Summary: We have listed the best needles for hand sewing patches to make your sewing experience more comfortable and convenient. Do check these out to sew various types of patches without a machine in a cost-effective way.
If you are a sewing enthusiast and want to sew different patches by hand, then you can easily choose any of these needles to complete your sewing project. We have listed down below the top 7 needles that will come in handy when you want to hand-sew any sort of patches. Let’s check them out.
1. Dritz 25 Piece Assorted Craft Needles:
This assorted pack of needles includes sharp, straw, between sizes, tapestry, chenille, and crewel needles. It also comes with a needle threader. Thanks to its compact packaging, you will find it very easy to store.
2. Professional Needle Collection By John James:
This pack of needles consists of short and round eyes, making it sturdy during patch sewing on the fabric. These needles are made up of stainless steel, making it an absolute collection to cover all your needle requirements. From sewing patches on light fabric to a denser one, you can stitch everything. Furthermore, you can also smoothly execute any intricate embroidery patchworks.
3. Singer Assorted Hand Needles In Compact:
This Singer assorted pack of hand needles comes with 30 assorted needles with a built-in needle thread storage. You can use it for sewing patches on medium to heavy fabrics. Pack includes between, sharp, darners, and embroidery needles. So this is a great starter pack for all the sewing enthusiasts and craft workers.
4. Mudder 30-Count Assorted Hand Needle:
This is a collection of 30 assorted hand needles. From sewing leathers, crafting to embroidery patches, you can stitch all. These needles are tinted with silver color at the top and golden head of the needle, making them easy to find if you drop them by mistake.
5. Schmetz Jeans And Denim Machine:
Just like the name suggests, you can sew a patch onto your denim jackets, jeans, etc. within a little effort from your side.
6. Outus Large-Eye Needle Steel Yarn Knitting Needles Sewing Needles Darning Needles:
The various sizes of the Outus needles make it DIY friendly. It is also very convenient to store and carry along. The material makes it sturdy and suitable for any patchworking project. The hand needles are made up of metal and you will get 9 pieces together-
1. 3 pieces of 5.2cm Large eye blunt needles
2. 3 pieces of 6cm Large eye blunt needles
3. 3 pieces of 7cm Large eye blunt needles
4. And 1 clear bottle.
7. Singer Heavy Hand Needle In Compact:
This set of Singer heavy hand needles is perfect for any sewing lover. These needles are made up of nickel-plated steel for durability and strength. Strong and heavy needles are ideal for stitching a patch on heavy fabrics without a chance of needle breakage. This pack includes:
1. 2 up bolster needles
2. A canvas needle
3. A carpet needle
4. A leather needle
5. A sacks needle
6. A sail needle
Why Do Needles Differ?
Patched or applique patches are embroidered designs made on fabric using fabric packing, thread, and needles. Whenever you think of making a dress or stitch design on the fabric, you will need a needle to complete your sewing project. Sewing needles are found in various types, lengths, and sizes. Each of these needles is specialized to suit the goal of the specific project. Basically, the tip of the needles differs from being sharp to blunt. The area down the eye from where you insert the thread likewise varies in its thickness.
Factors Determining To Find The Suitable Needle For Patchwork:
If you want to sew patches by hand, then you need to take into account the following factors to choose a needle for your upcoming sewing project.
1. Check the type of fabric you choose.
2. The material of the patch is also important.
3. Know the type of thread you are choosing for the project.
These factors will help you choose a suitable needle from all the needles available in the market.
Variants Of The Needle:
After determining the factors, the second-most important step is to choose the correct hand needle from its variant. Read the following to know in detail.
1. Point Of The Needle: The tip of the needle is the point which helps to penetrate into the fabric and stitch. The points are of three types- sharp, ball-point, and universal. Universal needles are mostly used needles to do an embroidery project because they go well with almost every type of fabric. This is why the needle is named universal.
2. Size Of The Needle: In accordance with the size of the needle is quite the opposite to the machine needle. Here, the lower size number of needles is more fragile in comparison to the higher size number ones. Mostly the size of the needle ranges from 70 to 110 mm.
3. Type Of The Needle: Needles are categorized based on their materials. Therefore you need to choose the correct material needle to display your craft. If you are working over a big and heavy patchwork, use a needle made of sturdy materials like titanium, nickel. These types of material are strong and durable to probe into a thick fabric. If you need a needle for any large embroidered work, then you can choose a string needle.
