In a week and a half I’ll be exhibiting at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair. As part of my range of supplies for whitework embroidery, I’ll have a wide selection of needles that are perfect for working whitework.
The needles I supply are chosen based on what I find helpful for making my whitework projects. There are tapestry needles from size 28 through to 20, embroidery needles in sizes 9 and 5-10, straw/milliners needles in size 4, chenille needles in sizes 24 and 22, and darner needles sizes 1-5 and 14-18.
Tapestry needles are good for any sort of counted work because they won’t split the fabric threads when you’re searching for the right hole. Embroidery needles are good all-purpose needles that I find useful for finishing items, and just general sewing. Straw or milliners needles are great for bullions as they have a long shaft and a narrow eye. Chenille needles are great for Mountmellick embroidery, smøyg and anything where you need to get a thick thread through fabric. Darner needles are great for bullions with a thick thread. All these needles have other uses, but they’re the main things *I* use them for.
I have a few different brands. I like DMC needles because I find them to be good quality needles at a good price point. Not all the needles I want come in DMC brand, so I also stock some John James needles and some Richard Hemmings needles.
If you have any questions about these needles, or would like advice on needles for your project, please don’t hesitate to ask.
So come and see me for all your whitework embroidery needs at the Vetty Creations stand at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair. Stand H10, 29th June-3rd July, Sydney Showground, Homebush.
If you can’t make it to the craft show, you can purchase hand embroidery needles from the Vetty Creations website http://www.vettycreations.com.au/catalogue-needles.html
White Threads is the blog of Yvette Stanton, the author, designer, publisher behind Vetty Creations' quality needlework books and embroidery products.
I wonder if DMC sends different needles to North America. All of the DMC needles I’ve bought here have been decidedly subpar. Admittedly I haven’t bought any DMC needles in a number of years, so it’s also possible that they’ve improved since I last used them. I mostly use Bohin needles these days, with John James for the sizes Bohin doesn’t make (e.g., #12 crewel).
I’ve been using DMC for some years and never had any problem with them. Sometimes with needles you might get a burr on the inside of the eye, which rips your thread to shreds; sometimes the point might not be cut properly, but I don’t recall having those problems with DMC needles at all.
I’ve had many DMC needles with burrs or with eyes that are stamped off-center so they break easily. (In some cases I’ve even found needles where the eye placement was so off-center that they were completely open on one side!) I’m not the only one to notice; Mary Corbett has complained about them on several occasions.
DMC must be selling better quality needles in other markets. The DMC needles available in the US are the cheapest needles you can find. I’ll have to try buying some the next time I order something from Europe or Australia and see if they’re better than the ones I can get here.
Yeah, that doesn’t sound good, and doesn’t reflect my experience with them at all (I’m pleased to say!)