Needle Do or Needle Don’t
I once had a friend say “Everyone’s quilt deserves a new needle.”
When asking this question to Quilter’s you will get many different views. Some Quilters Believe and live by this policy others feel if you do not feel or see the difference in your needle while quilting why replace it.
The needle manufacturer thinks you can get 40 hours of sewing out of one needle. We have seen things like chalk or fabric paint, dense batting, dense quilting or that white on white printed fabric dull needles quicker than that.
The general opinion of the longarm quilter is that other things are happening to the needle, not just the tip becoming dull. Needles can warp if the timing of a machine and the direction you are sewing bring the hook point in contact with the needle. We could go on and on about the combinations of things that can influence the condition of the needle. When you take the time to think about it needles are not very expensive, so there is no need to stretch the life of a needle. It is always best to error on the side of changing the needle more often than not.
