Checking the quality of the installation
After installing the machine needle it is not advisable to immediately start working on the sewing project. First of all, check the installation and sew a test stitch on a scrap piece of fabric. Stitches should be straight, of equal length. If there was a tear in the thread, the position of the needle should be changed slightly by starting to rotate to one side.
With poor quality, oblique stitches, you should also adjust the position of the tool in the needle holder. Check the stitching until it comes out flat with the same length of stitches.
Incorrect installation of the needle: the cause of failure
Malfunctions are caused by a tool that has not been installed correctly. These faults, in turn, lead to an inability to continue sewing. The main faults are needle breakage and skipped stitches.
Causes of machine needle breakage include:
- mismatch needle number and fabric thickness;
- tool bending;
- needle is not fully inserted into the needle bar;
- perhaps the needle bar itself is warped.
A few words about sewing machine needles
Indeed, the fact that the eye of the needle is at the bottom is misleading to many inexperienced seamstresses. But for those who have already studied the structure of machine needles, it is clear why it is located there. Such a feature is explained by their principle of operation. The reason is that when sewing begins, the needle (with a thread through the eye) moves downwards and pierces the fabric. At this time, the thread runs through the long and short grooves. If on the side of the first it moves easily, then on the side of the second it is clamped between the material and the needle, and then it is slowed down at all. This is when the loop is created. It is picked up by the hook, thus forming a stitch.
But if the needle is inserted incorrectly, especially the wrong side, the sewing process will not be possible. Not only that, but mistakes in installation can cause the machine to malfunction. Such problems will have to be solved at a service center or even in a store by buying a new device.
Installing the needle on different types of machines
As already noted, the thread must be inserted into the needle from the side of the long groove. With straight machines, this is usually on the left side, whereas with a zigzag stitch type, it is on the front. Installation of the needle in machines type “Podolsk” is made in the highest position of the needle bar, and the flat part of the thickened bulb should be turned to the right. In this case, the long groove is turned to the base of the sleeve. Needle is inserted up to the stop and fixed manually by special screw. An indicator of a correctly installed needle is a nice, straight stitch without any skipped stitches.
According to the instructions, the old needle on Brother brand machines is replaced with the included screwdriver. A new needle is usually installed with the flat side of the bulb facing away from you, inserted as far as it will go and then tighten the screw with a 12 cm long special screwdriver. It is not recommended to tighten the screw by hand because of the low tightening torque.
How to insert the needle correctly into the sewing machine?
Getting the needle correctly installed is fundamental to quality stitching, a functioning sewing machine, and perfectly sewn garments. The installation process can vary greatly from machine to machine. When purchasing a new appliance, you need to know exactly how to insert the needle into the sewing machine. Need help?? Polite Service 5 can help you understand how to operate your machine correctly.
How to properly thread a needle on a sewing machine
Before answering the question posed, let’s understand how the machine needle is designed, and why it is so and not otherwise. Once you understand the purpose of the machine needle, you will never be confused with how to insert it correctly.
How a machine needle is designed?
Ever since Singer patented her unusual.е. different from the hand needle) shape, the needle has not undergone any changes, for there is nothing more to add to this ingeniously simple design.
All machines, both old and ultra-modern, use the same needle design:
How to Properly Install a Needle in an Industrial Sewing Machine
The eye of the needle flows smoothly into the grooves, of which there are two on the machine needle:
The long groove is very easy to find with your thumbnail. Run your fingernail over the needle and you will certainly feel the groove that runs from the eye along the entire blade.
On the opposite side of the long groove is a short groove. In needles for domestic sewing machines, the short groove is always located on the side of the flattened flange 7 on the bulb.
How To: Change Needle on Sewing Machine (Sewing for Beginners)
How a sewing machine forms a stitch?
The needle pierces the fabric and the thread from the bobbin is pulled behind the point and into a long groove. The long groove makes it very easy for the needle and thread to pass through the material.
How to Insert a Sewing Machine Needle
But the needle starts to move upward: the thread in the long groove comes out unhindered. The thread from the side of the short groove gets stuck because of friction in the fabric. Therefore, when the needle is completely out of the material, a loop is formed at the bottom. The needle grips it to form a stitch.
In the picture from the book of Z.Perle’s “Tale of a Machine” role of the shuttle is performed by a mischievous boy)))
So why the long groove??
The thread hides in the long groove when the fabric is pierced. If the thread has nowhere to hide it will break!
Conclusion 1: The needle must always face the long groove in the direction from which the thread is tucked:
The photo shows the needle of Podolsk machine 142, the Chayka has the same, the long groove is located on the side of the worker. And the thread is tucked in on the working side, i.e.e away from yourself.
Conclusion 2: The thread and the needle should match in thickness.
To find the size of the needle and thread, take the needle in your hand with the long groove up, put the thread in the groove, and run your finger over the surface of the blade. If the thread is sticking out over the groove, then the thread is too thick or the needle is too thin for the thread.
Take a thicker needle, but not so thick that the thread is too loose in the groove. This is also bad, but more about that next time
Now that you understand how a machine stitch is formed, you will never confuse how to insert the needle into the machine, and why the thread number must match the needle number
Installing the double needle
Not all needles are suitable for this type of needle. Double needle can be used to sew two parallel stitches with different threads.
To install the twin needle it is not necessary to have a second needle holder on the sewing machine.
Double needle
The following describes how to properly insert the needle into the sewing machine:
- Undo the needle clamping screw and remove the needle holder.
- When inserting the twin needle, the flat side of the needle must be turned away from you and placed in the needle holder.
- Use a screwdriver to turn the screw as far as it will go and fix the needle.
When threading, it is necessary to take into account that the case in question has its own peculiarities. To do this correctly, proceed as follows. Thread the lower thread into the hook in the same way as for the universal needle, but this time the needle tension must be loosened slightly.
On the correct installation of the needle depends on the quality of work
The upper threads must be taken together and tucked in this way into the thread guides. However, they are separated and inserted separately before being hand threaded into the needles.
Unskilled sewing. The seamstress pulls the fabric toward her with her hand
This bends the needle and can damage the hook, needle plate and foot. Do not pull the fabric by hand towards yourself, and only pull the fabric under the presser foot backwards, away from you. If fabric is not moving smoothly, increase presser foot pressure with the foot pressure adjuster or foot pressure switch. Check your sewing machine’s instructions for how to adjust the pressure of the presser foot to the material. The fabric will move along better if you raise the slat teeth slightly. Most sewing machines have a switch for this.
