There are various types of needles to use in embroidery and cross-stitching. Quality and size vary greatly, so try numerous different needles to discover which one you are the most comfortable utilizing.
In this article, we’ll go over some tips to keep in mind when selecting an embroidery needle and when to use each one. Only then can you expect the best results out of your embroidery project.
Your options in an embroidery needle
The most common needle utilized in cross-stitching is a threading embroidery needle. Other needles exist, such as beading, chenille, quilting, and milliners needles, and each type has a specific usage.
Here is a short description of each type of needle:
- Tapestry needles – They have a blunt point, which brushes aside fabrics instead of piercing them, and a big eye to accommodate several hairs of thread.
- Embroidery needles – Just like a tapestry needle, other than that the suggestion is sharper, the needle is thinner, and the eye is smaller than a tapestry needle. They are much easier to use in cross-stitching when you are doing French knots, as the needle can pierce the fabric easier than tapestry needles.
- Small tapestry needles – Are much shorter in length than tapestry needles, which makes stitching faster since there is less of a needle to pull through the fabric with each stitch.
- Double-eye tapestry needles – Are needles with two eyes and are particularly helpful when using various kinds of floss or more or more colors (referred to as blending colors).
- Beading needles – Are utilized for including beads. The needles are long and thin because tapestry needles are generally too large to cover beads to cross stitch tasks.
- Chenille needles – Are used in ribbon embroidery because they have a large eye and sharp points.
- Quilting needles – Are quite short and have a little, round eye and a sharp point. They are best to do short stitches quickly and precisely.
- Milliners needles – Are the best needles to utilize when doing French and Bullion knots. They are very long, with little round eyes, rather than the large oval eyes of a tapestry needle.
Search for high-quality needles and threads, as this will produce a more enjoyable stitching experience and produce a higher quality finish. Sparse quality needles are harder to the thread since they have a sharp eye that will pull and fray your thread. A weak quality thread will fray easily, making it difficult to thread through the needle and offering your ended up piece a fuzzy look.
Different needle sizes
On higher count fabric, you need a smaller sized needle. Kind in mind that the bigger the number size of the needle is, the smaller sized the actual needle will be. For instance, a size 26 tapestry needle is smaller than a size 24 tapestry needle. The higher the count of the material, the smaller sized the holes in the fabric, therefore you will require a smaller needle. As a guideline, utilize a size 24 tapestry needle for stitching on an 11 or 14 material count; use a size 26 for fabric with a material count of 18 or higher.
So there you have it — everything that you need to know about choosing the right embroidery needle for your cross stitch project. We hope you’ve found this information helpful. As you may have already realized, selecting the correct needle is essential as it enables you to elevate the quality of one’s work.