Get to the “point” – inserting your needle

Lots of discussion has abounded regarding the best needles for your APQS quilting machine. While you may find other needles on the marketplace, we strongly recommend Groz-Beckert MR 4.0 needles (non-titanium) for the best possible results as you quilt.

Since industrial needles don’t provide that convenient “flat side” on the needle’s upper shank to help us insert it correctly, try this little trick to ensure that you get it into your machine as straight as possible.

• Loosen your needle bar set screw and insert the new needle fully up into the needle bar opening.
• Be sure that the “hump” on the needle faces the front of the machine and the indentation faces the back of the throat (the indentation is called the “scarf” by the way).
• If you have a tendency to forget which side faces forward, try to remember it this way…when a woman is pregnant, her tummy faces forward, and her “sway back” from carrying the baby goes toward the back.
• Next, insert the tip of a long, straight pin into the eye of the needle from the front. You can use the pin’s head to help you position the eye as well as to help you hold the needle all the way into the needle bar as you tighten the set screw. The eye should face straight toward the front of the machine–the pin’s head should point toward “6:00” if you look down at the pin and imagine it to be like the hands on a clock.
• If you have reduced stitch quality, check that your needle’s eye is pointing forward. If you err, err to the left or more toward “6:30.” This positions the scarf so that the hook tip will grab the top thread first before striking the needle itself.

Any time you have questions, be sure to call us. We can’t help if we don’t know you have a concern! You can purchase needles for any of the APQS machines directly from APQS, or contact your dealer (note: not all dealers carry APQS parts for sale, but you can always order directly from the APQS factory).

APQS Lifetime Customer Support Line: 800.426.7233