As a quilter for may years, I have used many different needles to piece (sew together) my quilts. I prefer the Quilting 7/11 or a universal 70/10. You will find that the smaller the needle, the smaller the hole the needle has made in the fabric and so the less damage to the cotton threads (warp and weft threads) that make up the yard goods. The seams tend to lay better because they don't have a large hole to 'bend' over and when sewing a 'scant' quarter inch seam, that will make a difference in the overall size of the finished block.
Top stitch needles are made for just what they are called, top stitching. Universal needles have a rounded tip and 'push' their way through the warp and weft threads, so they don't damage the fabric, but they do push the threads out of alignment just slightly and can cause puckering depending on the weave or thread count of the cotton or the stitch length you are using. (shorter stitch length means you are placing more thread per inch into the weave if the fabric, pushing the weave apart causing puckering, than a longer stitch length which tends to have more thread lay on top of the layers and not go into the weave)
Quilting needles have a point and 'pierce' the fabric. Although this does cause a small amount of damage to the fabric, the small size of the needle, minimizes this damage. Because they pierce the fabric instead of pushing it out of the way, the fabric does not pucker as much with the smaller stitch lengths used in quilting because you are actually cutting the threads of the fabric to make way for the 'spool' thread.
If you don't have either one of these needles in your kit yet, a NEW universal 80/12 will work just fine. and you shouldn't worry about puckering and such just yet. As for the quilting portion of the quilt, I use a Jeans 90/14 because they are sharp and strong and made to go through denim so going through the quilt top, the batting and then the backing at high speeds, does not slow this needle down. There are many different thoughts on what needle to use for the 'quilting' portion, that is your personal preference.
You will get a lot of answers to this question, all are right and all are wrong depending on whom you ask but I think everyone will agree that a universal 80/12 with 100% cotton thread like Gutterman or Arifil will be your best bet for your 1st quilt.
Good luck and post pictures of your progress and finished 1st quilt!
Last edited by Fabriclovr; 02-17-2012 at 05:48 PM.