Burda Style For people who sew

Sizing: For home sewing, size #11 is generally fine for normal weight fabrics. Sizes #11, 14, and 16 are common sizes for home needles, and are based on the old Singer sizing standard. However, there are several types of sizing systems. The same needle may have 4 'different' sizes written on it, which can be very confusing if you are trying to figure out what all those numbers mean. Often, you will see the sizes separated by a slash, such as 11/75 or 75/11. Here, the '75' refers to the "Number Metric" system indicating the diameter of the slimmest part needle blade in the hundredths of a millimeter; that is size, a size '75' needle has a diameter of 0.75mm. Another way to measure needles is the 130/705 H system. This is an international system; the H stands for Hohlkehle in German, which means 'with scarf'. Scarf refers to the indentation above the eye of the needle. Household needles have a flattened shank so the needle's eye will be perfectly positioned in relation to the bobbin hook.