My thrifted sewing machine snapped a needle on a denim hem last night

I was working on a pair of old Levi's I wanted to upcycle into a skirt, and the denim was way thicker than I thought. Right at the hem fold, the needle just cracked in half with a loud pop... scared the heck out of me. Turns out I was using a size 70 needle from a cheap pack, totally wrong for heavy fabric. I had to wait till this morning to grab a pack of size 100 denim needles from the craft store down the street. Has anyone else had a machine freak out over thick seams like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

theawest20d agoMost Upvoted

omg "scared the heck out of me" is so real, I jumped so bad when my needle snapped on a pair of old cargo pants I was trying to hem. The sound is just so loud, felt like a tiny bomb went off.

ninabutler20d ago

Jumped right out of my skin too when it happened to me! I was hemming some really thick denim and the needle just went crack like a firecracker. It flew across the room and I couldn't find it for like ten minutes, thought it might have gotten stuck in the carpet. Now every time I hit a seam I slow way down and hold my breath a little, not gonna lie. Your mileage may vary but I've started keeping spare needles in a little tin right next to my machine so I don't have to go hunting when it inevitably happens again.

margaret_chen20d ago

Did you try using a magnet to find the broken piece? That's saved me so many times, especially with carpet. Also, I swear by safety glasses now after one flew up and hit me right in the cheekbone. And if you're sewing thick stuff like denim, a denim needle is a game changer, the eye is bigger and the shaft is thicker so it doesn't bend and snap as easy.