Replacing The Needle; Needle Precautions; Needle Types And Their Uses; Checking The Needle - Brother 885-E35 Operation Manual

KNOWING YOUR SEWING MACHINE

REPLACING THE NEEDLE

This section provides information on sewing machine
needles.

Needle precautions

Be sure to observe the following precautions
concerning the handling of the needle. Failure to
observe these precautions is extremely dangerous.
CAUTION
• Only use home sewing machine needles. Use
of any other needle may bend the needle or
damage the machine.
• Never use bent needles. Bent needles can
easily break, possibly resulting in injury.

Needle types and their uses

The sewing machine needle that should be used
depends on the fabric and thread thickness.
Fabric Type/
Application
Type
Cotton
Broadcloth
thread
Medium
Synthetic
weight Taffeta
thread
fabrics
Flannel,
Silk thread 50
Gabardine
Cotton
Lawn
thread
Thin
Synthetic
fabrics Georgette
thread
Challis, Satin Silk thread 50
Cotton
Denim
thread
Thick
Synthetic
fabrics
Corduroy
thread
Tweed Silk thread
Jersey
Stretch Thread for
fabrics knits
Tricot
Cotton
thread
Easily frayed fabrics Synthetic
thread
Silk thread 50
Synthetic
For top-stitching thread
Silk thread
Note
• Never use a thread of weight 20 or lower. It may
cause malfunctions.
20
Thread
Size of
Needle
Size
60–90
75/11–90/14
60–90
65/9–75/11
30 100/16
50
90/14–100/16
50–60
Ball point needle
50–60 75/11–90/14
(gold colored)
50–90
65/9–90/14
30 100/16
50–60 75/11–90/14
Memo
• The lower the thread number, the thicker the
thread; and the higher the needle number, the
thicker the needle.
■ Ball point needle
Use the ball point needle when sewing on stretch
fabrics or fabrics where skipped stitches easily
occur.
Use the ball point needle for best results when
sewing patterns using monogramming foot "N".
■ Transparent nylon thread
Use a 90/14 to 100/16 needle, regardless of the
fabric or thread.
CAUTION
• The appropriate fabric, thread and needle
combinations are shown in the table on the
left page. If the combination of the fabric,
thread and needle is not correct, particularly
when sewing thick fabrics (such as denim) with
thin needles (such as 65/9 to 75/11), the needle
may bend or break. In addition, the stitching
may be uneven or puckered or there may be
skipped stitches.

Checking the needle

Sewing with a bent needle is extremely dangerous
since the needle may break while the machine is
being operated.
Before using the needle, place the flat side of the
needle on a flat surface and check that the distance
between the needle and the flat surface is even.
1
2
3
3
1 Flat side
2 Needle type
marking
4
3 Flat surface
4 Even
5
5 Not even