Does Needle Size Matter?

Of course, the size of your needle matters (you don’t want to use a needle that’s too small or too big for the type of stitching you’re doing), but does the number assigned to the size matter? Not really. What you will discover as you gain experience in stitching is that you will have various needle sizes that become your general favorites. And you’ll instinctively reach for the right size needle for the type of stitching you’re doing, no matter what the number assigned to that needle happens to be.

Essentially, you get a feel for the size of needle you need for the technique, threads, and fabric you’re working with.

When I’m stitching regular surface embroidery, my “universal” go-to needle is a #7 embroidery needle. It accommodates most of the threads I use quite comfortably. If I am working on something a finer, I might opt for an 8 or 9.

I use a #10 for fine stitching with silk, and occasionally a #12, if I’m using very fine silk.

But for everyday stitching, I’ve usually got a #7 in my fingers.

As far as brands go, when it comes to affordable needles, I split my needle world between John James needles and Bohin needles. There are other needles I like, too, but John James and Bohin are both widely available, decent needles. John James has a better variety of needle sizes and types.

Needle Size & Thread Weight

Experienced embroiderers generally acquire a feel for what size needle will work best in specific stitching situations.

Here are four tips to help you decide what size needle to use:

1. The needle should be able to pull the thread (including the doubled thread near the eye) through the fabric fairly easily, without allowing too much abrasion on the thread as it passes through the fabric.

The rule of thumb that I always heard growing up is that the shaft of the needle should be about as thick as the embroidery thread. But the only situations where this really works are in counted techniques, needlepoint, stitching on open weaves, and any other time there’s already enough space between the fabric threads for the needle to pass through easily. For surface embroidery, you have to consider not only the thickness of the thread, but also the thickness of the thread at the eye where the thread is doubled, and the weave of the fabric. A tighter, close weave is going to require a needle that can make the right-sized hole for the thread and the needle to pass through.

2. Although you may hear a pop as the needle passes through the fabric (the pop is usually most evident on very taut fabrics), there should be no real resistance in the fabric when pulling the eye of the needle through. If there’s resistance – if the fabric is pulling and denting, and you really have to fight to get the needle through – that’s a sign you should be using a larger needle.

3. Although there might be a soft noise as the rest of the thread passes through the fabric, there should not be a loud zipper noise. If the thread makes a loud zipper noise and you can feel resistance as you pull the thread all the way through to the end of the stitch, chances are, your needle isn’t big enough.

4. The hole the needle makes should be large enough for the thread to pass through, but not any larger. The needle should not leave a visible hole around the thread.

Keep in mind that there is no absolute formula or rule for what size needle to use for specific threads. While general suggestions might be made, the selection of the needle is often based on personal preference – what needle are you comfortable with in this stitching situation? Over time, it becomes second nature to know what size needle will work best.

Tapestry Needles

Tapestry needles have a long eye, a shaft slightly thinner than the eye (the eye bulges slightly at the top of the needle), and a blunt tip.

Tapestry needles come in sizes 13-28, with 13 being the largest and 28 being the finest.

They are used primarily for counted thread work (cross stitch, blackwork) and needlepoint, or any needlework on fabric or canvas that has open holes that determine where each stitch is placed.

The blunt tip of the tapestry needle helps us avoid piercing the fabric threads while we stitch.

Tapestry needles are also used for whipping or lacing embroidery stitches. Whipping or lacing stitches involves passing under and around stitches that are already worked on the ground fabric, but does not involve passing in and out of the fabric often. The blunt tip of the needle helps us avoid snagging the foundation stitches.

Whipped and laced stitches can be worked without a tapestry needle, too. If the needle has a sharp tip, just pass it eye-first under the foundation stitches.

Identifying Needle Sizes

If, however, you do like to know what size needle you’re using when you’re stitching, you may find these aids helpful.

These Needle ID Cards are really nice to have on hand, if you must know your needle size.

The images on them are true to size and shape of the given needles, so you place the needle on the image and find the one it fits on. Voilá! You know what kind and size you’re using!

The other side of the card has interesting information about needles, their history, and their uses.

As luck would have it, by the way – and just to confuse the whole needle sizing question – French needles tend to be sized slightly differently from English. On the embroidery needle ID Card, you can find measurements for French embroidery needles on one side and English needles on the other. This is helpful if you use Bohin needles from France.

I find the cards handy when I’m kitting projects for other people. Once I’ve stitched a project, I might want to confirm what size needles I was using. I can double check the size on the ID Cards to make sure that I order the right size for my kits.

Online, you can find Needle ID Cards available at Needle in a Haystack on their needles page. Just scroll all the way to the end of the page, where you’ll find several needle accessories. They’re also available at any fine needlework shop that carries goods from Access Commodities.