Page 49 - CITS - Dress Making - TT - 2024

DRESS MAKING - CITS

Regular or Universal point : ideal for light to heavyweight woven fabrics. Universal point needles go through,
not around the fibers within the woven fabric.
Needle size is determined by the weight of the fabric to be sewn.

Needles are mostly available in different sizes-the higher the number, the smaller the size of the needle. (Needles
with a larger number are finer and shorter and smaller numbers mean the needle is thicker and longer.)
Cutting Point: Cutting point needles have sharp tips like blades. They can be used while sewing sheet type
materials like plastic, leather or other materials. Because, in these materials there is no gap within the structure.
So the needle point must prepare sufficient hole in the material so that the needle blade and thread can pass
through it without excessive friction.
Mainly cutting points are divided into three types
a Wedge Point
b Cross Point

c Twist Point

Common Types of Needles for Sewing
1 Sharp Sewing Needles (Sharps)
Sharps are medium-length needles with – as their name suggests – a sharp point
and a round eye. They are also referred to as general-purpose sewing needles.
Sharp needles are available in different sizes
Size 1, 2, 3 and 4: Suitable for medium to heavy fabrics.
Size 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10: Suitable for light to medium fabrics.

Size 11 and 12: Suitable for fine fabrics or creating small delicate
stiches.
Size 16, 17 and 18 are known as Carpet Sharps and, as their name suggests, are
most commonly used in the design and manufacture of carpets and rugs.

2 Embroidery Needles
Embroidery needles have sharp tips and longer eyes than a standard Sharps
needle, making them more suitable for threading stranded cotton and thick thread.

3 Quilting Needles
Quilting needles are thin and short for accurate and quick sewing. These needles
have long shanks and can easily penetrate through quilt layers. They make even
small stitches needed for quilting and hemming.

4 Tapestry / Cross Stitch Needles

These needles have a blunt point and a big eye (Oval eye) – an elongated eye
for easy threading, and a blunt point enables the needle to pass through fabrics
without tearing or splitting its fibers. Sizes range from 13-28. It is especially used
for needlepoint, counted cross-stitch and counted thread embroidery. This is also
used for needle point embroidery, canvas work, and for stitching on plastic canvas.

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CITS : Apparel - Dress Making - Lesson 6 & 7 (3)