I use a pair of old tweezers. For me, they work better because they aren't so bulky as needle nose pliers. I tried a pair of hemostats like we used to use in the dental office, but they had a locking mechanism on the handle and it kept snapping closed, so became a headache to use. I remember my grandmother would grip the needle with her fingers and tug, sometimes 2-3 times to get the needle thru. My fingers simply will not grip the needle. So my tweezers, needle threader, thimble, and small embroidery scissors live on the quilt top for ready access.