Embroidery - Equipment | CraftLovers - where crafters come together

Embroidery - Equipment

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Needles

Joan Watters helps us to understand which embroidery needles to use with various threads, for what purposes and her reasons why.

Regular readers will know that Joan is a prolific embroiderer as well as a teacher of the art, and she is always very specific about the needles to use in her projects. This is how she uses them after many years of experience doing very fine needlework. Some may have other preferences, but this is her way.

Threading Needles

Take one strand of thread and make it longer than the length you require. To make two strands, thread one end in the needle and pull it down so the two ends are level. You can either knot them or secure the thread once you start to embroider. By using this method you have one strand going through the needle’s eye instead of two, making it easier to pull through the fabric. It can be used for larger size needles and different numbers of threads.

Make four strands using two lengths, as shown in a crewel No 9, or six strands using three – this is especially good for embroidering six-thread bullion stitches.

If your eyesight is not as good as it used to be, go up a size in the needle to make it easier to thread, but only if you can’t thread it with ease. Joan has no intention of stopping embroidering for the sake of threading the needle and she sometimes even goes up a size just to make life easier.

Crewel Needles

The first type of needle is the crewel and a good quality one makes your embroidery job much easier. They are more expensive, but there is no substitute for quality. Her favourite brand is BOHIN, made in France. She is not paid to promote them, but has chosen to use them for at least 15 years and can’t imagine changing.

Crewel needles can be purchased in separate packs of the same size or in a mixed pack of No 3 to 10. Crewel needles are used for stranded embroidery cotton as they have a long eye, making them easy to thread.

Crewel No 10

This needle is very fine, has a very small eye and is used for single-strand embroidery. It’s also suitable for sewing on small seed beads as it can pass through them and Joan prefers them over other beading needles.

Comments

Submitted by Irena mangone on Wed, 16/03/2011 - 3:57pm.

I like the new appli bond needles shame you cannot get them in the shop found it on the net but that love the tiwas a few years back so cannot remember where. at the time they were $7 dollars for three. love all the tips thank you

Submitted by Magriet on Tue, 12/10/2010 - 1:14am.

I just read about the appli needles sounds great, and wondered if they would be obtainable in South Africa?

Submitted by marleigh on Sun, 18/07/2010 - 3:31pm.

Just love Joan's tips and the projects in the craft mags. I am still trying to master bullion stitches and practise following the tips in Joan's article in Patchwork & Stitching mag of some time ago.