Pink Chalk Studio » Blog Archive

Gadgets

Jun 27th, 2007 by Kathy

THE best gadget ever to be invented. The self-threading needle.

I learned about the existence of these handy little helpers from Lisa Call. Lisa also did a recent post about bringing all her threads to the top of the quilt and then burying them at the end. I used this technique on Marci’s table runner and I’m a disciple.

I’m a thread burying type of gal. I do it on all my projects. I wish I could just backstitch, clip, and be done with it. I know, OCD. But look at these results:

And if you’re not sure whether you’re a thread burying type or a backstitcher there’s nothing like a little astrological reading to clear things up. Mine was FRIGHTENINGLY accurate.

update 6/27/07: from some comments and the interpretation of this post on Craftzine I wanted to add a clarification on these needles. They are not good for regular sewing. The self-threading mechanism located at the top of the needle is bulky and difficult to pull through the fabric. Your thread can also pop out of the eye and cause the thread to fray. Both of these things were easy to compensate for when burying my threads and I highly recommend them for that application.

Posted in Quilting, Sewing | 25 Comments

25 Responses to “Gadgets”

on 27 Jun 2007 at 10:07 am1JudyC

Actually I don’t do either, I guess I am a tiny stitch gal. I start my stitch at about a 1 and go a 1/2″ or so then hit the normal stitch length until the end and then I move back to tiny and finish then last 1/4″ or so in a super tiny stitch, then clip. No backing stitch and those tiny babies are imposssible to remove….I’ve tried when I made a mistake. It takes alot to remove them. God idea though with the needle, I’ll have to get some!
on 27 Jun 2007 at 10:34 am2Adrienne

I’ve never heard of those!!! Your quilt looks FANTASTIC!!!!
on 27 Jun 2007 at 10:45 am3planetjune

Okay, how did I not know about these self-threading needles?! I need to go and find some immediately! Thank you for sharing your find - I am just about to start a hand-sewn project and those needles are going to save me so much time

And I agree with Adrienne - your quilt does look fantastic!
on 27 Jun 2007 at 11:10 am4Lisa

Your quilt looks great Kathy!

JudyC - Those little stitches don’t pull out - but the end of the tread - that tiny itty bitty part sticking above the fabric - it gets all fuzzy eventually and looks tacky over time. Which is why I finally switched to burying thread ends. Totally OCD I suppose.
on 27 Jun 2007 at 11:12 am5laurie

I have tons of vintage self-threading needles!! I never knew a good use for them and packed them away. I will dig them out and give them a try. Thanks, Kathy!!
on 27 Jun 2007 at 11:30 am6Administrator

Thanks everybody! I’m going to let Marci be the first to see the table runner and then I’ll post a full shot.

A note on the needles: The eye is larger to accomodate the self-threading mechanism (basically a small groove at the top of the needle that the thread is pulled down through into the eye). I don’t think I could use these needles to do an entire hand sewing project because the needle wouldn’t glide through the fabric like my favorite Richard Hemming & Son Size 10 Sharps. For burying threads I don’t really care about tugging a bit harder to pull the needle out of the fabric.
on 27 Jun 2007 at 11:49 am7Anina

I’m a burier too. It just looks better. And the self-threading needles sound great for speeding up this process.
on 27 Jun 2007 at 11:56 am8Mama Urchin

Never seen those. Something to try for sure.
on 27 Jun 2007 at 12:11 pm9joyce

It used to take me much longer to thread the needles than to bury the ends until someone mentioned self threading needles. Now it’s a snap. You can even thread two or three threads at a time if they are close together as they often are. Gotta love them!
on 27 Jun 2007 at 1:10 pm10Kristin L

Like Joyce, I’m a bury-er too and have been using these self threading needles for about a year. I’ll never go back — it’s sooooo much easier to pop the threads in rather than try to thread them, especially if you goof and have short-ish ends
on 27 Jun 2007 at 1:13 pm11Carrie

I’ve been trying to bury them ever since I learned how, but I suspect at heart I’m a backstitcher. But I’m trying really hard to be good because it looks so much better!
on 27 Jun 2007 at 1:47 pm12Natalie

Thanks Kathy for the tip! I’ll update my post.
on 27 Jun 2007 at 2:51 pm13stephanie s

oh wow! i have seen these and always ask myself, ‘are your eyes that bad yet that you can’t thread a needle?’ and i always decide no… but i had not once considered using them for burying thread. i am going to get some pronto, because i am a firm believer in burying, first knotting, then burying….
on 27 Jun 2007 at 3:19 pm14planetjune

Thanks for clarifying, Kathy - I guess I’ll just stick with regular needles after all. I knew it was too good to be true!
on 27 Jun 2007 at 5:23 pm15Pam

