I have a new Singer Confidence Quilter machine. I just broke two needles using thread my mother-in-law gave me which must have been very old. It caught on the spool and one would think after breaking the first needle I would have thrown the spool away, but noooo, I'm cheap and all about saving a buck, so I kept right on sewing.
My question is what size needles do you recommend? I've sewn for years and not broke needles .Fortunately the machine came with extras. I'm using (the second) 90/14. is this what I should be buying?
cindy, the size needle you use depends on the task you are doing.
for piecing i use a 10 or 12 with auriful thread, 50 wt., if i am using new thread; but sometimes i use what ever is in the machine or that i can find.
for quilting, it depends on the size of the thread, it depends on the closeness on the stitches, it depends on the effect you want.
use a sharp needle. i was told that universal needles are good for everything and good for nothing. meaning they can be used for any project but they are not a good choice.
since i have switched to sharp needles most of my problems with quilting and piecing have gone away.
it sounds like in your case the thread is the issue.
gini in north idaho