How to Thread a Double Needle and How to Use it.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I love knits. As with all knits I like to finish my hems for most knits with a double needle. Not only do I use a double needle for hems, I also use it for top stitching. It’s a handy sewing needle to have in your sewing arsenal. But let’s talk about a few things to note.
There are different kinds of double needles…. There is a Universal Double Needle, a Jeans Double Needle, Metallic Double Needle and a Jersey Double Needle. Don’t believe me? Go check out Schmetz’s needles website. By the way, the have Schmetz has a really nice handy little app you can download that can help you pick the needle type for the type of fabric you are sewing… I have it on my phone and I refer to it often for any fabrics that I’m not quite so sure on what to use.
Some double needles also vary in width! And there is even a triple needle out there and of course the uses for it are many but mostly decorative stitching. But let’s stick with double needles for now.
I usually tend to use a stretch jersey double needle or a Universal Double Needle. It all depends what I’m sewing (I switch between jersey and some topstitching of woven fabrics) but as you thread a double needle the biggest thing you need to keep in mind once you start using is:
Length your stitch. Lengthen your stitch to 3.0mm to 3.5mm.
Loosen up the tension a little. Just a little! Too tight and it may cause tunneling between the two rows of stitches.
Test on a scrap piece of fabric.
If your machine has a double needle function make sure you turn it on, its a safety so you don’t hit the needle plate. That would be a quick way to damage your machine and break the needle.
Do NOT backstitch!!!! So leave your threads long when you start and when you end and you can tie them by hand.
Lastly, go slow. You are using double the thread, if you make a mistake… that is more thread you are ripping out.
