Patches are pieces of embroidered designs made on clothes making use of thread, fabric backing, and needles. They are also known as appliqué patches or cloth badges.
While sewing patches, it is of utmost importance to know which fabric to choose and what needle suits it the best. These factors determine the ease of the job. So what are the best needles are sewing patches?
The kind of fabric you use, the material of the patch, the kind of stitches you make, and the kind of thread you use are some of the factors that determine the type of needle you should choose for your upcoming project.
Patches can either be sewed on the machine or hand-sewed. Depending on the method of getting the job done, needle, spools, and other sewing accessories are used.
It is not difficult to get ahold of patches and needles. You can buy patches from the store or make them by hand. Needles can be purchased easily online (and we’ll show you our favorites!).
Before you buy a needle, it’s important to know exactly what to look for. Buying a needle doesn’t have to feel like searching for a needle in a haystack! It can be much easier, as long as you know what you’re shopping for.
Factors To Consider While Buying Needles For Sewing Patches
Here are a few factors to keep in mind before you decide to buy a needle to sew patches onto your clothes.
Point
The point of the needle is the tip that pierces through the fabric to pull the rest of the needle and the thread through it.
There are three types of points:
- sharp,
- universal,
- and ball-point.
The most widely used needles in embroidery have are universal needles. This is because universal points usually go well with every sort of fabric (hence the term, “universal”). It is essential that the needle pierces through the structure of the cloth and patch easily.
Size
In terms of size, needles with lower size numbers are more delicate compared to the ones with higher size numbers. Generally, needles range from 70 to 110 mm in size.
The UK size equivalent lies from 7 to 11 mm. The type of fabric, thread, and stabilizer decide the kind of needles you should opt for. Another aspect of stitching that weighs in is the density of the stitch along the edges of your patch.
Type
The type of needles means the material it is made of. If the patch you are working on requires extensive heavy-duty use of needles, it is recommended that you choose needles made of stronger materials like titanium. Such needles can penetrate sturdy fabric well.
For large embroidered designs, string needles are used as well. Regular needles that have chromium plating tend to lose their sharpness or worse, break easily if they are used for extensive work.
General Tips When Choosing Needles
It is suggested to use a bigger needle for tough or dense materials. Light fabrics like cotton or batiste employ smaller needles.
If the patch is made out of dense material or is being embroidered upon a thick fabric, then it is better to opt for a titanium needle with a sharp point.
Patches that are being machine-sewed necessitate needles that are suitable for the machine. The shank of the needle varies from brand to brand. Thus, it is essential to check beforehand.
The specifications of the machine should be kept in mind.
Best Needles For Sewing Patches
1. Professional Needle Collection by John James
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These are general purpose needles that are commonly used in all homes. They have round and short eyes that offer added strength during sewing patches to fabric.
Sharps of 2, 3, and 4 are used for sewing on medium to dense fabrics while 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are used for lighter fabrics.
The sizes 10, 11, and 12 are called petite needles as they are fine and short with small eyes. These are the needles that are used for intricate stitches, especially if you need to create fine stitches around patches.
2. Singer Titanium Universal Assorted Machine Needles for Woven Fabric
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Singer is well known in the sphere of needle brands. It is one of the most reputable brands known to make some of the most durable and best needles in the market.
This assortment of titanium needles is best for all sorts of fabrics. You can effortlessly use needles in this pack to suit your cloth material.
A Singer needle suffers less breakage, minimal point damage, reflects heat away and lasts five times longer than regular sewing needles. They are color-coded for the user’s ease.
Further, this makes it easier for the users to differentiate between 80-11 mm, 90-14 mm, and 100-16 mm.
Trust Singer needles to help you seal the deal with your bright and colorful patches.
3. Schmetz Jean & Denim Machine Needles
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If you are looking to sew a patch onto your pair of jeans or denim jacket, use these needles to get the best result with minimum effort from your side.
These needles are best compatible with artificial leather cloth and vinyl. They penetrate well through thick material like denim and make patchwork an easy task.
4. Mudder 30-Count Assorted Hand Sewing Needles Set
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This packet contains 30 different types of hand needles that make working by hand easy. You can skip the machine and use these needles to sew your patch on to your piece of clothing.
This pack comes in three separate packages in one, which means customers have to purchase 90 needles in total.
Mudder’s Assorted Pack of Hand Sewing Needles makes heavy-duty mending to simple light-weighted stitches an easy job.
Types of Patches
Patches are primarily cover up damaged, torn or unattractive areas of fabric. Patches are nowadays used to make clothing appear stylish and fancy.
Embroidered patches are used for several reasons as well. They not only function as fashion accessories but also work to serve as signs for people belonging to a particular organization and aid as a recognition mark.
For instance, uniforms of armed and military forces have patches sewed on them. Other special services and emergency services also use patches for their uniforms.
Sports teams all over the world have personalized patches embroidered on their jerseys. They are also used to denote rank in an association like scout clubs, unions, and youth groups. Moreover, space agencies and mission controls also make use of patches on the astronaut’s uniforms.
From recognition marks to style statements, we can see that patches serve many purposes.
Related Questions
Apart from the size, type, and point, what are the other things we should keep in mind when it comes to needles and patchwork?
Apart from the given factors viz. size, type, and point, one should consider a few more things when selecting the right needle. They are the fabric, thread, stabilizer, and density of stitches.
These also determine the kind of needles that are best suited for the kind of work you have undertaken. The needle must penetrate through the fabrics of both the clothing and the patch quickly so that it secures the patch in place.
Should I buy an assortment of needles or look for one particular type of needle?
It is always better to have an assortment of needles as you can work on different projects differently as and when required.
Besides, in case of needle breakage, you can easily replace it with a similar one from the assortment instead of waiting for another purchase.
What can I do if I need a sharp point or ball-point needle but cannot find one?
Regular sewing machine needles can be used for machine embroidery work too. They can be easily used to stitch patches on to fabric. The trick is to go up a size so that the eye of the needle is wide enough for you to insert the embroidery thread through it.
However, you need to ensure whether the thread fits comfortably through the eye of the needle. You must not face difficulty pulling the thread out of the fabric to make stitches.
Can I use a machine needle for a hand-sewn project?
It will be challenging to use a machine needle for a hand-sewn project as most machine needles come with a shaft on top which is inserted in the machine.
Sew Your Patches On Your Own Using The Best Of The Needles
Make sure to sew your patch on to your piece of clothing with maximum ease and least effort by choosing the right needle for yourself. Trust on popular brands like Singer, Euro-Notions, Dritz, and BronaGrand for making appliqué patches sewing work look like a child’s play.
These brands make sure to manufacture needles that provide the least support on your fingertips, saving them from cuts and pan. The needles are chromium coated to protect them from rust. They are made to weigh light so that they do not fall heavy on the hand or affect the machine work.
