To be honest, this question has never been on my mind. It may have something to do with the fact that I lose my needles so much that I almost always grab a new needle for a new project! But when stitchers started to ask me just how long their needles should last, it made me realize I needed to do some research!Â
There are two factors you can use when determining if your needle has reached retirement ageâtime and use.
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Time
It is âbest practiceâ to replace your needle after using it for 8-12 hour (or 2-3 projects)
Use
Ask yourself the following questionsâIs it bending? Is it hard to push through fabric? Is it snagging on the fabric? Did it break in half? đÂ
If youâve lost track of how long youâve been using any one needle but you answered yes to any of those questions above, toss the needle and grab a new one. It might seem silly to replace a needle so often, but in reality a nice sharp needle is going to make your project go so much smoother!
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So, once youâve finished stitching, and your needle does not need to be replaced, how do you store it?
- Do what I do and leave it on the needle minder forever đ
- Grab a needle storage container. There are a few different styles out there, but I personally loved this wooden screw cap one! Since I only use two different kinds of needles, I don't have a need to label the containers but I could use a label maker if I wanted to.Â
Here is another one that already had labels that I thought was pretty neat (but honestly, I just didnât like the colored caps đ)
So now that you know just how often you are supposed to replace your needles, are you team replace them after each project or team wait until it breaks? Share below! đ
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