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Thank you.
- Good morning, everyone,
and welcome to The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show.
My name is Rhonda Pierce,
and I represent Schmetz Home Sewing Machine Needles.
What's my mission here today?
My mission is to elevate your respect
for the hardest working two-inch piece of steel
in your sewing machine, the Schmetz needle.
I'm hoping to remove any mystery you might have about the needle
and elevate your confidence in your needle selection.
So let's go ahead and get started.
I've got some slides here today too.
And with me, I always travel
with the Schmetz Super Demo Needle.
This is 17 inches tall and anatomically correct.
[all laughing]
And I always like to start with the parts of the needle
because I believe when you're aware
of the parts of the needle and their function,
it helps you make an informed decision
as to what needle type and size to use.
So let's start with the parts of the needle.
All right, so at the very top of your needle,
you have a beveled edge.
This is referred to as the butt of the needle.
And you might think, "Eh, so what?
A beveled edge, what does that mean to me?"
Stop and think about it.
When you go to insert a new needle in your machine,
you don't have a lot of wiggle room,
so the top of the needle is beveled
for easier insertion into your machine.
Our home sewing machines require a flat shank needle.
A flat shank needle, again,
for perfect positioning into your needle holder.
We have a little transitional area
referred to as the shoulder of the needle,
and I hope that you've noticed
that your Schmetz needles have either one
or two bands of color.
And we'll talk about those color bands shortly.
We have the length of the needle,
which is referred to as the blade of the needle,
and Schmetz, being a German company,
they actually measure this area here of the needle
to come up with the sizes that we're familiar with.
So they'll measure this area here of the blade.
They'll get a measurement like 0.70, 0.80, et cetera.
They'll take that measurement times 100
to come up with the sizes that we're familiar with.
Sizes 70, 80, 90, et cetera.
So now, it's easier to remember that a size 90 needle
is larger than a size 70 needle.
So I hope I've solved one of the little mysteries
that you have about your needle.
On the front of your blade, you have the groove,
and on your little two-inch piece of steel,
you can actually see and feel the groove.
But what's the function of the groove?
The groove is going to cradle your thread
so it moves evenly and smoothly
down the length of the needle to the eye.
When you are sewing,
your thread should not be flip-flopping back and forth.
Again, it should move evenly and smoothly
down the length of the needle to the eye.
We have the point and the tip,
and these change according to different needle types.
And on the backside of the needle,
how many of you have noticed this little indentation?
This is referred to as the scarf of the needle.
And the scarf has a very important function.
When your needle passes through your fabric
and your throat plate, the bobbin hook has to come up
and catch that top thread in order to create the stitch.
So the bobbin hook needs passing room
in order to create the stitch.
And this little scarf will change
in depth, length, and width
according to the different needle types.
So those are your basic parts to the needle,
except I haven't talked about what I consider to be one
of the most important features to your needle,
and that's the eye.
Your everyday needle, the Universal needle,
the eye is 40% the width of the blade.
But look at the next needle, the embroidery needle,
and you can see that the eye is wider.
And when you look at the eye
of the top stitch in the metallic,
you can see that the eye is elongated.
So when you are sewing,
what does a larger eye mean to you?
A larger eye means there's less stress on your thread
as it's passing through the eye of the needle.
So if you have problems with threads
that are breaking or shredding, what are you gonna do?
Yeah, you need to change your needle.
You need to change the needle,
and you may need to move up a needle size
or change to a different needle type.
So your eye is crucial to your sewing.
Next, let's talk about the Schmetz Color Chart.
I wanna make sure you understand how to read the chart.
So on this chart here on the left-hand side,
the column is labeled needle type.
So we have all the different needle types
that are available for our home sewing machines,
and many are assigned a color.
On the right-hand side of the chart,
we have a listing of all the different needle sizes,
again, for our home sewing machines.
Now, look at the needle between the two columns.
The top color band identifies your needle type,
and the lower color band identifies your needle size.
So in this sample here, the top color band is yellow,
yellow for stretch.
