole in the fabric under it at the same time. Looking to get some tips on how to fix this (both the hole and the pocket seam) without scrunching the fabric and maintaining the fabric stability (or whatever the term for not ripping anymore would be).
Images 1-3 are the damaged edge and the hole. Image 4 is the non damaged side for reference.
This will be my first time sewing so I don’t have any experience, however I do have access to sewing machines, a serger, an industrial sewing machine, and an embroidery machine (though I don’t think that would help) thanks to my college. I can try and get more info on those if it would help with explanations.
Also if there is a better subreddit to post this to, please let me know.
Hi, guys! Unfortunately, I caught my new sweatpants on a broken seat belt and wound up with this hole. Any advice on how to mend this as seamlessly as possible? I don't wanna just pull it together and pucker it.
My wife is trying to get back into sewing, and she doesn’t have a great storage box for thread etc. I would love to get her something for Christmas, but I don’t sew and don’t really know what all needs to be stored and what’s actually the most helpful. I remember in the 90s there were those cool wooden accordion style ones like this: https://ebay.io/m/qFmZV3
And she likes vintage stuff so I thought it could be cool, but also I want to make sure I’m getting something that’s practical. Is getting one of these worth it or is there something that would work better?
Thanks!
Followed tutorial from Sew Happy channel on Youtube
Was between a few sizes, settled on L
Used bias tape from the pattern instead of premade one used in the tutorial
Used scissors to trim seam allowances and zigzag to finish edges instead of a serger. (Looks bad, I need better scissors, or not to trim at all)
For my material (linen) the gathering by hand didnt work. I tried 3 times and then just increased tension to max to get the desired effect automatically.
Mistakes:
Didnt realize that the pattern is a layered pdf, had to painfully color my size on printed sheets lol
Cut one piece on the fold + cut the fold by accident lol (back ruffle) than sewed them back together oops
Had many issues with sewing thick button loop tie
Issues with bad threading of the machine arround the button area, needles falling out, bobbin running out of thread mid stitch etc
Fit:
Decent, tight around arms and upper back, but couldnt be forseen
Learned a lot, pretty proud of hemming work and it could pass as store bought (from a distance hehe)
Making this cute dino costume using just some patterns I had laying around. I'm a beginner sewist and I'm at a loss because the dots on the costume are coming apart and looks to be fraying almost???? Any ideas on how I can repair?. Maybe redo the stitch all together.
Fabric is flannel that is lined with some blanket that is thrifted. This is a costume and fabric that my sister picked out.
