Beading needles are an essential part of beading, there is no argument there. I have often seen lots of discussions about the “best” needle. Some people love the John James brand, other beaders are faithful to the Pony brand, and still others love the price and use the Lance brand. I’ve noticed that most suppliers tell you the brand because they know it matters. And oh how those John James lovers are questioning their product. So, here’s the scoop on John James. In the past, all the needles were produced in England, then they got a factory in China. I for one loved the old needles and do NOT like the new ones… they just break in half Frequently. The needles made in England have a dragon logo on the package and the ones from China have a lotus flower on the package. So, if you have some with the dragon… yeah!
And when a new brand comes out with a needle, there is always lots of excitement. When Tulip needles came out, there was an immediate buzz… finally a needle that doesn’t get bent easily! This is simply not an issue for me, but I can see that many beaders value this as a criteria. (Personally, I look at my bent needles with the same fondness I have for my grey hairs!)
This discussion is not about which brand is best, that is a personal choice. But what I do want to offer for your consideration is to look at needles as a tool. The following is an excerpt from my new book Bead Play with Fringe:
“When beading with size 11/0 seed beads, the favorite needle size to use is a size 12. If you only want to stock one size needle in your stash, that is the recommended size. Another way to view needles is that they are a “tool” and having a variety of sizes including 10, 12 and 13 is useful. A size 10 needle is easier to thread and hold so use it to start projects. The added advantage of using a larger needle is that it will help cull out any beads with small holes since the needle won’t easily fit. This is especially true when later steps call for stitching through the beads again. Switch to a Size 12 needle when you perform the latter steps which call for stitching through beads several times. Have some size 13 needles available to use when you need to stitch through a bead again, but it is too tight for a size 12 needle. Replacing the needle to change the size is easy when working with single thread. If a process calls for doubled thread, just use the smaller size needle (size 12) since you can’t change the needle as you bead.”
The point here is that your beading tool box will have many sizes of needles in it and you would choose your needle depending upon what you were doing. In the past, I stocked and used a size 12 needle only. After all, isn’t that what beading projects call for? However I changed my perspective seeing the needle as a tool. So I expanded my inventory of needles (this is not expensive) including the other sizes (I even have some size 15 needles just in case. I haven’t used them yet but I know that when I need them that they will be there). When I am beading, I don’t just automatically pull out a needle. Instead, I’ll think about what stitch I am doing, or what I am making and choose the best needle for the task. As a general rule, I want to use that size 10 needle simply because it is so easy to thread. It helps to cull beads with a too small hole and is easy and comfortable to hold.
Another aspect of my “needle toolbox” is that I have different types of needles and lengths. So, I have some Big Eye needles. I use these when I need to weave in two tails and the holes of the beads are large enough to accommodate them. Big Eye needles let me thread both tail threads at one time – fast and easy. (I’m all for anything that saves me time!). Another needle I have is a 4 inch needle. Yes that is super long but I have had instances where I needed to go through beads that are longer than the average needle. I don’t like it when I have to stop working on a project and purchase something to be able to finish it… so I keep them in stock.
Needles=Tool. I hope this helps you in your beading life!
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