And the lower color band is rose,
rose for size 75/11.
But let me walk you through a couple other examples.
My favorite go-to needle
for all kinds of sewing, piecing,
quilting, et cetera, is a Microtex size 80/12.
Microtex, so what would the top color band be?
Well, we look at the chart under needle type,
and we find Microtex is purple.
And for size 80/12, we find orange.
So Microtex 80/12 will have a top color band of purple
and a lower color band of orange.
One more example would be,
what if my needle has two bands of orange?
What needle type and size would that be?
Well, we look off to the left under needle type,
and we find orange is a Jersey needle.
And again, we look off to the right,
and orange is still size 80/12.
So I hope this helps you identify your needles,
especially after you've taken them
out of your needle package.
But you know what?
There's one more thing I wanna mention
about the chart,
and that has to do with the Universal needle.
So there's no color.
In fact, the box is actually X-ed out.
So what does that mean?
Universal needles will have only one band of color,
and that's to identify your needle size.
So if you have a Universal size 80/12 needle,
you have just a single band of orange.
If it's a Universal size 90/14,
you just have a single band of blue.
So again, I hope this helps you identify your needles,
especially after you've taken them out
of the needle package.
Now, let's move on and talk about
the actual package of needles.
Lots of numbers on this little pack, right?
What do they all mean?
Well, I think most everyone recognizes needle size or sizes.
So currently, the needle size
is at the bottom of your little plastic chip.
So on this sample here, we have assorted sizes,
sizes 70/10, 80/12, and 90/14.
But how many of you have looked at that number
above the size and wondered,
"What the heck does 130/705 H mean?"
Well, let me answer that for you.
That is referred to as your needle system.
Think of it as a model number.
130/705 means that the needle has a flat shank.
A flat shank, again, for perfect positioning
in 99% of all of our home sewing machines.
The H translates from a German word that means scarf,
this little indentation.
So 130/705 is the needle system.
Think of it as a model number.
99% of all of our home sewing machines
require a flat shank needle with a scarf.
So don't let that number intimidate you.
Above that, you've got the needle type spelled out.
So these are Universal needles.
Above that, you've got the Schmetz name.
And because of the clear packaging,
you can see the color bands on the needle.
So we already learned that Universal needles
will have only one band of color to identify the needle size.
So on this sample here, the two needles
off to the left have the single bands of green,
green for size 70/10.
The next two needles have the orange bands
for size 80/12, and the needle to the far right
has that single band of blue for size 90/14.
So lots of information on your needle pack.
But let's look at one other pack of needles.
So again, at the bottom of your needle pack
currently is the needle size, so this is size 90/14.
Above that is your needle system, 130/705 H.
So we know this is a flat shank needle
with a scarf that you can use in your home sewing machine.
But look at that line a little bit closer
'cause there's an additional letter.
On this sample here, it's a dash E, E for embroidery.
On some of your other samples,
you might find a dash Q for quilting,
or M for Microtex or J for jeans, et cetera.
So lots of information on your needle system line.
Above that is the needle type spelled out.
So these are embroidery needles.
Above that, we have the, on some of our package,
we'll still see the German word for needle.
We've got the Schmetz name above that.
And again, above that, through the clear packaging,
you can see the color bands.
So from our color chart, we learned
that red is for embroidery,
that top color band is red for embroidery,
and the lower color band is blue,
blue for size 90/14.
So I hope I just removed some mystery
about all those numbers
and letters on your Schmetz needle pack. [laughing]
Okay, well, let's move on to actual needles.
What do you think the most popular needle type is?
And I bet most of you would guess
that the Universal needle is the most popular needle type.
Universal is the workhorse of all needle types.
The Universal needle has a slightly rounded point,
so it works well with both your woven fabrics
and with your knit fabrics.
The Universal needle is also available
in the widest range of sizes, from the smallest size, 60,
all the way up to a size 125.
Plus, Universal needles are available
in twin and triple needles too.
So lots of variants or options for your Universal needles.