I also bury my threads and use that very needle! Its a must for this kind of work which can be tedious. Lovely photos and very cool project!
on 28 Jun 2007 at 4:02 am16Lisa

Hi Kathy,

I’ve just seen the pattern cover for your Note Taker, and I just wanted to say that it looks so professional. I am considering creating patterns myself and I hope the covers will look anywhere near as nice as yours
on 28 Jun 2007 at 7:00 am17Self Threading Needles by Clover : Craft Blog

[…] Kathy of Pink Chalk Studio uses self threading needles to bury loose threads on a quilt top after machine quilting. I originally thought they would be good for hand sewing but after the comments on this post, I realize that’s not a good idea. Thanks everyone! Read more about how Kathy’s using them for quilting at Pink Chalk Studio here. Link. […]
on 28 Jun 2007 at 8:54 am18Alice

Self-threading needles are great for ordinary hand sewing… ask my 80+ year-old Father about trying to sew on a button when he can’t see the eye of an ordinary needle and you’ll have enough material for a one hour comedy act. I got him some of the self-threading ones and he got excellent results. I now keep a stash of them around for buttons, popped seams and hand applied linings and zippers. Send off a package to elderly relatives - they will love you for it!
on 28 Jun 2007 at 1:05 pm19Jo Ann

Your work is always lovely and inspirational. Now I’m starting to make quilts and I’d love to bury my threads, but I can’t figure out how to do it. Do you have a tutorial somewhere that explains the process?
I’d really appreciate the help. thanks,
on 28 Jun 2007 at 5:44 pm20Administrator

To answer Jo Ann’s question:

I actually do have a tutorial for burying short thread ends: http://pinkchalkstudio.com/blog/how-to-bury-thread-ends/

The link was incorrect on my tutorials page so I’m glad you asked and I was able to fix it!

I think I’ll be updating that tutorial soon. The tutorial is really focused on burying thread ends that are too short to thread into the needle therefore you have to put the needle in first and then use a needle threader. This is all before I had my handy-dandy auto-threading needles.

My new approach is to pull the bobbin thread to the top of the quilt before beginning to stitch (this is in the middle of the quilt, if you’re starting from and edge which will be covered by the binding you don’t have to worry about anything). After all your machine quilting is completed, you’ll have threads hanging loose on the top of your quilt. I tie mine twice with my fingers, thread the two ends through your needle, put the needle into the hole where the thread ends came out and take a stitch about 1/2 inch or further away. Tug a bit to pull that knot down through the hole where the needle went in. Trim the threads close to the fabric where the needle came out. Threads are now buried and the knot securing the stitching line has also been pulled inside the layers never to be seen again!

Let me know if anyone needs more clarification. Happy sewing, kathy
on 29 Jun 2007 at 12:43 pm21Daphne

I was wondering what the application for self-threading needles would be — now I know. I’ve been doing a lot of hand-sewing lately (I even used a little bit of the fabric you gave me!) and now I know what needles to look for (the sharps, not the self-threaders). But also, now I know when I’m ready to do my next quilt[s] (probably for the boys) (do I get a prize for incluing a record number of parenthetical statements in this comment?), that I’ll want to follow these hints for finishing the quilting threads.

Oh dear, and here I thought I’d convinced myself not to do any more shopping for a while.
on 29 Jun 2007 at 5:13 pm22Dacia

wow, am I jealous of your straight lines and flat, no crumpled fabric. If I took a close-up of my quilts, you would be horrified! looking gorgeous.
on 30 Aug 2007 at 11:19 am23April

thanks for posting about this. i have always been disappointed with backstitching on quilts but didn’t really think about there being a way around it. i have started quilting on a quilt and have lots of little strings all over and am a bit nervous about having to bury all them. however, i know i’ll be glad i did
oh and i plan on using your tutorial on burying a knot as well.
thanks again.
on 04 Feb 2008 at 4:58 pm24so pleased « by small means

[…] the quilting made such a hugh difference and burying all those strings was not painful at all. it did take a couple of hours but i could do it while watching tv. thanks again kathy for the tip. if i ever make a robot like this again i will probably do a bit more quilting on the robot itself. but i do love him as he is. […]
on 04 Feb 2008 at 4:59 pm25started quilting « by small means

[…] in the past i have always been a backstitcher on my quilts that had quilting that didn’t flow from one end to another, but was never happy with the results. when i started this quilt i remembered this post over at pink chalk studio. my plan is to give it a try. in the comments of that post she gave instructions to bury the knots, which i plan on trying as well. i have only started the quilting and am a bit nervous about all the knots i’m going to have to bury, but maybe it wont be too bad. […]