Most needle brands will fit a Janome sewing machine and Singer needles. But Janome makes its line of needles for its sewing machines and is recommended for a smooth sailing sewing experience.
Household sewing machines use a common needle type. It is referred to as a universal needle or the “15×1” needle. You may also find the notations HA x 1 or 130/705 on some packaging of domestic sewing needles.
The universal needle has a standard length, shank shape, and diameter. You can usually find universal needles in retail sewing supply shops.
If you sew primarily on a sewing machine than by hand, you probably know the common parts of a needle.
Shank
The shank is the area of the needle attached to the sewing machine. Most needles have a shank with a flat back to make clamp it on the sewing machine’s needle holder.
Shoulder
The shoulder is the portion of the needle where the thick shank tapers down to the shaft.
Shaft
The shaft or the body of the needle is located below the shoulder. The diameter of the shaft determines the needle’s size. The needle eye’s size depends on the size of the shaft. The lower the number, the smaller the shaft will be.
The shaft of the needle has a length suitable to drive the eye and thread through the fabric and down to the bobbin.
Groove
The groove is a cut along the shaft that acts as the last thread guide to keep the thread closer to the needle as it sews through the fabric.
Scarf
The scarf is a short indentation above the eye of the needle. It helps the hook of your bobbin case get closer to the eye of the needle to catch the thread loop to form a stitch. The needle size will affect the distance of the scarf from the hook.
Eye
The eye is the hole at the end of the needle where the thread goes through. A good needle should have a smooth eye hole to keep the thread feed smoothly and prevent snagging.
Point
The point is the end of the needle that enters the fabric by parting the fibers or piercing a hole in the material. The shape of the point indicates the type of fabric you can use the needle for.
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Are Singer and Janome needles the same?
Standard domestic needles of Singer and Janome are the same; they are only labeled differently based on the brand. Singer marks their standard sewing needle as 2020 for the regular point needle and 2045 for the regular ball point needle. Janome standard sewing machine needles are labeled 15×1 Sharp and Ball Point needles.
Below is the list of Singer sewing machine needles (with style number indicated on the packaging), which you can use with any domestic sewing machine, even a Janome.
- Universal (Style 2020) needles are the all-purpose needles of Singer, which can sew all woven fabrics. You will identify this regular point needle by the red color on the shank.
- Ball Point (Style 2045) needles are also used for general sewing but primarily for stretch fabrics and knits. You can determine a ball point needle by the yellow color on the shank. The rounded tip identifies a ball point needle, allowing it to pass between fabric threads by pushing between them without snagging.
- Chromium Regular Point (Style 2000) needle is used to sew woven fabrics on embroidery machines. This type of needle is strong, durable, and can endure the high speeds of embroidery machines.
- On the other hand, Chromium Ball Point (Style 2001) needle is used for sewing knit fabrics on embroidery machines. It is also a long-lasting and robust needle that can handle the high stitching speed of embroidery machines.
- Denim or Jeans (Style 2026) needle is designed to sew dense fabrics like jeans, denim, and canvas.
- Leather (Style 2032 needle is used for sewing thick fabrics such as leather and vinyl.
- Twin Needle (Style 2025) is mainly used for hemming and decorative stitching. You can stitch two closely spaced parallel rows simultaneously using a twin needle.
- Hemstitch or Wing-Needle (Style 2040) is used for heirloom sewing and making decorative stitches on dresses, curtains, or table runners. You must use natural woven fibers like cotton and linen to achieve the best results.
Singer sewing needles have been trusted sewing machine accessories throughout the years, just as their sewing machines have stayed on in the market for centuries. You can quickly check out Amazon for your Singer sewing needles.
What needles are compatible with Janome?
Janome needles are compatible with Janome sewing machines, so they should be your best option. You need not limit yourself to the same needle brand because Schmetz, Singer, Organ, and other sewing needle brands have been used with Janome sewing machines by sewers, and they function pretty well together.
You can use the same type of needle on most domestic sewing machines. This standard needle, the universal needle, is specially designed to fit any household sewing machine. You cannot use these needles on industrial or commercial sewing machines as they will not work.
Janome compatible needles must have the same shape at the shank to fit into the needle clamp of the Janome sewing machine. Domestic sewing needles have a flat and round side on the shank. When attaching the needle to your machine, make sure that the flat side faces away from you.
You should note that all household sewing machine needles have an equal length, so you will have no issues with the way you form a stitch when the needle meets the hook of the bobbin.
