how to find a lost needle... HELP???
 

Hello quilting friends! So, I'm quilting along and working on achieving a smaller stitch when the thread is getting a little short... and suddenly the needle simply pops up, does a loop-de-loop, and DISAPPEARS into the depths of my little sewing room.... I can't find it ANYWHERE!!!! AAAACCCKKKKK!!!!

So, any ideas? I've looked over the quilt, my clothes, under the small chest behind me, throughout the chair where the dog sleeps... sigh... I've found a number of pins I didn't know I'd dropped and have discovered I REALLY need to move furniture to sweep and dust.

What do I do? help????

If you have one of those magnetic long tools like the mechanic uses and go around with that and it will latch on to the tool.

I have a tool that has a handle, a metal telescoping rod with a magnet and light at the end. Cheap at Harbor Freight store. For your immediate situation get your brightest flashlight, turn it on and the room light off and see if you can find it. May also be buried into the quilt or chair. Good hunting!

I have what is called a broom magnet, it is a long bar shaped magnet, attached to a long handle. The magnet swivels like a dust mop, and will go anywhere It is strong enough to pull some pins out of shag carpet. I got it years ago at Home Depot, or Low's in the shop tools department.

Walking barefoot through the room generally helps - but I don't recommend it.

If you have carpet, sometimes the needle goes in at an angle and you simply can't see it. A friend of mine shines a flashlight over the floor. Apparently the needle shines in the light. If you have hardwood flooring, it's possible that the needle is lodged between boards or by the baseboard. I don't know if the flashlight trick will work for that.

If you have a strong magnet, put it on a short pole and 'sweep' the floor and furniture with it. That might find it. Or you can go to a hardware store and get a telescoping magnet wand. They're useful for hunting pins. They come in several sizes; I'd recommend the larger as it seems stronger. If you get one of them, you can attach a larger magnet to it so that you cover more area in a shorter time. This is not foolproof; sadly there are times when the barefoot method is the only one that works.

You mentioned the dog. Well I dropped a needle with a very short thread one time & my dog swallowed it. I took him to the vet & they did xrays. They could see the needle floating around in there. They said they would have to operate, cuz if they made her vomit , it could do a lot of damage. Well when they put her under , it made her vomit anyway & there it was. She still had to recouperate from the anesthetic . So you might have to check the dog.

Invite your hubby in. He'll step on it within 5 seconds. Guaranteed.

oh, another thing------------have you checked YOUR clothing? I had a needle fall in the cuff of my pants once and didn't discover that for a good while.

Hope you find it in a painless way. I hate when that happens, and it sometimes takes forever to find that needle or pin. I use all the above methods---usually crawling around with the flashlight works, if it's on the floor.