There is a tool used by quilters to help deal with loose thread ends on the surface of their quilts. It is a self-threading or easy-threading needle, pictured below.
This needle has 2 eyes in the head. The lower one is designed the way we are all familiar with – after squinting, ease the tip of the thread through the eye of the needle and pull. However, the second eye is designed so that a length of thread can be pulled down through an opening at the top and it will “pop” into place. Then, the needle behaves in the familiar way, you stitch and pull, stitch and pull, and the thread does not easily pop back out of the opening.
The threading of the needle is the step that is simplified with this tool, so it becomes an easy task to thread the needle, knot the ends and bury many individual ends of thread when using this tool.
Charlotte Warr Andersen uses this type of needle to easily handle any tail ends resulting from machine quilting. Further information on machine quilting and burying loose thread ends can be found in her book One Line at a Time.
Happy Quilting,
The Tech Editors
This article is part of the Quilting Tips from the Tech Editors tutorial series. Recent tutorials include:
- Quilting Tips: Adjusting Thread Tension
- Quilting Tips: Finishing Mitered Binding on the Quilt Back
- Quilting Tips: Washing Fabric
- Quilting Tips: Stitching in the Ditch
- Quilting Tips: Printing Images on Fabric
- Quilting Tips: Building a Fabric Stash
Related posts:
10 Comments
This is an awesome tool. I will have to look for one of these.
THIS is great. I just did about a millions threads yesterday and some were short so it was hard to knot them and pull them through the quilt top. Where do I get this needle????
Another term is slot eye needle. most LQS should have these, or could order for you :)
Thanks so much. I'll check around – now that I know what I am looking for. If I can't find it, I'll be sure to contact you. Happy Quilting!!!
RT @ctpublishing: The latest quilting tips from the Tech Editors: How to Deal with Thread Ends http://www.ctpubblog.com/2010/02/03/quil...
That looks like a good needle for me, will have to look for it when I hit the quilt store.
Debbie
This sounds wonderful. What is it called, and where ca I find it?
Shasta, you should be able to find the needles at your local Quilt Shop or at Joann. Or order online at joann.com. They have a few different self-threading needle products but here is a link to one of them http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?pageName=search&flag=true&PRODID=prd56243
Great minds think alike. I have loved these needles ever since they first came out for the exact same reason; burying threads in quilts. I always keep a couple by my quilt machine and I bury the threads every time I come to the end of a quilt line.
These make buring those loose threads easy. I have to ‘fess up that in frustration I use to just wack them off and pray.