Hand Embroidery Needles – An Information Round-Up

Feel free to peruse the list of articles below all about embroidery needles. If you have stitching friends, share the list with them! You’d be surprised how many stitchers have needle quandaries!

Tulip Needles – Made in Japan, these needles are rather expensive, but they’re really nice. In this article, we look at what makes them different from other needles.

John James Needle Guide – this is a link to a PDF from John James, that covers all their needles, their sizes, and how they are used. You can print it for your own resource, or you can save it to your computer for whenever you have a needle size question, and you’re working with John James needles.

Embroidery Needles by Pony – Sometimes, it’s hard to find very fine hand embroidery needles (sizes 11 & 12 crewel needles, for example. Pony makes them. This is an overview of them and some general discussion on needles, including why you shouldn’t lick your thread when you thread your needles.

Hand-made Japanese Embroidery Needles – What are hand made needles, and what are the advantages of using them?

Spiral Eye Needles – Do you have trouble threading your needle? You might consider the Spiral Eye needle. They’re now made in smaller sizes, too, for hand embroidery. This article is a review, with close-up photos.

Petites – What are petite needles and what are the advantages to using them?

Gold-plated Embroidery Needles – What are they, how are they different from other needles, and are they any better than other needles?

More on Very Fine Sized Embroidery Needles – A little more on Pony needles, plus other brands that come in fine sizes.

Curved Embroidery Needles – what they’re good for and why you need one!

Chenille Needles – What they are and why you need them!

Milliner Needles – What’s a milliner (or straw) needle, and why it is used for bullion knots and other wrapped stitches.

5 Things You Need to Know about Embroidery Needles – Some introductory information to embroidery needles in general.

On Needles that Break and the Needle Making Industry – Some general information on embroidery needles, as well as some surprises about “fine English needles” (that aren’t necessarily made in England).

How to Choose Embroidery Needles and Use Them – General information on how to select embroidery needles for the project you’re working.

Where to Find Various Embroidery Needles

In the shop, we carry a wide range of Tulip needles suitable for all aspects of hand embroidery. You can find them here. If you want to read more about Tulip needles, and I why I think that they’re particularly nice needles to use, check out this article.

Do you have any tips you’d like to share on needle types, uses, and sizes? Feel free to join in the discussion below! Many heads are better than one, so do weigh in with your own bits of stitching wisdom!

Embroidery Needle FAQS

How Do I Know What Size Embroidery Needle to Use?

As a general rule of thumb, you’ll want to choose a needle that is thick enough to make a hole in the fabric that the thread will easily go through and has an eye large enough that you’re able to thread the needle easily. Choosing a needle too thin will make it hard to pull the thread through the fabric. Selecting too large of a needle can leave visible holes in the weave of the fabric and also make it harder to work on more intricate designs.

Here are a few suggestions:
Sizes 9-10: Finer threads or when working with 1-2 strands of embroidery floss
Sizes 3-8: Medium-weight threads or when working with 3-6 strands of embroidery floss

What is the difference between Crewel and Embroidery?

The only difference between the two is the thread that you use! Crewel embroidery traditionally uses wool yarn that is thicker than cotton embroidery floss. The stitches you use for crewel embroidery are the same as in modern surface embroidery.

Crewel designs that were popular long ago included floral motifs, fruits, birds, and other animals. Crewel embroidery generally appears more 3-dimensional and puffy because of the thickness of the yarn used.

You can learn more about the history of crewel embroidery here.

What are the three types of embroidery needles?

Embroidery, Chenille, and Tapestry needles are all considered needles you can embroider with!

What is the best needle for hand embroidery? What type of embroidery needles are used for most standard embroidery stitches?

John James, Tulip, and DMC carry good quality needles that are smooth, durable, and rust-resistant.

The size embroidery needles you use depends on how many strands of floss you are embroidering with. I recommend purchasing a variety pack of needles for embroidery. You’ll be using anywhere between 1 to all 6 strands of thread at a time. DMC has packs of sizes 3 – 9 embroidery needles, which should be sufficient.

Size 3 needles are good for when you are using all 6 strands of floss and the smaller sizes (up to size 9) are good for embroidering with 1-2 strands of thread.

What are needles usually made of? Are there hypoallergenic options?

Many of the most popular brands of hand embroidery needles contain nickel in them. If you have allergies, don’t worry: there are other options out there. Check out The Needle Lady which offers stainless steel options.

Hand embroidery needles to have

If you are a hand embroidery beginner, I recommend you buy a set of crewel needles (embroidery needles) in different sizes. Most hand embroidery floss producers offer these sets. In my photo, you can see the assortments of needles by PRYM and DMC.

Also, it is handy to have a couple of milliner needles. If you have a basic sewing kit at home, you probably already own these. Milliner needles will be irreplaceable for french knots and bullion stitches.

Later, you can add other types of needles, choosing them by the embroidery project you choose.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and change the size of the needle as you go. With some experience and practice, you will find your favorite needle size, and then you can buy more needles of that exact size.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and change the size of the needle as you go. With some experience and practice, you will find your favorite needle size, and then you can buy more needles of that exact size.