Choosing the correct needle plays a big role in machine quilting. All too often problems like thread breakage, skipped stitches, bad tension and such, are simply the result of selecting the incorrect needle for the quilting job at hand. A bit of knowledge about needles can save a lot of strife.

At first glance, a needle appears to be a sharp thing with a hole in it for the thread. Look closer and you will see that a needle is made of much more: