|
Needle Primer
The following articles were
featured in 3 newsletters I wrote
in 2012. We have collected them
all into one for your reading
pleasure. If you wish to reprint
any part of this, please contact
the shop for permission.
|
What
Size Do I Use?
Recently
I've had several
conversations with customers
about what size need to use
for their projects. In some
cases this came up because
they were having problems
with a thread getting fuzzy
or shredding and a big part
of that was not using the
right size needle.
Needles
really serve a dual purpose.
First and foremost as a way
to carry the thread. But the
second purpose is just as
important, especially when
stitching on canvas. It's to
open the fabric enough to
allow passage of the thread
without causing it undue
stress. Canvas and some
linens are very rough, so
they act like sandpaper on
thread. If you've ever
stitched with a silk/wool
blend and had it fuzz,
chances are it was in part
because you used too small a
needle. The same is true for
seeing threads like
metallics and some silks,
shred. Most counted-thread
fabrics aren't as rough as
canvas, but some of the
stiffer linens with a lot of
sizing can still be a bit
rough on thread.
Here's my
personal guideline for
Tapestry needle sizing and
the one we use at the shop:
- #28 - Fabrics 36
count and above &
Beading
- #26 - Fabrics 28-32
count or Aida 16-22
count
- #24 - Congress Cloth,
Fabrics 22-28 count or
Aida 14 count
- #22 - Canvas 18 mesh,
Aida 7-12 count, Fabrics
18-20 count
- #20 - Canvas 14-16
mesh
- #18 - Canvas 12-13
mesh
- #16 - Canvas 10 mesh
If you find
your thread is shredding
even with the "right" size
needle, use one size larger.
So if you're working on 18
mesh canvas, use a #20
instead of a number #22. It
will open the hole a bit
more and allow for safer
passage of your thread.
 How
to tell if you've got the
right size needle and you
don't know what it is? Put
the needle into the fabric
hole - if it falls through
it's too small. If it's hard
to pull through, it's too
large. For the "Goldilocks -
just right" fit the widest
part of the eye should just
push the threads in the
fabric apart. In the photo
at right (18 mesh canvas) a
#24 is on the left, a #22 on
the right. You can get away
with the #24 as the eye will
just barely move the canvas
threads, but for most
projects I prefer a #22 as
it opens the holes more,
without being too large. As
with all things, experiment
to see what works best for
your project.
|
While most counted needlework uses
Tapestry needles (blunt),
embroidery and many other
techniques require sharp needles.
There is a pretty wide range of
sharp needles but we'll just talk
a bit about the ones most often
used in needlework.
- Chenille - just like a
Tapestry needle but sharp (eye
is elongated and bigger than
the shaft)
- Embroidery/Crewel Needles -
oval eye only slightly larger
than the shaft
- Milliners/Straws - longer
needles and the shaft is all
one diameter
- Beading - very thin for
bead work
- Curved - both Tapestry and
Beading needles are available
curved
If you're working on regular
fabric (anything that doesn't
already have holes) you'll need
some type of sharp needle. What
you pick is partly personal
preference but also depends on
the fabric and thread you are
using.
- Silk Ribbon
Embroidery -
generally use a Chenille as
the wider eye helps protect
the ribbon and it's easier
to thread ribbon into an
elongated eye. A related
hint - cut your ribbon on
the diagonal to thread your
needle.
- Embroidery -
Embroidery or Crewel needles
are one of the most commonly
used needle for surface work
and can accommodate crewel
wool, floss or a number of
other stranded threads.
- Bullions &
French Knots -
Milliners are the key to
success here, especially if
you're like me and tend to
wrap the thread pretty
tightly around the needle.
Since the eye and the shaft
are the same diameter you
don't hit the "eye bump" as
you pull the needle through
the wraps. If you've hated
bullions and never used a
Milliner, try it and you'll
be amazed how much it
helps.
- Beading -
while you can sometimes use
a #28 tapestry needle for
Mill Hill beads, most of the
time you're better off with
a beading needle. For adding
beads to needlework I
recommend a #10 beading
needle. They are thin and
the eye is very tiny, so
you'll need a wire threader.
These needles do bend quite
a bit since they're so thin,
but as long as you don't
bend them too much they can
handle it. They come in
sizes #10, #12, #13 and #15
for very small beads. You
can get them in a size 10/12
package so you've got one of
each of the most useful
sizes.
- Goldwork -
what you use varies by the
thread you're couching with
(or running through the
metal). In the classes I've
taken it's generally been
either a small embroidery
needle, a Milliner or a
beading needle.
I occasionally use a
curved needle when I need to
reattach something like a bead
and I no longer have access to
the back of my work (as in
it's framed already). They are
also useful when doing
finishing work to get into
harder to reach places.
When using a thread that
is on the thick size you might
want to try a Chenille needle
as long as it won't damage
your fabric. When working on
silk or satin, generally the
smaller the needle the better,
as the fabric is not forgiving
of having holes made in it.
It's a trade off between
stressing the fabric or the
thread and in most cases, the
fabric wins. For fine work
stick with an
Embroidery/Crewel needle. Size
the needle to the thread
you're using, so a smaller
needle for 1 strand of floss
than for say, Perle Cotton
#12.
The larger the number the
smaller the needle, within
that type. So a #24 Chenille
needle is smaller than a #20.
