Use the curved needles, they are awesome! Very sharp, large enough eye for just about anything you want to use and they help reduce strain on your hands. I only use the curved needles when I tie quilts. The best thing is that you don't have to flip the quilt back and forth. I thread the needle with a pretty long length of (usually embroidery) thread, and working from the top, I take a bite of the quilt, draw the thread through, leave long tails and cut. I place all my "ties" at once, then go back and tie them....assembly line style, I guess.