Frustration Repellent for the Absent-Minded
 

I got so fed up trying to remember what size and type needle I had in which machine as I'm using all three : one to sew, one to quilt and one to bind and for any thicker material, switching pressure feet, thread colors etc. to get my Christmas sewing done. So to keep track of the needle size I took a tiny piece of removable tack-all adhesive and now I simply mount the approppriate plastic needle case on the side of the machine the needle is in. I have saved some empties, tooand now these come handy as frustration repellents!

I'm absent minded too and usually wait way to long to change my needles. I decided to use a sticky note and record the needle size and date I changed it. Seems to be working for me. I say, whatever it takes to help us be more efficient. :)

That sounds like a very good idea, good for you, thanks for the hint.

This was something that was slowly driving me crazy until I got this fantastic needle organiser made for me by sewdamncute on the Secret Pal swap.
Since this photo was taken, I've labelled all the needle packet pockets and when I've got a particular needle in one of my machines I put a coloured pin in the corresponding felt strip.
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I found these little craft boxes that have compartments that are the same size as needle packages. I have two buttons, one for each machine that I drop in the compartment of the needle that's in the machine.


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Which needle I currently have in a machine is always a mystery to me, too. Thank you, ladies, for some really great suggestions!

Thanks for the great suggestions and the reminder to change the needle.

The owner of a local quilt shop who has done many videos, etc. solved this problem. She only uses top-stitch needles. Sure makes life easier and I have not had a problem remembering since I adopted her policy. Yes, I do use jeans needles on denim, but almost exclusively the top-stitch.

Loved these ideas and realize I need to get more organized so my work looks and feels better with the right needle and less effort.

I tape a 3x5 card to the machine with blue painter's tape. On the card I write the size and type of the needles and draw a column to separate them. When I put a needle in the machine, I put the date in the appropriate column. This not only helps to know what is in the machine but gives me some idea how long I have been using that needle.

I stopped worring about this when I discovered topstitch needles! If it sews I use it :).....

Another idea is to coordinate a drop of nail polish with certain sizes and put a drop on the top of the shank just below the screw that holds it in the machine....

I bought a tomato pin cushion and with marker wrote the needle sized in each tomato "section" so I always know where my different needles are. I even have a section for my machine embroidery needles.

I use a sticky note taped to the front of my machine with needle size and date installed. Now I know at a glance how long I've sewn with the same needle and size.

These hints domake since, I will have to adopt one or play with it.

I am bad..I change my needle when it breaks.....I really don't pay any attention to what needle I am using...Guess I've been lucky till now

I use a Post it Note on my Bernina 640. It's my multi purpose machine and the needles get changed for different projects before they are worn out. That way I know if the one in machine is what I need for specific project and if not then I know which case to put it back into.

I guess I'm not very attentive to the needle needs of my machine. When the thread breaks repeatedly, and nothing else explains the problem, I change the needle. That usually does the trick!

I have made 2 "mini quilts" 6 inches square...I even bound them but you wouldn't need to. They are quilted through the middles in each direction and then corner to corner both ways which divides them into 8 sections. I labeled them. One is for my more basic needles, and the other for the specialty needles. And as someone else does, I use a colored pin in the section of the needle I have in my machine. Lots of great ideas here!

Good idea but I need to create a guide sheet / cheat sheet to remember all that stuff.... needless to say I haven't done it yet.

I confess to having the same attitude....perhaps some day we will see the error of our ways..:)
I did order some Titanium needles, so I'll see how long they last, before I break it doing something stupid..

Looked into your Etsy site..Love those bow tucks..Good job! :thumbup:

Great minds think alike! I have the exact same thing for all my needles. The only thing I do differently is that I use different colored ponytail bands...you know the small fuzzy ones that some people use to put around their bobbins.. I put them around the needle case that each machine's needle came from...BLUE for my Brother... PURPLE for my Pfaff etc. It has been so helpful...no more confusion! :D

I always keep the plastic needle case to the right of my sewing machine. There's only ever one case out, the rest are in a drawer in my sewing machine cabinet, or you could put them in a box. I generally only use a few sizes and they are color coded, so it would be easier to figure out what's what if I needed to.

Great ideas! I need to adopt some. While I am good about changing my needle, I have to guess when I should. I never know how long it has been.

It still makes me giggle to think that anyone is that organized! I'm so so glad you are, though:)

Some great ideas. I'll have to give them a try.

Hope you don't mind...I am borrowing your idea. Thanks!

I'm not organized enough or have the patience to deal with machine needles. If I don't remember or lost control of what needle is what, I just get a new one the size I want and not get stressed over it. Machine needles are too cheap to be frustrated over.