Needle-Sense
 

I went from someone who never changed a needle to someone who now has a collection of a gillion types of needles and I change them frequently, depending on my project. My problem is that I cannot read the needle head anymore to see what size I've put in the machine. I started noting the current needle on a sticky note next to my machine and then I thought...I know just who to ask about this!! Anybody have some good ideas on how to keep up with just what needle you've got in your machine so you can re-file it back in it's package when you've finished your project?

When I have a project with a certain needle, I usually put a sticky note or staple a sticky note to the piece of fabric used in the project and just stick the needle in it. Attach it to the pattern? whatever. Just like any other projects. Stick in a Ziploc.

I have a craft box from JoAnn's, I think they're for beads. Each slot is just big enough to hold needle packages. I have two machines and I use two different buttons and drop one in the slot for the needle that's in the machines.

I use a pin cushion tomato. It has sections around it and I mark the needle size in the sections with a Sharpie. I keep my used-but-still-sharp needles in the proper section and can easily find the size I want.

In sept there will be a quilt show in Meritta They have a really neat needle holder. You put a flower pin in a section indicating the needle you have in the machine. They sell it at the registration desk. It is a really neat way to identify the needles. You might search on the site for The Origional Sewing And QUILTINg Expo and see if they sell it on line.

So how do you tell what's in the machine a week later?

Magnifying glass............

Take the packet it came from and using a piece of double sided sticky put the packet on the side of your machine . Will stay in place while you use it and then you can replace and put new pa let there for a new size.

Now THAT is ingenious. And simple as can be. Thank you for a great tip!

This was made for me by sewdamncute in the Secret Pal swap. One of the best presents I've ever received! I use a coloured pin to indicate which needle is in my machine - one for my Janome and one for my Pfaff.

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Also, to read the needle size, buy a jewellers loupe from the likes of eBay for a few dollars. I don't really use mine much now I've got them organised, but occasionally I forget to move the pin, lol!

I do this also but then I found that I forgot which one I put in the machine. So now I put a flower head pin in the section from which I removed the needle.

You can get the jewellers loupe at Harbor Fright. that "Knitette" talks about.

I have a pretty little bowl that I found at Goodwill next to my machine. It holds a couple different things that I don't want running around. All my needle packs are in the silverware try that holds all the other stuff. I take the needle out of the machine put it in the pack thats in the bowl and return it to the silverware tray. Then choose my next victim, um needle. That pack then goes in the bowl. Whatever is in the bowl is what's in the machine. Been doing this for years. The only time it doesn't work is when I take the last needle out and throw away the pack. Oh well, I didn't want to use the needle again anyway.lol

I do this as well - works for me.

After using a needle for quilting, I use it for piecing until a problem with it comes up. Then I discard it. I have tons of these needles and will probably never use them up. I mostly use a size 14, so that is usually what needle size I have.

All such wondeful ideas!!!!

Then I mark the section where the present needle belongs when finished, if still in good condition. A flower head pin works just fine for me.

Great ideas - thanks for sharing!

Soon as I put a new/different size/style of needle in my machine I take
a piece of painters tape and write the following info on it.

Brand of needle
style of needle (large eye sharp, ball point, leather, etc)
size of needle
date needle put in machine

Then IF (when) I take that needle out I have the info and can
than use that piece of painters tape to "old" the needle on a
piece of paper or where ever I put "used needles".
After removing the needle I write the date it was removed and
TRY to list approx. how many projects I have sewn with it. If
more than 10 projects than that needle goes to my box of usable
needles except for sewing quilting items (for sewing items that might
have stiff peltex and such in it).

Of course this is what I found that works best for ME, everyone has
their own methods of keeping track of needles and such.

I'm not as organized as some of you ladies. When I put a needle in a machine, I place the case it came from on the pad next to pin cushion-thread catcher by machine.

I just bought a neat needle pad from CONNECTING THREADS. It is called "MY PAD FOR NEEDLES" It is a Machine needle pad organizer. It has a space for the most common needles. You just pin the needle to the proper space and You always know what size it is.

Did this come from Sew Darn Cute book? i love it and want to make it. What are the dimensions, thanks

I love the picture of the needle holder from "sewdamncute"....I have something on the same order, but it doesn't hold the needle cases so this is even more useful.
What I have is a square of muslin fabric 6" quilted, and bound. The muslin square is marked in half each way across, up and down, and diagonally, which gives 8 divisions. With pigma pen, I wrote the type/size of needle and keep needles in the matching area. When using a needle, I put a .pin in the corresponding spot. It works, as long as you remember to use the pin! I actually made 2 of these, one for the more regular needles, and another one for the specialty needles that I use (like embroidery, quilting, denim, etc)

I put a small piece of scotch tape on the top corner of my machine leaving just a small piece sticking out over the edge. I write the needle size on it. When I change the needle it's very easy to pull the tape off and put a new piece in it's place.

Like your idea!

take the needle out when you are done with your project you know what size it is now put it where it goes and next time you sew you will put the needle you want in the machine.do that every time and you will always know what your needle size is

I looked on the internet for "Sew Darn Cute Book" and came up with Amazon.com books. It listed that book and you could click on "Look inside" so I did that.....it showed the Index page and one of the topics in the book, had a title "Nifty Needle Book" But it did not open to that page so I couldn't compare the picture to this project in the Sew Darn Cute Book to see if it was the same one pictured here on the Quilting Board. If anyone finds the pattern, could you please list where you found it? I think several people would love to make one. Thanks

I have one of those tomato (or maybe strawberry?) shaped pin holders with cords dividing it in different sections. I have written the numbers of the needle in each section. I am lucky enough to have mine from my childhood when they used to put that stuff that will help sharpen the needle. Sorry, can't remember the name of it.

I LOVE all the suggestions but the needle book caught my heart. I'm with Sandrea. If anyone can spot the pattern can you give us a heads up. BTW...the Needle Pad on Connecting Threads is also great and may be my purchase for now. Thanks so much for the input.

Don't ask me!! I took one needle out of my surger and put it in a piece of fabric (so I wouldn' mix it up) and promptly lost the piece of fabric!!!

Hi
Sewdamncute here! The pattern is available on the internet, I found it when I googled Machine Needle organizer. I was looking for one for Knitette when we were secret pals. I giggled the whole time I was making it because I could never be that organized LOL!

Hi
Sewdamncute here! The pattern is available on the internet, I found it when I googled Machine Needle organizer. I was looking for one for Knitette when we were secret pals. I giggled the whole time I was making it because I could never be that organized LOL!

Oops, sorry for the duplicate post:o

Darlene, thanks so much!! I'll saunter over to google and see if I can find it. It's just the cutest!

Whatever size I have in the machine, a piece of paper with it's size (and universal, stretch, denim,stretch etc) is in a corner of a nearby top drawer.

Often, I use that needle so little, I keep it, and stab that piece of paper and use the needle to hook it to my pincushion.

OMG, now that is organization!

You're not alone. How many times have I done the same thing...(Do we ever learn from it??) tee hee

Thanks Darlene for the information. I will go check it out.

I found this link online but looks like it costs $30 a year for the subscription unless I'm missing something.

http://ajpadilla.com/patterns/quick-...edle-organizer

Felt bad ;) as so many of you liked the organiser and even pm'd me, I had a look on the Internet and found one here. It's $12 for the downloadable version so you won't have to pay the $30 at least :)