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If you regularly use a sewing machine and have declining eyesight, you know that threading that damn needle is the most frustrating part of the process. There are times when I've continued sewing with the wrong-sized needle just because I subconsciously didn't want to insert and thread a new one. And yes, I have this stupid thing below and I hate how junky and inelegant it us.
Enter a caption (optional)So when I heard about this easy way to thread a needle, I was super excited to see the video:
— John Bick (@JohnBick4) April 2, 2018 ">First off he's using a hand sewing needle, not a machine needle, the latter of which has the eye just above the point. But I nevertheless went to my sewing machine bench and tried for ten minutes or so to do this with a #9 needle (a 65, for those of you not in America) and absolutely cannot get this to work. It's also pretty precarious because you have to avoid pricking yourself with the point, since that's the end the eye is on.
Enter a caption (optional)
Enter a caption (optional)I'll try it again with a #18 needle when I have time. In the meantime, if any of you use sewing machines and can get this trick to work, please let me know!
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
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This "Easy Way to Thread a Needle" Hack Looks Great, But I Can't Get It to Work With Machine Needles
Lock stitch machine needles are asymmetrical to allow the loop to form. The eye is optimized to reduce friction since every stitch runs a length of thread through it that is long enough for the bobbin can pass through. Hand sewing needles require some friction to hold the thread enough that it only feeds as the stitch is tightened.
My machine has a built-in gizmo that pulls the thread through, and it's one of the cheapest machines on the market.
Adora beat me to it. A self-threading machine isthe way to go.