Page 51 - CITS - Dress Making - TT - 2024

DRESS MAKING - CITS

1 Butt : located at the needle’s very end. Butt helps for easily attaching the needle with the needle bar or clamp
of the sewing machine.
2 Shank: Shank is the bottom part of the sewing needle which is tied in the needle bar. It may be flat or cylindrical
on one side. Shank is wider than the remaining parts of the needle and works as support of the needle.
3 Shoulder: The shoulder is the part between the shank and blade of the sewing machine needle. It reduces
friction between the needle and the fabric.
4 Blade : The blade is the part from needle eye to shoulder. It is the longest part of the needle and maximum
friction with fabric takes place in this area. The blade is gradually tapered to the tip.
5 Long groove : A long groove is a long and thin groove in the blade from shoulder to needle eye. Sewing
thread takes place in this groove during up and down of sewing machine needle through the fabric in sewing
time, thus reduce the friction between needle, fabric, and sewing thread.
6 Short groove : A short groove is placed on the side of the needle where the hook or looper is placed. It is a
small groove between the tip and the needle eye. A short groove helps the sewing thread to create a loop.
7 The eye of the needle : the opening at the needle’s top. Its purpose is to hold the thread.
8 Scarf : The scarf is a curved slot near the eye. It helps to close the setting between the looper and needle. As
a result, it is easy to catch the needle loop by the hook or looper.
9 Point : Point is the part from the needle eye to the tip. It helps to penetrate the needle into the fabric without
any damages. Also, proper care should be taken to select the needlepoint appropriately for the fabrics.
Needle System
Each industrial sewing machine is compatible with a specific type of needle, this is the machine’s needle system.
It is important to ensure you are using the correct needle system for your machine. The needle system governs
the needle’s length and is usually defined by physical attributes of the needle, such as length, thickness, etc.
Needle Size

Needles come in different sizes (or shaft thicknesses) and are described by an American and European size. The
larger the needle size, the thicker and stronger the needle will be. The needle size required corresponds to the
thickness of the material you are sewing with and the size of thread you are using. Thicker needles tend to be
used for thicker fabrics, and thinner needles for thinner fabrics. A larger needle size will make a larger hole in the
material being sewn and therefore accommodates a larger thread size.
The size is written as a series of numbers with the European number first, a backslash, and then the American
number.
European American How It’s Written
60 8 60/8
65 9 65/9
70 10 70/10
75 11 75/11
80 12 80/12
90 14 90/14
100 16 100/16
110 18 110/18

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