r/HandSew • u/Expensive-Clock8012 • 3d ago

Needle threader??

Friends. I hope someone can advise me. When I learned to hand sew many years ago, my grandmother used the silver Susan B Anthony needle threaders. I have gotten myself a package but - I hate to say it - they are terrible. I have broken six so far today I think, although to be fair my current project is embroidery and floss is always more demanding than thread.

Please help. Where are the GOOD needle threaders?

5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

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7

u/generallyintoit 3d ago

They always break if you try and pull by the coin looking part. I have only saved one by pinching the base of the wire diamond as I pull. You can still use the bits of wire if they detach from the handle

1

u/Expensive-Clock8012 3d ago

Yep I always pinch the wires but two or three strands of floss seems to be right at their failure point regardless…

5

u/stringthing87 3d ago

If you can't get two strands you may need to size up the needle

3

u/Expensive-Clock8012 3d ago

Fair point! (eta: I learned from a grandmother who was a depression-era sewist and who generally considered a needle to be a needle .. you made it work with what you had. Still getting my head around the finer points of needle differences.)

3

u/pinknewf 3d ago

There is one shaped like a little hummingbird. Le Needle Bird.

Best needle threader I’ve ever used. Plentiful and affordable on Etsy.

2

u/SapientSlut 1d ago

Seconding! The bird is the best needle threader I’ve used. And I love that it’s thematic with the stork scissors.

2

u/toonew2two 3d ago

Look at easy through dental flosser

These are very thin plastic loops used to pull dental floss through your braces

1

u/Expensive-Clock8012 1d ago

Clever! I have some of these and I never even thought about their multipurpose potential! 🤓

1

u/jazzy_cat_2018 2d ago

I have a DMC brand one I got from Michaels. It's held up for well over a year now. And I'm not exactly gentle about pulling through lol and it was pretty cheap