A needle differs only at the size of the shaft and the kind of endpoint to determine what type of fabric will benefit most from its unique features.
What needle do you use in your Janome?
You can use different needle brands in your Janome. But since the Janome brand also makes sewing needles, many sewers recommend using the same needle brand as your machine if you want to expect excellent work. Janome needles are specially made to match the machines.
Janome’s general-purpose sewing machine needles are also known as Regular Sharp Needles. You can use this needle type for sewing most woven fabrics such as wool, linen, and chiffon.
If you are sewing knitted and stretchy fabrics like fleece and jersey, you need a rounded point like the Janome Ball Point needle that can slip between the yarns to avoid damaging the material.
Janome also produces needles that you can use for various sewing projects like embroidery, quilting, and other craft projects. Janome has Blue, Red, and Purple Tip needles, which offer unique features that sewers may need for specific sewing projects and all of these on Amazon.
Blue Tip Needle
The Blue Tip needle is a size 11 ball point needle. It has a longer scarf making the bobbin hook pass closely to form a stitch.
The Blue Tip needle’s unique feature is a big eye to fit the embroidery thread easily. Aside from being accessible to thread, it also lessens tension on the top thread.
The Blue Tip needle is Janome’s best “all-purpose” needle for machine embroidery and general sewing on many types of fabrics. It is also excellent to use when quilting using polyester threads.
Red Tip Needle
The Red Tip Needle is a size 14 sharp point needle that Janome specifically designs for denser embroidery and thicker fabrics. It is made with a large eye, similar to the Blue Tip Needle, to accommodate delicate metallic threads without breaking.
The Red Tip Needle can sew various projects, which call for a Universal needle. However, they differ in the size of the eye, which is more significant in the Red Tip needle, which is an advantage when working with metallic and monofilament threads.
Purple Tip Needle
The Purple Tip Needle is a size 14 ball point needle with a cobra-shaped tip making it the best choice for sewing knits and synthetic fabrics. The cobra tip has small protrusions just above the eye on either side of the needle. The unique tip design forces the fabric fibers apart, allowing stitches to form correctly. The Purple Needle Tip also helps avoid skipped stitches.
If you are sewing or embroidering dense fabrics, the Purple Tip Needle can handle the job as it has less resistance to fabric and thread build-up. You will also have less thread breakage, therefore, better embroidery quality.
Janome also has other specialty needles for sewing specific fabrics like denim and leather. The denim needle has a wedge-shaped tip with a sharp edge making it possible to sew through multiple layers and dense fabrics like denim and canvas.
The leather needle has a three-sided chisel point to cut effortlessly through the leather. You can maintain the strength of the material by a longer stitch length when sewing on leather.
Again, any sewing machine needle can work on a Janome domestic sewing machine. But if you want the best results when sewing with your Janome machine, using the same needle brand can give you optimum sewing results.
Also read:
Can I use Schmetz needles with a Janome?
Schmetz engineers ensure that needles work correctly with your domestic, embroidery, and quilting sewing machines. Most household sewing machines use the 15 x 1 or 130/705 H needle system. Schmetz works with all sewing machine brands, including the famous brand Janome.
Schmetz needles work with sewing machine brands such as Brother, Bernina, Babylock, Elna, Husqvarna Viking, Janome, Juki, Kenmore, Necchi, Pfaff, Riccar, Singer, and White.
Janome users can attest using Schmetz needles on their machines without issue. Schmetz is one of the most popular sewing machine needles that can fit all domestic sewing machines in the market.
The Organ sewing needle brand is also a widespread and trusted brand name of needles that produced needles for all different types of machines, both domestic and industrial, since 1936.
Finding the right needle for your sewing machine is one of the requirements to have nice and straight stitches. You should also know if the needle you are using matches the material you will sew.
For a continuous and practical sewing experience, here are some tips that you can follow.
- If you are experiencing skipped stitches, change the needlepoint you are using.
- If your thread breaks or shows some shredding, get a higher-sized needle or use a topstitch needle.
- If your thread is bouncing, try a needle one size lower.
- Check the needle plate, bobbin case, and hook as often as you can. Any defects on these parts, however small they are, may snag the thread and cause it to break or shred.
- Clean the machine regularly to avoid lint build-up that may cause your engine to make unusual noises or damage it.
- Keep a variety of needles accessible so you will have a lot of options if your fabric requires a different type than the one in the machine.
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