Originally Posted by
quiltstringz
It's funny when I first started sewing no one ever said how often to change the needle - I used to think it was when it broke! When I started quilting someone told me to change it with each project but since I never work on just one project I usually change it once or twice a month depending on how much I am sewing. What a difference! It is probably the cheapest thing we can do in quilting and the one we do least often - with the exception of changing our rotary blades.
Great points! I don't know many quilters who work on just one project at a time, so that tip is out the window. I don't sew consistent lengths of time every day either, so it's hard to keep track of hours. So, I have always listened for a popping sound as the needle goes through the fabric. When I start to hear that, then I change the needle as it is dull. I've never had the thread pulled, but it does sound like you're just needing to change the needle.