When I don't have my "close up" glasses handy and need to thread my machine needle, I use a small envelope which I keep handy , place a corner of it behind the needle and the hole is very easy to see. Anything small and white will work.
hi geraldine, great tip, thanks and welcome to the group
gini in north idaho
Geraldine--
Great idea! Here's another threading tip I stumbled upon yesterday while trying to get the thread into those tiny hand quilting needle eyes. I ran the thread over some lip balm and it stiffened up just enough to slide through the eye as slick as anything.
Kissimmee, FL
joyce, hand needles have two sides, the eyes are stamped into the needle. if you have trouble threading the needle from one side, turn it over. one side is smoother and a wee bit bigger than the other.
Yep, I know, and sometimes both sides give me fits!
so have you both tried the table top needle threader from clover. i love it for late night when my eyes are tired
How many ways can you thread a needle, or how many people does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Just kidding!
I cut the end of the thread at an angle, then moisten the eye of the needle. The moisture wicks the thread tip right through the eye of the needle. Works with hand or SM needles.
Next post will be how to knot the end of the thread!
Gini--
I have the table top threader and it works well most of the time, but from some reason wasn't doing the job so that's how I ended up trying the lip balm. Desperate times call for desperate actions LOL.
Joyce, the darned things wear out. I switched to bohin or P3 needles. They heave bigger eyes and are much easier to thread, They are also better needles. These are for appliqué and hand stitching.
Thanks Gini, I'll give those a try.