But a #20 Chenille needle is
not smaller than #15 Beading
needle. Sizing is only
relative within a specific
needle type.
If you find you can't run
the needle under the threads
on the back, just use a
smaller needle. This happens
either because you stitch
really tight (which I'm guilty
of) or you needed to use a
larger needle for the thread.
So I keep a variety of sizes
of needles in my local stash
(usually next to the couch)
and re-thread when I need to
run under the back to finish
off a thread. I'll park a
bunch of threads off to the
side and do several at the
same time if I'm changing
colors a lot.
 A great way
to keep track of your
needles and to help you
figure out what you've got
is The Needle Index
from Valley Quail EGA. We
stock them in the shop and
they're a great addition to
any needleworker's tool
stash. Each page is a
different needle type
complete with scale images
as well as a piece of wool
felt to keep your needles
in. You'll find The Needle
Index, as well as our needle
selection in our online Needle
catalog.
Mary Corbet has written
a number of articles on
needles, including hand-made
needles on her blog Needle
'nThread. If you've
not read Mary's blog before,
it's one to keep on your
reading list for a wide
variety of needlework
topics.
|
Brands
of Needles & Needle
Threaders
-
Bohin
- this is a
relatively newcomer to the
US market, but those of
you in Europe or the
Commonwealth countries
have likely seen them
around for a long time.
Bohin is a French company
manufacturing a wide range
of needlework products
from magnifiers to ceramic
pencils. They are my
favorite needle maker
these days.
Previously I'd been using
mostly the gold-plated
John James needles but I
find the finish on Bohin
needles to be smoother
than the other brands or
types I've used. We
purchase many of the sizes
in bulk, making them more
affordable if you like to
buy in quantity. While
they make a wide range of
needles (including
quilting and machine) we
stock their Beading,
Chenille, Embroidery,
Milliners Assortment and
Tapestry needles.
-
John
James - These
are manufactured by
Entaco, which is an
English company (Entaco is
an acronym for English
Needle and Tackle
Company). In some form
or other these needles
have been in production
since 1840. John
James needles are
probably the most common
brand in needlework
shops around the world.
They have a wide range
of needle types and are
an excellent quality. We
carry their Beading,
Chenille, Embroidery,
Tapestry, Gold Tapestry,
Tapestry Petite, Curved
and Pebble packs.
-
Tulip
- this is a Japanese
company which makes a
pretty extensive line of
needles. I became a fan
in 2014 when I started
using their beading
needles for my beading
work. The needles flex
but don't permanently
bend, which is great
when you're doing bead
weaving or fine bead
work. We have started
carrying their beading
needles as well as their
assortments of
Embroidery and Milliners
needles.
Why gold vs.
platinum or nickel plating?
For some stitchers their body
chemistry eats through the
nickel plating on the needles.
When Kreinik was
still manufacturing needles
their plating was a
combination of Platinum and
other metals and they were
very resistant to this. Alas,
they no longer make needles.
So gold or platinum plated
needles have been the go-to
platings for many who suffer
from the problems with nickel
plating sloughing off.
As of 2014 John James is no
longer making the Platinum
needles so supplies have
gotten very scarce. No one
else manufacturers a Platinum
Tapestry or Chenille needle
that I am aware of. While
Bohin uses nickel for the
plating, they seem to be
sturdier and more resistant to
this. As with all things, your
mileage will vary, but it
might be worth trying if you
haven't done so already.
There are
many other needles out there -
Hemming, Piecemaker, DMC,
Anchor, Clover, Roxanne and
Mary Arden to name a few.
You'll find some brands more
in quilting or fabric shops.
Every shop has their favorites
so feel free to ask the owner
or staff at the store you
frequent, why they like the
ones they carry.
 I
rarely use a threader but when I
do my go-to threader is one from Loran,
which is made out of steel. It has
a hook on each end, which hold the
needle while you wrap the thread
around the hook. The large end can
accommodate larger tapestry
needles (#22 and up) and the
smaller end for things like
#24-#28 tapestry needles. Due it
being made from steel it's both
indestructible and a magnet will
hold it, both big wins in my book.
Muriel threaders
have two sizes of ends with
appropriate holes. Beading
threaders (we call them Tiny or
Wire Threaders ) are the wire
kind and most useful for beading
and embroidery needles that have
a small eye. The trick with them
is the hold the point where the
wire is clamped to the body as
you pull them through the eye so
you don't tear the wire out.
|
Loran Threader
with
#22 Tapestry
needle.
|
Loran Threader
with
#28 Tapestry
needle.
|
 Puffin &
Company makes wonderful
decorative needle threaders,
including a new micro threader
(new for 2015) that will go into
a #10 beading needle. Their
threaders include a magnet on
the back so you'll never lose
it.
Rainbow Gallery
used to make their own
threader that was a
combination of the Muriel
and Loran styles
and out of a heavy metal piece
like the Loran.
Alas, they no longer make
them. Clover, Dritz,
Mill Hill and
other firms also make
threaders, but over the years
I've found the 3 above fit the
bill for most needlework use.
|
Hopefully
this information helps you
know more about needles and
why choosing the right one
is important. You're always
welcome to ask us at the
shop about what might be the
best option for your
project.
Happy Stitching,
Cathe |
|
|
|
