Wing Needle?

Dear Irene

A wing needle is used for decorative stitching. It makes holes in the fabric. There is a star pattern on some machines with decorative stitches for which the wing needle is well suited

Teri

You use it to imitate hemstitching.

Joy Beeson

Here is a site that covers all kinds on needles and their applications.

sewing, Rollie " While looking through a box lot of sewing items I recently purchased I found a "wing needle" (this is what is written on the little wrapper).

This is a sewing machine needle that looks like it has little wings coming out of each side! I have no idea what it would be used for. Can anyone enlighten me? It's certainly a neat looking thing.

-Irene

Some embroidery designs call for a wing needle. Mainly I've used one for hemstitching, as has already been mentioned.

Br> Here is a site that covers all kinds on needles and their applications. >

This is a sewing machine needle that looks like it has little wings coming out of each side! I have no idea what it would be used for. Can anyone enlighten me? It's certainly a neat looking thing.

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

--Mae West

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You might look around here:

some other ideas about wing needles. I know she talks about doingdifferent stitches with them. I love to watch her on PBS. (Sat. AM thekids get cartoons, I get about 4 or 5 sewing shows back to back if I wake upearly enough. lol) I don't do heirloom sewing at all, but it all looks solovely! Maybe I'll give that a try at some point. ;)Sharon

Thanks to everyone who replied to my inquiry about my little wing needle, both on line and privately. I did 'google' wing needle but the search came up with other terms I didn't recognize at all, such as entredeux -- so I thought I'd post the question here.=20

I should give this little needle a try and see what happens! Any suggestions on thread or technique?

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

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I should give this little needle a try and see what happens! Any suggestions on thread or technique?

-Irene

"Entredeux" means "between two" in French. It is a trim that resembles hemstitching, used for joining two pieces of material, and trimming. Very popular for heirloom and French "hand" sewing.

Though the holes in some entredeux trim tend to be larger than hemstitching, some sewers run up their own using wing needles to make the holes.

To use a wing needle you must first make sure the size is correct for your machine. Then, after inserting the needle, turn the hand wheel towards you (with an unthreaded needle) , a few times to see if the needle hits any part of the needle plate. Machine presser bar should be set to the needle at a centre position. If the wing needle strikes any part of the plate, it is too large and you shouldn't go on.

If the needle does work thread you machine with a good fine machine embroidery thread. The finer the thread the better the results. If your machine has built in hemstitches, follow the directions in the owner's manual. If your machine lacks built in hemstitches, all is not lost. What you need is a stitch that goes into the hole made by the wing needle twice. Failing this, you can use a zig-zag stitch, first sewing one row, then pivoting the material around and sewing another row next to the one you have just sewn, making sure the needle enters the holes previously created on one of the "zags". You may need to adjust your upper tension lower, and in some cases tighten the bobbin tension. You want the bottom thread to pull tight to make the holes more prominent.

Hemstitching looks/works best on cotton or linen. If you have any sort of embroidery stabiliser, or a medium weight interfacing, use it as a backing to give support to the material. "Fine Machine Sewing", by Carol Ahles, is a great book to learn all about hemstitching. Hemstitching is one of my favourite "heirloom" sewing techniques as it is a timeless way to add charm to linens or even a store bought item like a blouse. Miss. Ahles has a few examples of store bought blouses she made her own by adding hemstitching. The effect is subtle, yet elegant.

Candide, thank you VERY MUCH for this thorough and wonderful explanation. One of my machines is a Husqvarna Viking 1+, and it does have some heirloom stitches. Embroidery thead is now on the list of stuff to buy this weekend....=20

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

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-Irene

You're welcome, glad to be of assistance. Am sure you know this old trick, but it helps to have two different colours of thread, one for the bobbin and another for the top thread, when adjusting tension. I usually use white in the bobbin and any dark or bright colour in the top, like red or black. Once have the tension down switch to proper thread and away we go. Of course you have to have the same types of thread one is going to sew with. Testing tension with sewing thread, then switching to embroidery thread usually means readjusting the tension over again.

If you do not have stabiliser, you can apply multiple layers of spray starch, allowing each layer to dry/sink in and ironed before applying the next. What you want is a nice smooth and stiff fabric for hemstitching. Just take care not to scorch.

According to the book "Fine Machine Sewing" the settings for hemstitching on your machine are:

D6 (W2, L2.5, v1.31-D46(auto)

Best of luck,

Candide

That is virtual sewing, Sharon. Sewing on video/TV, books, web sites, email lists and newsgroups all counts as virtual sewing.

Then, one day when you decide to tackle something, you will have a nagging memory of having read or seen something absolutely essential, but which you can't quite remember......

All right!!!!!! I love that theory! Let's stretch it a little more, ok?? I think that any time we watch a commercial for, oh say, toilet bowl cleaner where they show the bowl actually being cleaned by the stuff, we should count that as virtual housecleaning. Thereby freeing up more time for actual sewing. What say you??? I think I see a plan coming together here......and you know too that if we add up all those commercials that we've seen over our lifetimes, well heck we all have the Cleanest houses on the planet!!!!! heh heh

Guess what I've been doing today..... yeah, the Throne Rooms are spiffy, and the laundry pile is less. *sigh* Only major thing left on my list today is mopping the kitchen. Started cleaning out some stuff in the garage, but there were spiders. My contract says I don't have to work in a space that houses spiders. (Especially when the freaky things run INTO the box I was getting ready to sort. That's when it's time to quit.)

Sharon

Ha! I cleaned out the conservatory! Dead bugs are gone! Floor clean! The garden shredder has at last gone 200 feet up the garden to the New Big Shed, as has the Vax carpet shampooing thing! Several pairs of dead shoes hit the rubbish sacks, and the whole place now looks civilized! Well, except for the light fittings: I think Alan can deal with those as they are waaaaay over my head!

I just need to stack away the sewing stuff and then we are cleared for visitors. :) Spiders run and shiver in corners when I get in this mood

- I'm like Sofie in Howl's Moving Castle! NOTHING is sacred! Good job I don't get this mood often or we'd own nothing that wasn't nailed down!

Somewhere I have a wing needle: I may have time to play with it one day soon, but don't hold yer breff: there's painting to do once the final wedding project goes out the door! Oh, and Alan wants a new Windbloc jacket...

Here you go!