Do all sewing machines have the same needles (mounting wise)?

Question

My mom has a Silvercrest 33B1 sewing machine and I am looking for an appropriate set of needles.

She mostly sews curtains, tableclothes and chair covers. These I assume use thin fabrics, either synthetic or cotton ones (I am not doing the sewing, so this is a rough guess) in most cases. Though, in rare cases she may sew faux leather as well.

So I wonder:

1. Do all sewing machines have common needle types? I mean, do sewing machine needles follow some standards in terms of mounting upon the machine, or does each manufacturer makes their own standard?
2. What kind of needles are used in these cases?

Answer 1

Your machine takes a 130/705H type needle, which is the most common type of sewing machine needle (some older machines take a different type of needle). Thankfully, sewing machine manufacturers have standardized the needle types used, although some of my antique machines (e.g., 1890 parlor treadle) take a different needle size.

This information is on page 7 of your user manual. If you don't have a copy, you can look at one here: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1221393/Silvercrest-Snm-33-B1.html

The needle size refers to the sturdiness of the needle. You would use smaller sizes (9 is the smallest size I have seen) for lighter fabrics and the heaviest sizes (20 is the largest size I have seen) for leather, heavy canvas, etc. Schmetz, a reputable needle manufacturer, has a great reference page here: https://www.schmetzneedles.com/pages/sewing-machine-needle-chart

Answer 2

There are 2 systems of machine needles that are incompatible with each other: those for "home" machines and those for professional or "factory" machines. Whenever you find machine needles in sewing shops or online and there's no specification of what type they are, in 99% of all cases they are of the "130/705H system", which means they are "home" machine needles and will fit in all common sewing machines.

Of the "home" machine needle packages there are also 2 very common types: Those with a selection of different needle sizes and those with only one needle size. A combi package with different sizes is always a good idea. Otherwise sizes 70 - 90 are considered the "universal" sizes that are suitable for most fabrics.

Standard pointy needles are suitable for woven fabrics (like curtains, table cloths, shirts, blouses and trousers and faux leather).
There are special blunt needles for sewing knit fabric (like jersey, t-shirts etc.) and special leather needles with a cutting edge. Using the wrong needle for your fabric can break it or in the worst case damage your fabric.