And Universal size 80/12
is the most popular needle type and size,
followed by Universal size 90/14.
So no matter what kind of sewing, quilting,
crafting you do, I always suggest
you have Universal 80/12 and 90/14 in your stash.
Now, I know here today, we've got a lot of people
that like to piece and quilt.
So let's talk about five popular needle types
for piecing and for quilting.
And guess what?
The Universal needle is definitely one
of the top five needles.
Lots of famous quilters like to use the Universal needle
for both piecing and for quilting.
But I always like to say, with Schmetz, you have options.
So let's look at a couple other options.
We've got the Jeans needle, also known as a denim needle.
Does that surprise you for piecing and quilting?
Well, how many of you
like to make jeans quilts or denim quilts?
How many of you like to make flannel quilts?
How many of you like to make those heavy-duty raggy quilts?
Well, when you're making those,
oftentimes, you need a hardy needle.
So what's so special about the Jeans needle?
The Jeans needle has a reinforced blade.
A reinforced blade so that when your needle
passes through your denser fabric,
there's less needle deflection, less movement of the needle,
so you get a cleaner stitch with the Jeans needle.
So again, use the Jeans or denim needle
when you're making a denim quilt, a flannel quilt,
or one of those heavy-duty raggy quilts.
Another option for piecing and quilting
is the Topstitch needle.
What's so special about the Topstitch?
Well, when we looked at that diagram
about the eyes of the needle,
we saw that the Topstitch needle
has that elongated eye.
So there's less stress on your thread
as it's passing through the eye of the needle,
the Topstitch needle.
Another needle, just as the name suggests,
is the Quilting needle.
This needle was specifically engineered
for piecing and for quilting.
It has a special tapered point for piecing and for quilting.
You'd probably use the size 75/11
for the piecing of your project, and the larger size 90/14
for the quilting of your project.
And that leaves one other needle type
popular for piecing and for quilting,
and maybe this is your favorite; it's my favorite.
This is the Microtex needle.
The generic name for a Microtex needle
is a sharp needle.
So when your books and patterns say,
"Use a sharp needle,"
well, they're not suggesting getting an emery out
and trying to sharpen your needle.
They're referring to a Schmetz Microtex needle.
The Microtex needle has a very slim acute point.
Very slim acute point.
So with the Microtex needle,
you're going to get the most precise stitches.
And because the Microtex needle
has this very slim, acute point, guess what?
It's going to dull quicker
than any of your other needle types,
so you will need to replace your Microtex
more frequently than any other needle type.
Now, if you like to sew with batiks,
sew, piece, quilt with batiks,
the Microtex is a great needle choice.
Because even if you pre-wash your batik fabrics,
oftentimes, they'll still have dye residue
and can still be tightly woven,
so the Microtex can just penetrate through
that batik fabric beautifully.
So five popular needle types for piecing and for quilting.
And all of these needles,
you can find at your local sewing machine dealer,
the big box stores, et cetera.
We've got the Universal needle,
the workhorse of all needle types.
We've got the Jeans needle when you're working
with denim quilts, flannel quilts, heavy-duty raggy quilts.
We've got the Topstitch needle with that elongated eye.
So there's less stress on your thread
as it's passing through the eye of the needle.
We've got the Quilting needle,
specifically designed for piecing and for quilting.
And last but not least, is the Microtex needle,
with a very slim acute point.
When you're looking for precision stitching,
the Microtex is your needle of choice.
And here at the Great Wisconsin Quilt Show,
you can find these already bundled up for you
in the Nancy Zieman Sewing Studio,
which includes a little luggage tag
with the Schmetz Color Chart
and the ever-popular Schmetz ABC Pocket Guide.
So lots of needles for your piecing and for quilting.
Now, I know that some of you like to sew garments also,
so let's talk about sewing specifically with knits.
And there are two needle types that you must have in your stash
when you're sewing with knits.
And the first is the Jersey needle.
The generic name for a Jersey needle
is a ball point needle.
The Jersey needle has a medium ball point.
The other needle that you need in your stash
when sewing with knits is a Stretch needle.
And guess what?
The Stretch needle also has a medium ball point.
But when you compare Jersey and Stretch needles,
the Stretch needle has a smaller eye
and a deeper scarf.
So now your machine, your fabric, your thread,
your technique are all gonna play
just a little bit differently.
So if you're sewing with knits, well, how do you know?
Do you use a Jersey or a Stretch needle?
Well, there's a rule of thumb that works 80% of the time.
If your fabric has lycra, spandex, or elastic,
you're going to use the Stretch needle.
If it's just a regular knit fabric, use the Jersey.
Sometimes, Stretch and Jersey are interchangeable,
but not always.
But again, that rule of thumb
is if your fabric has lycra, spandex, or elastic,
use the Stretch needle.
If it's just a regular knit, use the Jersey.
So Jersey and Stretch,
you can find at your local sewing machine dealers,
at the big box stores,
even at some of your quilt and fabric stores.
And yes, downstairs at the Nancy Zieman Sewing Studio,
we have these all bundled up for you,
the Jersey and the Stretch needles
with the ever-popular ABC Pocket Guide
and the little luggage tag color chart.
All right, let's scoot along here
and let's talk about the newest needle.
This one was introduced right before the pandemic.
And if you don't know about it, well, that's why I'm here today,
to help keep you informed.
We have the Super NonStick needle.
This is what the packaging looks like.
The Super NonStick.
And when you look at that needle in the pack,
you're gonna notice that it looks
a little bit differently.
It's kind of got a charcoal gray color
or a gunmetal color,
and that's the anti-adhesive coating.
But this needle also has a couple other special features.
It has a reinforced blade,
so there's less needle deflection
when your stitch is created, and an extra large eye,
so there's less stress on your thread
when you're sewing.
So, great features to the Super NonStick.
When are you gonna use them?
Well, how many of you like to make,
like to do machine embroidery or machine appliqué?
Absolutely.
And what happens with those stabilizers?
Oftentimes, they get sticky as you're stitching.
The adhesive warms up
and has a tendency to gum up your needle.
So for machine embroidery, machine appliqué,
the Super NonStick is a great needle of choice.
If you like to sew with oil cloth or splash fabric,
this is a great needle choice.
Or how many like to sew with vinyl?
What happens when you're sewing on vinyl?
The vinyl gets warm, and then it,
the vinyl has a tendency to hug your needle.
Then you can't see where you're sewing. [laughing]
So the Super NonStick will resist the vinyl
from hugging your needle.
And there's one other application
for this Super NonStick, and that's when you're working
with Velcro or hoop and loop tape,
which is kind of an odd fabrication, right?
It's sticky on one side,
it's kind of crispy on the other,
and fuzzy on the inside.
And that Super NonStick
will just stitch through that Velcro beautifully.
And one other application, if you do multimedia quilts,
the Super NonStick would be a great needle choice
because oftentimes, you're working
with a spray adhesive or a fusible,
maybe you're working with foils or tins or paper,
and so the Super NonStick can work beautifully
through all those different fabrications.
So, Super NonStick, available in four sizes,
70, 80, 90, and 100.
So again, these you will find
at your local sewing machine dealer.
And these are downstairs also
at the Nancy Zieman Sewing Studio as a bundle,
one pack of each size.
Again, with the ever-popular ABC Pocket Guide
and the Schmetz Luggage Tag Color Chart.
So we have just covered a lot of needles.
[laughing]
You know, I travel quite a bit,
I do a lot of virtual presentations also,
and there's always one question that pops up.
And I'm pretty sure it's a question
that you've asked yourself too.
And that is, how long does a needle last? [laughing]
Oh, see, you've asked yourself too.
Well, here's the easy answer, they don't last forever.
When you are sewing,
your needles should never, ever look like these.
These are really nasty-looking needles.
That needle on the left-hand side
looks like it has twin mountain peaks.
The needle on the far right looks like a cutting blade.
So what are these nasty little needles
gonna do to your fabrics?
