In case you’re wondering – Schnap and I recommend the Schmetz Sharp Needles 130-705 H-M Microtex 90/14 for piecing and quilting.   And not just because we like the name.

I started getting curious about what all the numbers really mean.  That’s my geeky side showing.  I found that Schmetz has a nice handy downloadable guide.

It turns out that on our preferred quilting needle, the 130/705 H part means that it’s for a home/household sewing machine (vs. industrial), and the 90 is the diameter of the part of the needle above the pointy part.  Schmetz calls that the blade.  So for instance , an 80 is a smaller diameter needle.  I’m still not clear on what the 14 part of the needle means.  Maybe the eye size?

Anyway, in one fell swoop, I increased my knowledge of needles by about 500% so I thought I’d share.  Hopefully not needlessly.

Here in the home office, we use our needles until they’re not sharp.   Which is usually after piecing 1-3 quilts.  Or quilting one quilt. Or when  the needle runs over something it should not be running over (like a pin or a finger). Or when fabric points start getting pushed into the plate of the sewing machine.   And paper piecing is murder on sharp needles.  I don’t think there’s any way around that.