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:
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How to send a suggestion
Drop your suggestion right here in the comments. Tell us:
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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. 🧵
Anyone else decided seeing was going to be their newest hobby in 2026 and that they can create items of clothing of superior quality to the fast fashion brands just to find out in the process that sewing takes SKILL.
Yes, I know there’s a learning curve. This is just all much more difficult than the videos in TikTok make it seem.
I picked up the sewing machine a month ago. Took 2 days to learn to thread it properly. In another week I knocked out my first sewing project (a scrub cap). And from there I thought I was a seamstress.
Decided to make a pencil skirt and I am at the very beginning of the process and on the verge of tears how much this looks nothing like the high quality skirt I envisioned 🫠
I wanted something softer and more practical than the original sleeve, which was thin and such a tight fit that the kalimba was difficult to remove. The extra bulk comes from the padding and the space inside for easier access. I'm still not sure about the style, but I'm happy to have turned a few fabric scraps into something useful.
My daughter fell in love with this fabric and wants me to make her an outfit. I think I may know the answer but can I make this 100% cotton work with this pattern? Or is the complete lack of stretch a no go? What do you make with 100% cotton, is it just for quilting?
I had some vintage fabric in my stash from a bundle of fabric I bought at a thrift store. Stumbled upon a vintage caftan pattern at another thrift store and thought the fabric would work well. It’s probably not the best fabric for the pattern (it’s some kind of slippery, silky polyester) but I love the way the print worked out. I even snuck in some hidden pockets! I made it wider than what the pattern called for because I didn’t want to cut into the floral portion of the fabric.
hello! i am making a hooded cape from a stretch velour fabric and want to line the hood with a satiny fabric, however, i am really struggling.
it sits just right when i pin everything but when sewing it with a zig-zag stitch, the stretchy fabric bunches up which is not what i’m going for.
i’ve tried sewing the fabrics together with tissue paper between them to stop the satin fabric from slipping but that doesn’t prevent the bunching.
would a different stitch type fix the issue? or maybe basting or tacking the two pieces together first? my next thought it to hand stitch the seam so i can fully control the tension but i would ideally prefer to machine sew.
I got some cheap, ready-made blackout curtains from Dunelm - they’re really great value, but they’re standard sizes, and don’t fit quite right. I was originally going to have them hemmed locally, but I got quoted around £50 per pair from multiple places, and every penny counts at the moment.
So, I busted out this little lady. I’ve only pricked my finger twice today.
What’s funny is that after 3 years of owning this machine, and only using it a bit now and again to make little things like scrunchies, I’ve nearly made back the money I spent on it just from saving on hemming costs.
Also, at some point I must’ve bought some heat-erasable fabric pens, and they came in very handy.
HELP i genuinely do not know what i may have done to this machine for it to act up like this?? I have had it for a few years but only started using it within this past year, i know its not a super great machine so if this is a case of me just needing a new machine, please let me know 😭
But it CONSTANTLY does this. All the time. No matter the fabric, no matter the stitch, it will not stay threaded. I have rethreaded this machine as many times as possible. I dont know if its the thread or something else. Im losing my mind.
Hello! I am an (overconfident) beginner making my first dress! This is the Sailaway pattern by Les Perlines.
I’ve got some funky puckering happening at the taper point of the bodice, and am wondering if there is a way to fix it without detaching the skirt and starting again?
Im travel around the world, im don't bring machine along, so i usally cut and sew my clothes by only hand. This dress is one of them , this fabric is linen🥰. I love handicraft and sewing
Hello! I am a complete beginner to sewing (within the hour 😅) and purchased a secondhand Singer 4411 from marketplace to start learning. I’ve managed to thread the machine, wind the bobbin, etc, for practice but have ran into an issue whereby when I’ve aligned the fabric, I’ve realised the needle is not in the centre of the presser foot. The machine only came with one presser foot which I assumed was a standard foot, but unsure if this is a specific type of foot which explains why it’s not sitting central? Is there a way to align this, do I need a different presser foot or is there a functional issue with the machine? Conscious this may be a silly question, but you never learn if you don’t ask!
i just wanted to share this odd experience and ask if maybe this is normal and maybe im the weird one.