Yeah, they're gonna shred and eat up your fabric.
So what are you gonna do?
Change the needle.
So needles don't last forever.
It's a simple repair that you can do yourself,
you know, even at 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning.
This slide here is one of my favorites
because this is the same needle in every frame.
This needle has been used and abused.
But with our naked eye, to the far left,
that needle looks sharp, right?
But with increased magnification,
as you move to the right, you could see, oh, oh my,
look at all those burrs and striations,
look at that super lip at the very top,
and look how dull it is.
So yeah, needles do not last forever.
They get dull with use.
So how long does a needle last?
I don't know.
Could be three seconds if you hit a pin right away.
Maybe if you're not a very aggressive sewer,
maybe it's 20 hours of sewing time.
I don't know, 3 seconds, 20 hours,
that's quite the range of time, right?
So I know people like to actually
average that out to 68 hours of sewing time.
But how many of you have tried to time yourself?
It's impossible to time yourself sewing
with all the interruptions that we get.
So how long does a needle last?
I think what you should do is reframe that question.
Two, what are the clues to changing the needle
while you're sewing?
So what are the clues to changing the needle
while you're sewing?
Well, we kind of talked about one clue already,
and that's when your thread is breaking or shredding.
What are you gonna do?
Change out your needle.
What you may not know
is if you're not changing your needle frequently enough,
the thread will actually create a groove
in the eye of the needle, and that's not a good thing.
A groove in the eye of the needle, what's it gonna do?
Break and shred your thread.
So what are you gonna do?
Change out your needle.
What's another clue to changing out your needle?
Well, what's happening to your fabric
when the stitch is actually made?
Is the fabric puckering?
Is your fabric snagging?
Or in a really bad case, the needle hits the fabric
and is tucking the fabric into the throat plate.
So hello, those are clues
that you need to change out the needle.
[laughing] Okay, and what is another clue
to changing out the needle?
Well...
What about your sound?
Hopefully, when you are sewing, you're in that bubble, right?
And your machine is humming along,
everything is right in our sewing world.
And then you start to hear
that little click, click, clicking sound.
What is it?
Hey, it's your needle saying,
"Hey, I've been working hard here, change me."
If you ignore the clicking, what happens next?
It graduates to a pop, pop, popping sound.
Now, your needle is yelling at you,
"Change me, change me!"
If you ignore the clicking and the popping,
what's happening now?
Clunk, clunk, clunk.
Your machine is begging you, "Change me, change me!"
So today, I'm not here just to sell you more needles,
but I really want you to have a successful sewing experience.
And if you stop and think about it,
you spent a lot of money on your machine,
or your machines, right?
That's a pretty big investment.
You spent a lot of money curating your fabric stash,
even those hidden stashes.
You spent a lot of money
collecting those beautiful threads.
And what about all that money
you've spent on books and patterns
and lectures and retreats, et cetera?
And let's not forget your investment in time.
Your time, your sewing time is important too.
So let's complete that entire investment cycle,
right down to the hardest working
two-inch piece of steel in your machine,
the Schmetz needle, which by the way,
is also the least expensive part to your machine.
So if you're sewing at 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning,
you need to have that little stash
of needles to change out.
So yeah, the needle works hard. [laughing]
So how do you keep track of your needles?
I know, as a quilter or a sewist, that oftentimes,
we juggle projects, right?
So maybe you're working on a quilt,
maybe you're using the Quilting needle.
Now, you're gonna make a little T-shirt for a kiddo,
so maybe you're gonna use the Stretch needle.
So when you come back to that quilt,
how do you know that that original needle
is still sewing-worthy?
What you can do is take that used needle,
that slightly used needle, run it over your fingernail,
and if it leaves a scratch on your nail,
you know you've got a burr, so what are you gonna do?
You're gonna toss that needle.
Or if you've got a pair of old hose,
or maybe a sample jersey fabric,
run the needle across your arm, across the fabric,
and if it leaves a snag, guess what?
You know you need to toss out that needle.
