Volume 1 Number 1  
Winter 2004  

Page 6  

Once you stop following directions and start working on your own, you need to learn about needles.  It's easy to let this information slip by you, when most projects spell out exactly what supplies to get.  Many stitchers are too afraid to use anything but what an author or designer has prescribed.  It's like stone tablets one must use faithfully, otherwise horrible results will ensue.

Not true.  Although there are some general guidelines, a lot of the differences are regional or cultural.  Sometimes, to do something just a bit different, you'll have to change what needle you ordinarily choose to use, such as when working on stuffed objects that are embroidered post finishing.

If you come from a background of counted stitching, you will be most familiar with blunt needles.

Illustrated at left are two common needle types used for embroidery. Both needles are Size 24.  The one at right is a chenille, with a sharp point. The one at left is a tapestry, a blunt (rounded) point. Note that they are the same size, both in length and diameter. The eyes are also the same. Sometimes, you might want to use the sharper needle when working with

some ground fabrics because the point helps pull the threads out of the way. If you have to split aida threads, for instance, a pointed needle will be more efficient. Other times, the ground threads are too fragile, and the blunt needle works better. If you're having difficulty in a project, try changing needle sizes and types.

The four needles in this illustration are all sharp-pointed needles, all Size 10.  From left to right:   crewel, between, sharp, and straw. The point is about the only thing they have in common. The embroidery has an oval eye like the chenille and tapestry needles, but much shorter.  The two in the center have the same size eye — to accomodate the same size thread — but are different lengths. The straw is slightly fatter to accomodate the eye. It is the same diameter its whole length, unlike the other three which fatten out at the eye.

How are the above needles used?

The crewel (embroidery) is normally used with flosses. A size 10 accomodates one strand comfortably.

But a single strand of floss also fits comfortably in a size 10 sharp, and it is just as easy to use one as it is to use the other in many embroidery situations.

Despite its delicate appearance, the between is the needleworker's workhorse. It is normally used in:

Continued Page 7

Don't miss the pattern on page 8.