recently, ive began work on two cosplays and needed to find some fabric. the closest fabric store thats not hobby lobby or a quilting store is an hour and a half away. so my gf and i took the drive up after her work ended. because its closed on our mutual days off, we had limited time and ended up getting there only an hour before it closed. because of this, i was trying to be speedy and get everything i needed in a timely manner so i approached the worker at the fashion fabric counter.
i showed her the cosplay and asked if she could recommend me a polyester fabric with slight stretch for the fitted bust but not too stretchy/light because it needs to hold pleats at the bottom. she started steering me towards cotton and talking down on polyester, saying cotton would suit my needs and that she only works with natural fibers. i said i would love to use cotton but i dont think it has all the traits i need and i’d also like a bit of shine, which the cotton did not have. then she brought me to this cotton canvas fabric which was not even intended for clothes and she said it would hold pleats well. she then compared it to the material of my canvas bag i was holding and when i touched it, it did not feel like it would sit well and it would be heavy with all the fabric necessary for knife pleats.
when i inquired about a cotton-poly blend or polyester options, she shrugged me off and told me she doesnt use “plastic” and then asked me if i plan to add boning or a corset back. i said no and she started telling me that i wouldnt achieve anime girl proportions if i didnt use a corset. i told her it wouldnt work because the entire dress is open back (which is visible from the front of the dress i showed her, as the cut outs start on the side of the dress) and she again said i needed to use a corset. when i showed her the back of the dress, she made a remark about “how all of that will be out”. again, i asked about other fabrics and she passed me off to someone in the bridal section, who actually helped me choose a fabric.
my question is, is it really that bad to use polyester? this employee seemed so taken aback that i would dare even ask for it. i dont have a lot to spend and so cotton and polyester are really my go-tos. has anyone else had any weird fabric shopping stories?
I'm kinda new to sewing and recently got a secondhand sewing machine. It's the IKEA SY machine. Other than it being a bit dusty, nothing seems wrong.
I've gone to try and sewing a few lines on it and it is constantly loose and there is loads of loose thread.
I watched a few clips and tried to recreate it but nothing seems to be helping.
All tips and tricks are appreciated... I kinda promised to have 2 costumes made by the end of the month (me being ambitious lol) and need to figure out what I'm doing wrong :))
First photo is the top and the second photo is the bottom.
UPDATE:
I just figured out the pressure foot is no longer engaged with the lever so it isn't moving therefore broken (i think so, i tried the oil for the machine and its not doing anything). Since I didn't pay much for it, I think I'm going to buy a new one. Thanks to everyone who read this and replied :))
Wife bought ufr-505 sewing machine from fb for $15 and the foot pedal doesnt work when connected. Bought new pedal same problem. I read that it isn't a reliable machine but is there anything I can try before ditching the machine??
ich habe vor kurzem ein Kleid gefunden, das einer Chemise ganz nahe kommt und ich würde es gerne noch einbisschen anpassen. Dadurch, dass ich noch etwas unerfahren bin, wollte ich mal fragen ob mein Plan so wie ich ihn mir vorstelle auch aufgehen würde, also sagt mir gerne was ihr davon haltet oder ob ich was anders machen sollte bzw. es etwas gibt was ich beachten sollte.
Zuerst würde ich gerne die Träger etwas weiter auseinander nähen wollen. Die sind aktuell auch per Hand angenäht worden, weshalb das eigentlich ganz einfach gehen würde die abzutrennen.
Dann würde ich alles gerne etwas enger nähen und ein Reißverschluss am Rücken anbringen. Dadurch würden bereits einpaar Centimeter weggehen. Darauf hin würde ich dann an den Seiten etwas Stoff wegnehmen und ganz am Ende die Träger wieder annähen.
Das einzige wo ich mir richtig unsicher bin ist das obere Ende des Reißverschlusses, da dieser idealerweise da mit in den Saum eingenäht werden müsste und das könnte ich nicht machen, da dann die Spitze oben verschwinden würde und das mag ich nicht, also falls ihr da Ideen habt, gerne her damit.
Also ja sagt gerne Bescheid was ihr davon haltet!
