I'm looking for a stronger needle to use for binding. I like the diameter of the john james straw needles because the eye goes through the fabrics smoothly, but I really bend them to the point of having to trash several every time I bind a quilt! Does anyone know of another needle whose 'eye end' (for lack of the right terminology(g)) cuts smoothly through the fabric? It takes me twice as long to do a binding when I use a needle with the eye larger than the shaft...help?????????????
rusty
Try a John James between size 9?
It's short, so it won't bend easily, and the eye isn't bigger than the shaft of the needle. I quilt with an 11 between, but the 9 is larger and therefore perhaps easier to thread.
-georg
Straws are long and thin. Betweens are very short and thin (for quilting). Try a sharp - between the other two in length but still fine. John James and John English both make good needles, but there are many brands out there that are good.
Try checking the archives here for chat about needles - there was a thread not long ago I think.
Howdy! Binding needles... I use the Richard Hemming & Son betweens and/or Jeana Kimball's Foxglove Cottage (they come in a tube) in a size 10, a 9 if that's all I can find. Both are sturdier than the Bohin's I like for quilting, may be a bit stronger than the John James brand. Usually the eyes on these brands are finished, too, so that they don't cut the thread. Good luck!
My favorites are the Richard Hemmings or John James betweens. Sturdy, easy to use. I generally use a size 11, but a 10 will do.
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