no special needles here.....i tend not to quilt through the design on the t-shirt [go around it ] and use the heat -n-bond in the purple package it is for sewing ...[red is a no sew ]...................another trick i peel it off the paper backing ..when putting on the back of the shirt it is easier to see through the backing paper ...i use thin fabric or old sheets to stabilize put that on top of heat-n-bond iron one time .trim and sew