Sewing Machine Needles
Sewing Machine Needles by W. A. Wimalaweera
Introduction
We know that the needle is a main element in the sewing machine. Earlier people used tiny pieces of material for sewing. Initially they were made from hones or bones of animals. In this session we will follow the gradual improvement of the needle.
According to the type of material, there are different types of needles available. How ever the structural parts of a needle is common to all types. Needles are available in a wide range of sizes. The selection of the correct size of needle is essential to make a good seam. Needles are made to different sizes. Different manufacturers use different methods or scales to indicate needle size. Therefore in this session we will deal with the structural parts of a needle and also the common methods of needle sizing.
1 History of the needle
As mentioned in the introduction tiny pieces of material made from the horns or bones of animals were used by mankind for sewing purposes. These tools had a drilled hole, which corresponds with eye of a present day needle. Later people made it from copper and iron, but they had a very poor surface finish. Until the early 15th century, hand sewing needles production was not well established in Germany. However today, Germany is the world centre of sewing machine needle manufacture. From the 15th to the 18th centuries, needle manufacture was highly labour intensive. However, the invention of the sewing machine brought about changes in the needle manufacturing process. By the 1820's sewing needle manufacture became mechanised. This enabled needles to be produced in large quantities by machines.
Functions of a sewing machine needle
(i) The needle should be able to make a hole in the material to be sewn in order to pass the needle thread through the material. When doing this, material should not be damaged.
(ii) Carry the needle thread through the material in order to be caught by the bobbin hook in lock stitch
Introduction
We know that the needle is a main element in the sewing machine. Earlier people used tiny pieces of material for sewing. Initially they were made from hones or bones of animals. In this session we will follow the gradual improvement of the needle.
According to the type of material, there are different types of needles available. How ever the structural parts of a needle is common to all types. Needles are available in a wide range of sizes. The selection of the correct size of needle is essential to make a good seam. Needles are made to different sizes. Different manufacturers use different methods or scales to indicate needle size. Therefore in this session we will deal with the structural parts of a needle and also the common methods of needle sizing.
1 History of the needle
As mentioned in the introduction tiny pieces of material made from the horns or bones of animals were used by mankind for sewing purposes. These tools had a drilled hole, which corresponds with eye of a present day needle. Later people made it from copper and iron, but they had a very poor surface finish. Until the early 15th century, hand sewing needles production was not well established in Germany. However today, Germany is the world centre of sewing machine needle manufacture. From the 15th to the 18th centuries, needle manufacture was highly labour intensive. However, the invention of the sewing machine brought about changes in the needle manufacturing process. By the 1820's sewing needle manufacture became mechanised. This enabled needles to be produced in large quantities by machines.
Functions of a sewing machine needle
(i) The needle should be able to make a hole in the material to be sewn in order to pass the needle thread through the material. When doing this, material should not be damaged.
(ii) Carry the needle thread through the material in order to be caught by the bobbin hook in lock stitch