About Sewing Machine Needles

Part 1: The Parts of a Sewing Machine Needle

sewing machine needle

Refer to the illustration above to learn about each part of the sewing machine needle.

Shank
The shank is the upper part of the needle. This is the part of the needle that is inserted into your sewing machine. There is a flat side and a round side. Make sure that the flat side faces away from you and the round side faces toward you when you are sitting in front of your sewing machine.

Shaft
The shaft begins from the base of the shank to the point of your needle. The width of the shaft is the size of your needle.

Groove
There is a groove that runs down the front of your needle. When your sewing needle is inserted into your fabric by your sewing machine, the thread lays within this groove and is protected.

Scarf
The scarf is the indention in the back of the needle near the point. This indention allows the bobbin thread to pass closely to the needle’s eye catching the needle thread… creating a stitch.

Eye
The needle eye is the hole near the point of the needle. The thread passes through the needle from front to back. The thread should pass easily through the needle. You may have to choose a sewing machine needle based on the size of the eye if you are working with thicker thread.

Point
The point is the sharp tip of your needle that penetrates the fabric. There are different needle points for different fabrics.

So far you’ve learned that sewing machines needles can vary based on the diameter of the shaft, the size of the needle eye and the type of point.

Sewing Machine Needle Sizes

On the packages of sewing needles you will see two numbers. The larger number is the European metric system and it tells you the diameter of the needle in fractions of a millimeter. The smaller number is the American numbering system.

For twin needles, the first needle is the distance between the needles in millimeteres. The second number is the European number for the size of the needle.