A Quick Overview Of The Types Of Needles Used In Hand Embroidery In Perth

While everyone has a favorite embroidery tool, one of the most important and basic stitching tools that you cannot do without is the needle. And picking the right embroidery needle can make a big difference between a pleasurable stitching experience and a frustrating one.

For starters, here are 4 necessary types of embroidery needles and their uses.

1. Crewel needles

These feature medium-long eye, a sharp tip, and a shaft that is slightly thinner than the eye. They are mostly used for general surface embroidery, goldwork, whitework, crewel work, and any embroidery technique where a sharp needle is needed. The sharp tip makes them more suited for pricing slightly woven fabrics while their longer eyes allow them to accommodate embroidery threads of varying weights.

2. Tapestry needles

These types of needles have long eyes, blunt tips, and shafts that are slightly thinner than their eyes. The blunt tips help embroiders avoid piercing the fabric threads during the stitching process. They come in sizes 13-28 with size 28 being the finest and 13 being the largest. Tapestry needles are majorly used for counted thread works and needlepoint as well as any needlework on canvas or fabric with open holes that determine where each needle is placed.

3. Chenille Needles

These feature long eyes, sharp tips, and shafts that are slightly thinner than their eyes. Like tapestry needles, Chenille needles come in sizes 13-28. Size 28 accommodates very fine needles. These types of needles are majorly used in surface embroidery, chenille embroidery, crewel embroidery, and in embroidery technique where large needles with long eyes that accommodate slightly bigger threads are needed. Most crewel embroiders tend to use chenille needles for crewel work because their (needles) eyes are easier on the wool thread and their large shaft and sharp tips are great in making good holes in the fabric, allowing the wool thread to pass through easily—relatively unscathed.

4. Miller needles

These feature smaller, roundish eyes, sharp tips, and shafts that have the same thickness as their eyes. They are longer than the 3 types of needles discussed above. They come in sizes 1-10, with 10 being the finest and 1 being the largest. You can also find them in sizes 15-18 with size 15 being the largest. Size 18 is, however, larger than size 1. They are used for any type of embroidery stitch where thread is wrapped around the needle severally and the whole needle has to pass through the wraps.

If you plan to launch Perth embroidery services in future, these are the common types of needs that you should opt for. There is no absolute formula on the type of needle to use for specific threads—it’s based on personal preferences.