How often do you really change your needles on your machine?
I have heard it said you are supposed to change them every project. Got to admit I've never changed mine that often. Am I the only one?
I have also wondered how often do you need to change on a LongArm?

Would like to know this as well...since I'm pretty much new to all this..

Well after changing mine only when they broke for about 40 years, I now am among the ever project crowd. Believe me I can tell the difference.

I change my needle after 6 hrs of continuous sewing, I usually can tell when I need to change it and I have a bottle full of used needles that are usable when sewing paper crafts

I probably don't do it after every project, but I do change them often. They just aren't as sharp after a while and I can usually tell by the way they sew.

Shame on me I change them if they break or no longer sew. I have to go 100 miles round trip to buy needles so ration the ones I have I usually get 3 or 4 packs but I seem to hit a lot of hidden pins so maybe change more than I think.

I don't change them often. When I notice the sound it makes going into the fabric is kind of a thwunk thwunk sound, I change the needle.

I can tell by the way it feels. Sort of dull and klunky.

I can tell when mine needs changing. Some times after a large project and sometimes they might make it though two small ones. I change them more on my quilting machine. It makes a huge difference.

after every project that I paper piece. If I'm not doing paper piecing, then when the feel changes. Can't really explain it, sometimes it's more than once a quilt, sometimes I can get a quilt and a table topper out of one.

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Forgot to add, I change my needles pretty regularly. They do get dull.

Our local LQS did a talk at our guild meeting and they said you should change your needle every 8 hours of sewing. Clean the bobbin case every bobbin change.

I don't count the hours, but do use a new one for a new project and/or when I can "sense" the need.

I guess I go overboard because I DO change after every project and if I go from sewing to embroidery, I change needles then as well. If the needle I take out has not been in that long, I will hang onto it and use it again. I have needles of every size and "flavor" for different projects. Typically I would say I might get 3-4 hours use out of each needle.

I change after a quilt or two. If I do a small project like a coaster, I don't count that. It's hard to keep track though, since I use different needles for the quilting than I do for the piecing. And I tend to piece a lot more often than I actually quilt...

I do clean my bobbin area after every bobbinful.

I change my needles all the time. Every 8 sewing hours is a good estimate, but many of the projects I do have me swapping various needles a lot anyway.

On my longarm, I put a new needle in for every quilt.