Let's Talk About...Needles and Pins

So who thought a pin was a pin, and a needle was a needle? It’s so not the case.

For those of us that sew, we all know it’s better that you have the right tools for the job.

For hand sewing, a needle has to feel right in the hand, not too long, too short, too thick or too thin. And you have to be able to thread it without too much fuss and bother. What you don’t want is a needle that leaves a big stitch hole in the fabric, or difficulty pushing it through thicker fabric.

For decades my go to needle of choice, that felt just right, was a needle I helped myself to from my mother’s sewing box, over 40 years ago, when I was still living at my parents home. As a needle, I took it for granted. I kept it in my pin tin, with a piece of thread still in the eye, left over from its last use, so I could find it easily the next time I needed it. It was medium thickness; a reasonable length; and an eye that I could thread practically with my eyes shut. Then one day, about 6 or 7 years ago, it was no longer in my pin tin. I searched my sewing space high and low for it. It had completely disappeared. I presume it got caught up in my thread discard pile at the side of my sewing machine and pin tin, and accidentally got thrown out. I still mourn that needle. I haven’t found one since, that feels right in the hand, even though I have plenty to choose from in the house. 

Pins also have to feel right. Again, not too thick, leaving puncture wounds in the fabric; not too long and thin that are difficult to manoeuvre.

My pin tin, which is actually plastic, dates back to 1978. There are lots of different pins in there, and I’m not sure which are the original ones. Some are a bit short and thick; some are extra long with a plastic blob on the end; and some are just right. My favourite pins are a little bit longer and a little bit finer than the shorter ones. I tend to leave these out of the tin, to be reused regularly. And for a bit of nostalgia, I have just one special pin, acquired from my mothers sewing box. She inherited a number of these pins from her great aunt, brass, with a curly end.

Sewing machine needles also have to be the right thickness for the job. Basically there are 4 needle thickness categories, 70, 80, 90, 100. 70 is used for fine fabric, going up to 100 for a thick fabric like denim. So for a normal multi-purpose job an 80 or 90 will do most things. And I have discovered that gold tipped needles do an even better job, as they stay sharper for longer. Too fine a needle, sewing through a deep thickness of fabric, could result in a broken needle. We’ve all done it, forgetting which needle is on the machine, and it’s always a shock to the system when it snaps. 

I have plenty of different shapes and sizes of needles, from extra fine extra long bead needles; tapestry needles; and curly, strong upholstery needles.

I haven’t bought any new pins since 1978, but I seem to have plenty in the house. Some have been inherited from aged aunts along with their sewing boxes, and some have become acquired over the years, somehow. Nothing goes to waste when it comes my way!