Self Threading needles

[Rita C.]

Out of a pack of John James self-threading needles that I bought only one was okay! I now have a packet of Dritz which a very kind friend sent to me and they are all working well.

[Lois B.]

I'm a thread burier...took a class w/Sue Nickels a decade ago and she recommended the same needles way back then. In my opinion, not all self threading needles are created equal. There are several brands available and I've tried them all. Basically in a pack of 5 - 7 needles, only one or two are really good (meaning that the notch is open enough to accept the thread and not shred it). I keep those in a special little pincushion and they last a very long time. I pitch out the 'bad' ones immediately to save myself the frustration. I really hope this helps. Mrs.A

I am not even sure what brand it is I have but they all seem to shred the thread some of the time. Never thought of trying every one it the pack to see if one is better. I think there are two left in the package maybe I should try them. I have ordered the Clover spiral needles from Nancy's Notions thinking the design and fine honing of the needle eye prevents this problem. Am I right about that?

[Margo C.]

Lois, Spiral Eye is a very special (and patented) type of needle and made by a different company than Clover. The "eye" is a totally different shape.

http://www.spiraleyeneedles.com/

Clover does sell a Self Threading needle, but it's not the Spiral Eye type. You can see the difference in the photos.

http://www.clover-usa.com/product/69...edles_Assorted

Please let us know what you think of the ones you receive.

[Renata L.]

Margo, since you have Spiral Eye needles, is there anything you don't like about them? Do you use Spiral Eye needles exclusively or are there some purposes for which you prefer the more conventional design? Right now, I can only see myself using any of these needles for burying threads, especially when there are a lot of threads to bury. Thanks!

[Nancy R.]

I always use spiral eye needles to bury my threads. I originally tried the Clover but was constantly shredding the thread, which is a real pain when you are burying a tail so you can't just get a new piece of thread. The spiral eye needles have worked great for me. The only problem I've had is sometimes the edge of the eye will catch on the quilt fabric or the batting. That is a real pain, but was happening a lot less often than the shredding with the other needles. And, now that I've used them for a while, it doesn't seem to be happening very often anymore so maybe I'm getting used to the needles. I tend to be hard on needles and bend them a lot. Must have Incredible Hulk finger strength or something! So I do go through the needles. But I'm still willing to pay the extra for the spiral eye needles.

I haven't used the self-threading needles for any other purpose.

Nancy

[Margo C.]

Like Nancy, I just use them for burying threads, and also have trouble sometimes with the hook part of the eye catching on batting or fabric....but....I try to be aware of what side of the needle the hook is on, and apply pressure on the other side of the needle when going through the quilt, and that takes care of it most of the time!

To be perfectly honest, I never thought of using them for anything else!



But...I will the next time I do some hand work!

[Renata L.]

Thanks Margo and Nancy--I think I'm willing to give spiral eye needles a try. On their website, there's a boat load of sizes and I'm not familiar with Perle thread sizes so their needles size explanation means little-to-nothing to me. What size spiral eyes do you use for burying threads? Sorry to be beating a dead horse here but I really do get good gouge from y'all!

[Margo C.]

Renata, the ones I use for burying threads are the size 24 Embroidery Needles, and they seem to be fine for what I do, but according to this chart, I could probably use a smaller size and one with a sharper point!

http://www.spiraleyeneedles.com/needlesizechart.html

[Lois B.]

Lois, Spiral Eye is a very special (and patented) type of needle and made by a different company than Clover. The "eye" is a totally different shape.

http://www.spiraleyeneedles.com/

Clover does sell a Self Threading needle, but it's not the Spiral Eye type. You can see the difference in the photos.

http://www.clover-usa.com/product/69...edles_Assorted

Please let us know what you think of the ones you receive.

I certainly hope the ones I ordered from Nancy's Notions were the Spiral Eye. I'll be sure to let you know.

[Margo C.]

Here is a video showing how to thread these needles: http://www.spiraleyeneedles.com/files/threading.MOV

[Lois B.]

I went back and checked my receipt and I ordered Spiral Eye Needles. For some reason, I thought they were made by Clover. Maybe that's why I couldn't find them in the local shops. :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Margo C.]

[Constance G.]

Thanks Margo and Nancy--I think I'm willing to give spiral eye needles a try. On their website, there's a boat load of sizes and I'm not familiar with Perle thread sizes so their needles size explanation means little-to-nothing to me. What size spiral eyes do you use for burying threads? Sorry to be beating a dead horse here but I really do get good gouge from y'all!

Renata, I use the size 6 sharp Spiral Eye needle to bury threads. I was at Hobby Lobby recently and checked out their selection. The embroidery needle Margo uses is about the same length and diameter, but has a blunter point.

I love the Spiral Eye needles, but have noted one specific quirk related to the current BOM. When you are burying the thread tails on the back of the block, you need to be careful to turn the needle eye toward the fabric before pulling it through the underneath side of the blanket stitches. If the eye is facing toward the blanket stitch threads, it may grab one of them on the way through like a tiny, but tenacious, crochet hook. If this happens, it takes all manner of fussin' and cussin' to unhook it...ask me how I know! :roll:

[Carol R.]

Connie, I smiled when I read your comments. I recently purchased the spiral needles and am very impressed, have used them quite a bit since I purchased them without a snag. Then today, twice I was muttering nasty sounds because I caught it twice. I was at my sewing group so it is likely that my light and angle was different. But noting the location of the side is important when burying the thread, wish I read all of the suggestions earlier. I am still pleased with the spiral needle. I ordered the 4, 6 and 8 package. Carol

[Nancy R.]

I think the ones I've been using are SE-6 and SE-8, but I'm not sure. I'm in Kansas City and my needle packages are at home so I can't check.

Nancy