Schmetz needles
 

Somewhere I read that when quilting you should be using 75/10 and 90/14. One was to be used for piecing and one for fmq., but for the life of me, I can't remember which one should be used for what. Does anyone have any ideas?

It really depends on the thickness of the thread. For general piecing I use a 80/12 (these are Klasse) and usually 90/14 for quilting. I usually only go smaller for paper piecing or appliqué and the use a Microtex or Sharp. I've recently been using Titanium needles and quite like them.

I agree. Nice explanation on the Superior thread site.

Typically thread manufacturers will tell you what size needle to use on their websites. It's entirely dependent on the thread weight, fiber & ply. That said, you then need to have an idea of what weight of thread that is appropriate for what you're sewing.

For piecing quilters cotton or flannel, you generally want to work with a 50wt thread. I buy Aurifil 50wt/2 ply cotton thread & use a size 70/10 Microtex needle for piecing. I have used the same for quilting, but I now typically prefer to use Aurifil 40wt thread & I switch to a size 80/12 needle -- either Microtex or Quilting -- for that. If I really want a particular design to show up a lot in my quilting, I use 28wt thread & will then use a size 90/14 Top Stitch needle (that's also usually the ideal thread/needle for making Jeans quilts). When I do microquilting designs or am piecing with silk or linen, I switch to a 100wt silk thread & then use a size 60/8 Microtex needle.

If you are not accustomed to doing FMQ, I would strongly recommend a Quilting needle to start with. Quilting needles are designed to take curves well. They have a rounded tip that will reduce the likelihood of fraying your fabric while doing FMQ.

PS -- If you prefer, you can use a 90/14 Top Stitch needle for everything. It will sew through anything you could possibly put on your machine. The only issue is that it makes the largest holes. If you aren't using a heavy weight thread, the holes will be larger than the thread. They do shrink up some in the wash, but there will always be a tiny gap between thread & holes so I wouldn't recommend doing that either for competition quilts or heirloom quilts.

The size of the needle depends on the thread weight and ply and the thickness you are sewing through. Then the tension has to be set to get a balanced stitch.

Your needle size is dependent on the thread being used. Visit Superior Threads website. They have great free information sheets that explain the different threads ( types & sizes/weights) and the correct needles for the threads/ projects. They are a great resource.

I can't ever remember a time when I used a 70/10 needle. I use either the 80 or 90 needle.

I usually use a 12 or 14 for piecing, and a 16 or 18 for quilting. You don't say what type of machine you're quilting with, a DSM or longarm? Most longarmers I know use a 16 or 18.

I use 12/80 for everything quilt related. 10/70 is not as strong and I don't see any reason to make larger holes (14/90) if the 12 works and it does. I won't be making any denim quits - then I'd use a 14.

Just to complicate things further, I took a class recently and the instructor said the new thing is to use an embroidery needle! Anyone try this yet? I haven't.