So if your needle is still sewing-worthy,
there is a product called the Grabbit myPad.
This is a wonderful little organizer
to keep all your slightly used needles
nice and orderly.
This is an extra thick piece of felt,
and I updated this last year,
so all of the different Schmetz needle types are on here
with using the Schmetz Color Chart.
So blue for Jeans, green for Quilting,
orange for Jersey, et cetera.
Then within each needle type,
there's a cell for all the different needle sizes.
So your slightly used needles, you're just gonna slide it
right to the appropriate needle type and size cell.
The needle pad also comes with a little flower head pin.
So if you have some older Schmetz needles
that don't have the color coding,
once you take that needle out of the package
and put it in your machine, slide the little flower head pin
into the appropriate needle type and size cell,
so now you don't have to rely on your memory.
These you can find at your local sewing machine dealer
and also downstairs at the Nancy Zieman Sewing Studio.
Okay, we have covered a lot
of information here today, haven't we?
How are you gonna keep track of it?
Well, I do have a handout.
When you go to buy your Schmetz needles
at your local sewing machine dealer,
you can ask for the Schmetz ABC Pocket Guide,
and they may have that for you.
If you can't make it to your local store,
well, guess what?
You can go to schmetzneedles.com
and there's a plethora of free information there.
This is what the homepage looks like.
You've got five different needle types
across the top of the page.
And when you scroll down,
you're going to see "For all your needle needs."
Click here for the free web-based app.
So you're gonna click that,
and you're gonna find a lot of information.
You're gonna find the ever-popular
Schmetz ABC Pocket Guide.
You're gonna find the Schmetz Color Chart for reference.
And underneath that image,
where it says Schmetz ABC Pocket Guide,
the very last listing is Schmetz free web app.
Click that and you can download the resources,
these free resources, onto your phone.
You'll download the Schmetz ABC Pocket Guide,
which has the pictures of everything
I've covered here today for you.
All the different needle types
are described with sizes, color charts, et cetera.
There is a listing of a hundred different fabrics,
alphabetical listing of fabric.
So now, you don't have to remember
what needle type and size to use for bamboo or cork
or whatever fabric you're working on.
It's right there in your phone.
The Schmetz Color Chart will be in that free app also.
Plus, I'm excited because now we're linked up
with a few of the major consumer thread companies
with their suggestions for needle type
and size for their specific thread.
So lots of free information at schmetzneedles.com
that you can just download right into your phone.
Or today, you can also just scan the image.
So we have just covered a lot of information.
My name is Rhonda Pierce.
I represent Schmetz Home Sewing Machine Needles
in North America.
Our website is schmetzneedles, all one word, .com.
I also have a personal blog, sew, S-E-W, morestitches.com.
I'm not selling anything,
but I do document the trips that I take,
and I'm starting to travel quite a bit more.
I've got 20, 25 trips this year.
So I like to share what people make
and the people that I meet.
So you can find that at SewMoreStitches.
So if you see me downstairs, please come by and say hello.
I'll answer any questions you might have.
And I'm gonna ask you,
what's your favorite Schmetz needle type and size?
So...
That is my presentation.
So I wanna say thank you to each of you
for being here today.
I realize that needles aren't glamorous,
they're not sexy, they're not romantic,
but guess what?
You just can't use your machine without a Schmetz needle.
Okay, so I saw a couple questions.
Yes, what was your question?
You're asking about the needle size?
Yes, and there are two numbers.
So the first number is,
the larger number is the metric number,
the Schmetz number.
But Schmetz is not the only
needle manufacturer in the world, right?
There are other needle companies, [laughing]
and they use what's referred to as the
Asian, International, or Singer sizing system.
When you look at your size right here, 80/12.
The 80 is the metric number, the number that Schmetz uses.
They measure the blade here, they get 0.80,
they take that times 100 to come up with size 80.
And the other needle systems, Singer, International,
or Asian, their sizing systems would be 12.
So many years ago, the needle companies
got together and said, "Hey,
let's be consistent with our sizing."
