Focus on the textile world: from DIY to road building
Home sewing is the latest trend –
And household sewing-machine needles from Groz-Beckert are delivering the quality
recent years, people in Germany have rediscovered the joys of DIY, or "do-it-yourself". Sewing, in particular, is undergoing a real renaissance, and interest in textile handicraft seems greater than ever. Not surprising, therefore, that in 2013 the German crocheting, knitting and sewing sector registered growth of 13%.
Young people in particular have rediscovered the pleasures of making their own clothes. Individual and unique items of clothing make them stand out from the crowd and enhance their personalities. Others simply want to make more sensible use of their time, rather than spending it all on computers, Facebook, etc. Young people are therefore learning how to re-appreciate things – quite a rarity in today's consumer society. And if you're admired for an item of apparel you created all by yourself, enthusiasm for DIY grows all the greater.
Household sewing-machine needles from Groz-Beckert
As a partner across the entire textile value chain, Groz-Beckert offers a high-quality product range for this sector as well. The flat shank needle 130/705 H, which is used in all conventional household sewing machines, is available in many different variants:
Universal needle (130/705 H): suitable for almost all applications and fabric types; available in sizes 65 to 110
Ball point needle (130/705 H FG): suitable for general knitwear, curtains and elastic underwear; available in sizes 70 to 110
Stretch needle (130/705 H-S): suitable for fine knitwear, silk jerseys and other highly elastic synthetic materials; available in sizes 70 to 90
Jeans needle (130/705 H-J): suitable for workwear, corduroy, denim, foils, artificial leather, canvas and oilcloth; available in sizes 90 to 110
Leather needle (130/705 H LR): suitable for animal leather and imitation leather; not suitable for textiles; available in sizes 90 to 110
Twin needle or Double needle (130/705 H ZWI): suitable for tucks and double topstitching; only for zigzag machines with transverse stationary grippers; available in sizes 70 to 90, and with different needle spacings
Household needles from Groz-Beckert are packed in high-quality plastic modules. These are available with 5 or with 10 needles. Twin needles are available either individually or in a 3-module. In order to respond optimally to the needs of end users, there are different ranges in which several needle sizes are included at the same time. The "extra assortment", with a selection of different needle types, offers a set of 'basic equipment' that is a must for any sewing household.
Commercially, Groz-Beckert offers practical dispensers, each containing 20 individual modules. The modules are easy to remove, and can therefore be sold in the smallest possible amounts. Twin needles are supplied in blister packaging and are thus excellent for hanging.
Quilting in the US – with MR needles from Groz-Beckert
A typical quilt
In the United States, too, home-sewn articles have a long tradition. The quilts there are especially elaborate, and are used as ornamental covers or bedspreads, and also as tapestries. The early American settlers took advantage of this craft form to brighten up their bare log cabins.
Longarm quilting machine
Nowadays, these quilts are usually created on long sleeve quilting machines, which enable multi-directional sewing. In this way, even the most complex patterns can be created easily. Since the seams play the most important role here, the sewing machine needles are also very important. Missed stitches, needle breakage and yarn breaks should be avoided as far as possible.
With the MR needle (= Multi Range) Groz-Beckert offers a patented product which, thanks to a special geometry in its blade and scarf area, is extremely resistant to bending, making it the perfect needle for multidirectional sewing. The deep and extended scarf enables extremely tight positioning of the looper in relation to the needle, providing optimum protection for the sewing thread. Additionally, the asymmetrically-shaped threading area in the needle eye enables stable loop formation even during changes of sewing direction, and this reduces negative loops and thread twists.
Loop formation:
The special, asymmetrically shaped threading area in the eye of the Groz-Beckert MR needle guarantees stable loop formation even in unfavorable sewing conditions. The formation of negative loops (picture, left) and yarn twists are avoided.
Loop pick-up:
Difficult sewing operations can result in twisting of the sewing thread during loop formation. Individual yarns or filaments can be picked up and torn off by the looper point. The special thread guide on the Groz-Beckert MR needle reduces this twisting of the thread, and the extremely pronounced scarf enables very tight looper adjustment, leading to a high level of security during loop pick-up.
DIY as a market factor
The portals Etsy.com and Dawanda.com are making billions
The popularity of home-made clothing and textile accessories over the past few years is clear from the revenues of handicraft and creativity portals on the Internet, which are currently experiencing a real boom. The European portal "DaWanda", for instance, reported sales of over 100 million euros for 2013, and, according to its own estimates, America's "Etsy.com" actually registered over a billion dollars in sales over the past year. Although more and more professional providers of these portals are generating a good proportion of the revenues, the trend toward DIY among customers, especially where individual sewn items are concerned, is still unbroken.
Despite all the enthusiasm for these unique, home-made items, quality is always of central importance. In view of the prevailing market prices for manufactured textiles, handmade items need to be at least of equivalent if not better quality. So it's no wonder that more and more amateur craft enthusiasts have quality uppermost in their minds when selecting their tools.
As you can see, regardless of what is sewn in the world and where, Groz-Beckert is always there. Whether it's a T-shirt manufactured on an industrial scale or a home-designed and home-sewn dress, sewing-machine needles from Groz-Beckert make every seam perfect.
Would you like to find out more about the qualities of Groz-Beckert sewing-machine needles? The Groz-Beckert experts will be glad to provide you with more details!