It would be good to bring this up every few months for newbies. I don't know how many times I've been exasperated by a broken needle or thread, to the extent I've been avoiding doing a project I'd like to quilt with metallic thread.
Actually, I should consult with y'all whether it is wise to attempt quilting at all with metallic thread? Is it? Or am I dreaming in gilt technicoulour??!!

I'm with you - haven't used anything else since finding Microtex needles - denim, knits and everything else so far.

Sorry in advance regarding the length of this post but this is something that I deal with on a daily basis with a lot of people.

The most important issue when selecting needles is to know what brand your machine uses. Your dealer should be able to help you on that one. If you do not have the right brand of needle for your machine you will have problems some may be small others may be big. The next issue is making sure when starting any FMQ is to insert a fresh needle. Then if you start out with the lowest number possible for your project and you are experiencing thread breakage check your thread path first to make sure nothing is getting caught where it shouldn't. Then change the needle and if that doesn't help go to a larger eye needle. If you are still getting thread breakage the thread could be the culprit. It may be too old, it could have been stored wrong, or it may be the wrong kind of thread for the batting or the fabric. I have seen a lot of quilters try to use all cotton thread with polyester batting. The batting acts like sand paper and shreds the thread. At that point either put up with the problem by constantly rethreading or change to another type of thread of the same color. Also when FMQ and you are changing directions like a corner or a circle the more drastic the change in direction the slower your hands need to go. in fact hovering for a split second on the corner will give you a nicer corner. Hope this helps.

that helped an incredible lot!! what a fantastic post and thank you to all for the answers; i have had the same sigh omg i can't believe it broke again dammit syndrome and have finally found out that if i use aurafil thread only it helps. ive had too many chicken claws on the backside of my work when doing meandering stitches, or you will sew for 2-3 feet and then hear a pop from the bobbin jumping and look underneath and you have miles of loopies from your bottom thread the entire time. i finally have had to go to a small square and just 'play' for a second before i put whatever it is im working on back underneath the needle to save myself hours of heartache! i seem to slowly be getting the hang of it and this post was great! i did not know there was a certain brand of needle for every machine. i use universals from my lqs size 80/12 i believe and they seem to work okay. thanks muchas! :)

I bought some of the metallic needles from Schmatz or whatever. LOVE THEM! They are pricy, but darn they work good.

The "metallic" refers to the needle's use of metallic thread. The eye and "eye socket" (for lack of a better word) are built a bit differently so that the metallic thread & the needle doesn't heat up so much from the friction of going in and out of the fabric.

try this thread on different threads and ways to fix issues
http://www.quiltuniversity.com/difficult_threads.htm

Love the needle guide from Schmetz. Thanks!

Recently I was told to use top stitching needles for all quilting projects. It works great and that is the only needle you need. Thanks for all the wonderful info about needles.

I searched for Microtex Metallic Needles and find they come in many sizes. Which is the best?