i use roxanne applique needles; they come in a little tube (i think about 25 of them) and are very sharp and very thin, but the eye isn't so small i can't get the needle threader into it. they have worked well for me with appliquing batiks. are your applique pieces and your background all batiks? i have had the appliques batik but the background not...i have had the background batik and the appliques not...i have not tried it with both...but those needles are nice.