Blunt and sharp wool sewing needles come in many sizes and with large and small eyes. You can waste time trying to thread a small-eyed needle with thick yarn or a really short end. Sharp needles are best for sewing in ends (see here). Blunt needles are easier to use for seams, as they don’t pierce the stitches, and you can manipulate the needle more easily. You will often need smaller needles to sew on buttons, unless the holes are very large.

To store the needles, poke them into a piece of fabric or use a pin cushion or a chatelaine. The main thing is to stop the needles rusting, and paper or card is not suitable.

I have a beautiful pin cushion, one that I still admire, even though I have looked at it so many times in the twenty or so years that I have used it.

 

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