Schmetz Stretch Needles ~ Size 75/11, 5 needles per pack. These needles fit the Singer Featherweight 221 and 222 perfectly!
Click here to download this antique booklet illustrating how a Singer Needle was made
by the Singer Manufacturing Company
Below, you will find information that was taken from an old Singer Machine Sewing Teacher’s Textbook with updates for today’s sewing. Much of the information is still current and useful.
A perfect stitch can be obtained only when the thread is selected to suit the fabric which is to be stitched and the needle is the correct size for the thread. If the needle is too fine for the thread and the material to be sewn, it is quite likely to break when crossing a seam. If a large needle is used on fine material, the perforations made by the needle will show on the finished work. A table of correct needles for the various sizes of silk and cotton is given in the table below, but may also be found in the instruction manual for each original Singer machine. This table should be carefully followed when ordering needles and when changing them for various classes of work.
Type of Fabric | Thread Sizes | Needle Sizes | Machine Stitches Per Inch | Hand Needle Sizes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Filmy materials comparable to Net, Marquiesette, Organdy, Ninon | 100 Cotton OO OOO Silk |
9-10 |
Inside Seams ~ 20 Top Stitching ~ 30 |
10 |
Sheer materials comparable to Lawn, Dimity, Voile, Batiste, Chiffon, Rayon Sheer, Rayon Crepe |
80 to 100 Cotton O Silk |
10-11 |
Inside Seams ~ 16 Top Stitching ~ 20 |
9 |
Lightweight fabrics comparable to Gingham, Chambray, Sheer Wool Crepe, Taffeta | 60 to 80 Cotton A and B Silk |
12-14 |
Inside Seams ~ 12 Top Stitching ~ 18 |
8 |
Medium lightweight materials comparable to Poplin, Pique, Percale, Cretonne, Chintz, Faille Wool Flannel, Bengaline, Wool Crepe, Wool Jersey, Linen | 50 to 70 Cotton B Silk |
12-14 |
Inside Seams ~ 12 Top Stitching ~ 16 |
7 or 8 |
Medium heavy materials comparable to Crash, Gabardine, Rep, Corduroy, Velveteen, Linen | 40 to 50 Cotton C Silk |
14-16 | Inside Seams ~ 10 Top Stitching ~ 12 |
6 |
Heavy materials comparable to Sailcloth, Denim, Ticking |
30 to 40 Cotton 24 to 30 Cotton D Silk |
16, 18* or 19 |
Inside Seams ~ 8 Top Stitching ~ 10 |
4 or 5 |
Very heavy materials comparable to overcoating | 40 to 60 Linen 20 to 24 Cotton E Silk |
18-21 |
Inside Seams ~ 6 Top Stitching ~ 8 |
3 |
Plastic Materials |
Mercerized Cotton |
11-12 |
Inside Seams ~ 10 Top Stitching ~ 12 |
None |
* Size 18 is the largest size needle that can be used in the Singer Featherweight 221, 222, & 301 Machines