So a size 80 is always a size 12,
or a 90 is always a size 14.
So, very good question.
One of the things I noticed during the pandemic
was when the micro threads came,
became very popular during the pandemic,
the smallest size needles became popular too.
Lots of those,
I think R and K had a micro thread
that they like to use, either 65 or 60.
So this is a very small needle.
You'll use it with your finest threads,
and also with your more delicate threads.
Eighty is just a good workhorse.
Size 80, followed by size 90/14
are your most popular needle sizes.
Again, when I,
what's my benchmark for needle size?
When I use an everyday thread, which is a 40 weight thread,
I generally use a size 80/12 needle.
But now, if I'm going to be working
with a heavier weight thread,
I know I need to go up at least a needle size.
So if I'm working with a heavier thread,
now I know I need something larger than an 80/12,
and I might go up to a 90 or even a 100,
depending on the weight of the thread.
Again, my benchmark for a 40 weight thread
is an 80/12 needle.
Now, if I'm going to be working with a finer thread,
I will size down to maybe a size 70.
So there is no precise formula.
It used to be that there were only just
a few fabric companies, right?
But now, [laughing]
there's a plethora of fabric companies
with different finishes, different dyes,
different techniques, et cetera.
And you know, sometimes,
our machines have personalities too,
so what works for you may not work
for your sewing buddy.
So with Schmetz, you have options,
and sometimes, it requires testing.
- Audience Member: What metal are sewing needles
made out of?
- Oh, it's steel, German steel.
Schmetz needles are made from German steel.
Actually, when I went to Germany in 2012,
I actually saw some of the production of the needles.
At that time, they were still making
some of the specialty needles.
It takes...
Anybody wanna guess how long it takes to make a needle?
[laughing]
Yeah, 12 weeks to make a needle.
And they're batching them hundreds at a time.
But nevertheless, it's really an intense process.
They start with German steel in coils, about like this,
and then they straighten it.
And then there's 30, over 30 steps
to the production of a needle.
So in the early 1800s,
Schmetz was actually the first needle manufacturer
to create a master die
in order to create the eye of the needle.
So they put a master die on this soft steel
and the steel oozes out,
and then it's eventually ground down.
They make the groove.
Then there are high heat ovens
and special refrigerated processes
that they go through to tempering.
So yeah, it's quite the process to make a needle.
So when you're spending a couple dollars on a needle,
wow, what a deal for all the work
that goes into a needle.
It was 2012 when I went there, and I went with two colleagues,
and I gave a presentation on all the education
and marketing materials that I had given.
And one of the things that I had learned
from my sewing public from the different shows
that I was attending was, oh, my,
once you took the needle out of the package,
you couldn't determine the size
because nobody can read this, right?
You know, the size is imprinted here.
So I went to Germany with the mission
of color-coding the needles.
They already had five needles
that had a single band for needle type,
but people were saying, "Oh,
you know, why don't you color type and size?"
So that was my mission when I went to Germany.
And at the end of our meeting,
they didn't say anything about color coding.
And I'm thinking there,
I'm sitting with all these guys and I'm thinking,
you know, "I didn't fly all this way
to not get an answer about color coding."
So I said, "What about color coding?"
And the president said, "We will not do that."
Okay, now I know where I'm starting from, right?
So now I'm going to 20, 25 shows throughout the year.
And that's when email was becoming really popular.
Everybody had emails at home.
So I said, "If you would like the color coding
"or if you have ideas to improve Schmetz needle,
send me an email."
So every two to three weeks,
I would batch dozens of emails to Schmetz Germany saying,
requesting color coding by needle type and size.
Well, guess what?
In June of 2013, I got the email that I had hoped for that said,
"Dear Mrs. Pierce, please stop the emails.
You're getting your color-coded needles."
[audience laughing] So it's thank you to you.
It's thank you to everyone that's been to my classes.
Sometimes change takes a while,
but we do listen and things work out.
So thank you, everybody.
- Audience Member: Thank you!
[bright music]
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Your financial gift helps make this event possible.
Thank you.