World Wide Quilting Page
Question of the Week
Question for the week of June 16, 2003:
Our question this week comes Dot Wynn:
Realizing all hand quilters are not alike I would like some help on selecting quilting needles. Is one brand better than another and which size is the best?
Charlene :
I like Piecemakers best of all. Then John James. Size l0 or 11. They both do a good job and go thru most battings with ease. I find the Piecemakers do not bend as quickly as the James needles do. Im hard on needles so this may be the reason. My advice to new quilters is try them all and determine which works best for you. Most importantly enjoy the process.
S Knap :
Colonial Size 10 Betweens seem to work well for me. They are a little stiffer and seem to resist bending. Also they tend to break a little less often.
Jean :
I tried all kinds of needles until I found the ones that I liked. I did not stick only to "quilting" needles, but tried all kinds. I also went to classes and looked at what others were using and how. I find my needles bend. I tried platinum needles ($5 each) and they bent even faster, plus they seemed rough sliding thru fabric. Right now I just replace them as fast as they bend, and I use the cheap needles. I use #10 & #12 and get maybe 5 stitches stacked each time. I do lap and hoop quilting by hand. Our JoAnne's has a huge quilting dept and classes on hand quilting by a lady named Judy, the best hand quilter I have ever met. If anyone else is bending needles, please share your comments. I need suggestions!
Lisa :
I am making a family quilt. Last year I sent 30 white 12"x12" cotton squares to each of my Grandmother's decendants. I asked them each to make their square however they wanted. Most are completed now. Some of the kids drew pictures, other people put their photos on their square, others did needlepoint. My question is this, "Do any of you know of web photos of completed quilts of this nature so that I can get some ideas on how to make it look?"
Annette :
I bought a little plastic case of "Quilting Needles" from Walmart for 69 cents. It has several sizes in the pack. I tried a few and found that I like them long and thin. The "between size #4" is my favorite.
Steph :
I find Roxanne's needles to be my favorite right now.
Steph
Myra :
I do a lot of hand quilting and I loveRichard Hemming &Son large eye needles from England size 10 hope this helps.
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