Buy An Assorted Pack Of Needles Or One Particular Type
If you are a sewing enthusiast, then it is always good for you to buy an assorted pack of needles. They will come handy when you want to work on different sewing projects. You will need various types of needles for different types of patchwork. In addition to this, if your needle breaks in the middle of your sewing project, then you can also easily replace it with a similar one from that assorted pack of needles. Otherwise, you have to wait for the arrival of another needle.
Can One Use A Machine Needle For Hand Sewing?
Most of the machine needles have a shaft on the top to insert in the machine. Thus, this will challenge you to use it for hand sewing purposes.
Types Of Patches One Can Sew.
There are several types of patches one can sew. Generally, patches were used to cover up torn, damaged, or any ugly areas of the fabric. But nowadays, patches are used for multiple purposes.
1. Uniforms of Military and Armed Forces have patches on them.
2. Sports teams from different countries all over the world have their personalized patches embroidered on their jerseys.
3. Ranks of officials in an organization or association are denoted with embroidered patches.
4. Patches are stitched as a sign of recognition marking to belong to a particular organization.
5. Embroidered patches are also used as a fashionable piece. It makes the clothing item more attractive and stylish.
The Basic Difference Between The Machine Needle And Hand Needle
There is a reason why you cannot use or find it difficult to use a machine needle for hand sewing. And so hand needles are available differently in the market. Check out the table to know these basic differences between hand needles and machine needles.
| Hand Needle | Machine Needle |
| The most basic purpose is to make hand sewing comfortable. | It is made for sewing on the machine making it challenging for hand sewing use. |
| The size number differs from machine needles. The larger the number means the smaller the needle. | The size shows the diameter of the needle. |
| The eye remains at the top of the needle. | The eye remains at the bottom of the needle. |
| It is portable. You can bring your needle and sew anywhere while travelling. | It is impossible to take a sewing machine wherever you go. |
| It is time-consuming. | It is time effective. It takes far less time than hand sewing. |
| The upper part of the needle is mostly round. | The upper part of the sewing needle is the shank. It has a flat side to prevent incorrect insertion. |
Steps To Hand Sew A Patch Pocket
Everyone loves clothes with a pocket. Obviously, pockets are functional but also make the outfit more stylish. Follow these steps to get a patch and then sew it on to your shirt without any machine.
1. Draw a rectangle of the size of the pocket you want on a piece of paper. Remember, the size of your hand is always a good idea to measure the size of the pocket. If the fabric is not plaid then you can flair the sides about a ½ inch to the side of the top side edges and draw a new line connecting to the bottom side corner point.
2. Now mark a point 1 ½ to the side of the top side edges and draw a new line connecting to the bottom side corner point. Draw the pocket top hem allowance of 1 ½ inch on the pattern. This amount includes ½ in to turn under the raw edges for a finished hem.
3. Then add ½ inch to each of the other three sides for seam allowance. These eventually will press to the wrong side in the finished pocket
4. Fold the top hem back and trim the edges. The resulting shape is what you use to cut your fabric.
5. Press ¼ inch of the top edge to the wrong side.
6. Next, fold the top edge 1 ½ inches to the right side so the right sides are together. And the quarter-inch fold show on the top. Do not press this fold.
7. Stitch 1 ½ inch away from the raw edges through the folded section on both sides.
8. Trim the corners and slightly grade the seams before you turn the folded section back to the right side with the pocket edges ½ inch to the wrong side.
9. Then press the top hem and stitch the folded edge down.
10. Anytime your topstitching will get a cleaner look if you do not back tack at the beginning and end of your stitches.
11. Pull the thread to the wrong side and knot them by hands.
12. Now position the patch on the cloth where you want to place the pocket.
13. Pin it in place. Bring the topside edges in ½ inch to account for that flare you added earlier.
14. Stitch around the patch. Do not forget to secure the top edges with some extra stitching.
Final Verdict
There are various types of needles available to sew patches by hand like Singer Assorted Hand Needles In Compact, Dritz 25 Piece Assorted Craft Needles, and a lot more. You can choose from these options and if you are a beginner and need some guidelines to hand sew a patch on fabric, then follow the steps mentioned above. All you need to do is keep some factors in mind and remember if you choose a machine needle; it will make your work more challenging.
