Straw needles
 

Hello,

I heard Eleanor Burns say that straw needles are the best for hand sewing. On Amazon all of the straw needles say they are milliner's needles. Does anyone know which straw needles to use and what size?

Thanks,

Karen

I like a John James needle for hand sewing. It has a bigger eye but is super sharp..[ATTACH=CONFIG]554063[/ATTACH]

Thanks, I think I saw those on Amazon. I will order these!

I think straw needles are a good choice for hand applique, but I don't think I'd use them for hand sewing. You might have to try different needles to find out what works best for you, but I generally prefer using quilting needles for hand sewing. I'm sure they wouldn't be everyone's choice, but they work for me.

embroidery needles always have a long eye because it's made to take more than one thread. What is a straw needle? are they hollow? I got one once attached to a business cards but it just said "try our straw needles" so I don't know what brand or size, it was pretty long (like a basting needle) and very thin and sharp. I used it for applique and really liked it.

Straw needles and Milners are about the same, just two names for same item. Headers often use straw needles because the shaft is straight-- the same width from eye to point, instead of ( bulging) in the center. They are long, smooth & straight. I like them for some sewing, sometimes a shorter needle is a better choice. Trying a variety of needles will allow you to choose the needles You like best. :) I never use Betweens ( or quilting needles) because for me they are just too short. I have friends who always use them for hand sewing. We each have our likes.

I love straw needles with silk thread for hand applique because they pierce the fabric so easily. They're hard to thread though, with a tiny eye. Experiment until you find what you prefer.

It always depends on how my hands are working at the time.

And on what needle eye I can get threaded!

I prefer a thin needle for most sewing - it pokes through the fabric more easily - but sometimes I have to work up to thicker ones when the thread won't cooperate with me sometimes.

You will probably be horrified if I tell you what needle I use for hand-sewing. LOL
I have two favourite needles...one is big and the other extra long. I bought all kinds of
needles to find that size. Came in those variety pack but have no idea which one.
I even sew my binding with it...on a mini quilt. Can't even tell I used a big needle. :D:thumbup:

I use milliner needles for hand sewing especially for EEP. I don't like sharps or applique needles. I use embroidery needles for big stitch quilting.

I use the Tulip #10 milliners needle in the red (?) package for most everything. Just got used to using it and not comfortable with others now.

I like the JJ milliner size 11 for appliqué, EPP, bindings, and the limited hand sewing I do.

I love size 11 milliners needles for English Paper Piecing (sewing the pieces together) and applique. They are hard to find so when I do I get several packages. They are very fine needles so take a fine thread like a silk thread or my favorite Bottom Line (which is 60 weight thread). I use Richard Hemming brand needles as that is what I can find.
To thread a needle more easily lick the eye of the needle rather than the thread. The moisture on the needle will pull the thread through the eye
I have a needle threader (sorry can't remember the brand but it's not Clover) that has two size threaders on it, one at each end. You sit it on a surface and push a plunger to put the thread through the needle. I like that a lot but the size 11 needle has too small of an eye for it to work. It does work great on size 8 and larger needles however.
When folding my fabric over my template for EPP I generally use a size 8 John James Embroidery needle as they are a little bigger with a large eye and shorter than a milliners. I use up bobbin and end of spool thread for this hence I need a bigger eye.
Remember the larger the number, the finer the needle in hand sewing needles (size 8 needle is bigger than a size 11). The name of the needle (between, milliners, embroidery etc) tells you the shape of the needle.
It's a matter of personal preference. I found what works for me. Others have said my size 11 ones would drive them crazy.

There is a large variety of needles out there and you just might ask a couple of friends who have different needles if you can have 1 needle from them so you can give it a try and see what suits you best. I need a needle with an eye large enough that I can thread my quilting thread thru which is what I use for hand sewing my binding to the back and long enough to hold.

Amazing! I just found a package of John James needles. Didn't know I had them.

Forgot to mention I buy the Gold'n Glide by JJ. They have a gold coated eye to make it easier to thread & are Teflon coated so they slide through the fabric easier.

However, when I finish this batch I bought, I'm planning to get some of the ThimbleLady hand sewing needles because they are nickle-free. It's the one downside of JJ needles (and every other brand I've tried). I have a nickle allergy & my hands swell while doing hand applique such that they become unable to properly form stitches, forcing me to quit sewing before I'm really ready to. A nickle-free needle would be so ideal. I have some of her hand quilting needles and they are fantastic!

I use Jeana Kimball's straw needles #11 for all my hand sewing - applique, sewing down bindings, sewing on sleeves, etc. Because straw needles are hollow, they bend a little, making them flexible enough to make more than one stitch at a time. But because they are super sharp, you really need to wear a thimble when using them. The eye is small, but many people have luck with a Clover needle threader.

I love all the discussion on needles. M\My favorite has a pointy end and a hole to put the thread. Some are sharper, some are fatter.

I love Roxanne's tiny little one inch needles. Then I got Lyme disease and stiff swollen fingers. Now I'm using Clover Black Gold Needles until the residual problems are resolved (hopefully).

So - which needle do you use?

I use John James Gold Big Eye #10 Quilting needles for all hand sewing.

Still don't really know which one. They came from those variety packs
and said packs don't tell you which is which. Good thing is that those
needles last a long time. I guess I'll just keep buying variety packs
and pick the ones that feels good in my hands.
The Roxanne basting needles is one of them. The other one is from
the variety pack.

I really like using a number 10 straw needle for hand applique ( and silk thread which makes your stitches disappear). I have just continued using this needle for hand sewing, sewing on the bindings etc. I think you should try different needles and find one you like.

Well had a good laugh on this post thinking the discussion was about Straw needles and thinking how could straw be strong enough to sew with! Either my naïveté is showing or my blonde head....maybe a bit of both! LOL

a straw needle is similar to a sharp except it is longer. and I have a hard time getting my thimble finger behind it because it is so long. The size 11 is a nice skinny straw with a tiny eye (ok for silk thread only), but again too long for my fingers. Straws were for hatmaking and gathering fabric where extra length is needed. Because they are so skinny they dont leave a big hole for applique. So I use a skinny, size 11, sharp for applique. Its the best compromise for me. John James is the brand I use.

I have no problem getting Aurifil 50/2 cotton through the size 11 JJ milliner's. I was struggling with the thimble & what finger to put it on. I kept using my index finger even though that's also the finger I use to sew. I finally got some of those Poke-a-Dot sticky thimbles and just stick it just to the left of where I hold the needle. It works perfectly for straws. If I find myself getting a dimple somewhere else because I've changed how I'm pushing the needle through, I just either move the thimble or add a 2nd thimble sticker on.