Better-threading sewing needle

Pam Turner of Minnesota created this Spiral Eye Needle, a sewing needle that's easy to thread, thanks to a "sideways" opening that admits thread as it slides down the needle's length. They're a lot more expensive than normal needles -- singles go for $5.50 and up -- but for klutzes, occasional sewers, and people who have vision or coordination problems, they look like godsends.

Spiral eye side-threading needles

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Anonymous

On the opposite tack to the cynic…lots of sewing can be done without the clear, close vision that is needed to thread the needle..what about those with ‘wobbly hands” I think it’s a wonderful idea and will buy some for “later on” !!
monkey

the calyx eye needle has been around forever. the thread slips into a tiny groove from the back end (opposite the tip) of the needle and into the eye. they come in various sizes for regular hand a fine sewing. They’re about 2$ for a half dozen at a reputable needle-monger.
Doctor Popular

Easy thread needles are obviously not new, but for some reason they had never caught on. I’ve tried a few myself, but never got “hooked” on them. I didn’t have a problem with snagging, and they were easier to work with than normal needles, but I just kept gravitating to my normal needles.
NeedleLady

Full disclosure, I am Pam Turner, the inventor of the side threading needle this conversation has been about.

Thank you for the interesting discussion. I always love to find out what people are thinking. Just so it is clear, this is a new innovation. The calyx eye (also called a french eye or spring eye or self threading needle) was invented in 1850. The thread does come out when you sew with it. They do shred your thread. They are inexpensive, but only come in a three sizes.

Spiral Eye side threading needles come in all kinds of specialty sizes and types and are for a wide variety of crafts.

I like to think my side threading needle is for anyone one who wants to be efficient. The fact that people who have trouble threading a traditional needle will find it benefial is a bonus. I personally didn’t have the time to diddle around with needle threading tools or struggle to get a limp thread into a hole I cannot see.

If you are happy threading traditional needles you would not be my market. My American made stainless steel needle is intended for the people who want to enjoy the fun part of sewing, not save a few pennies.

I like to think of it like this. A used purple Ford Escort with a broken radio is going to get you to the same destination as a new Cadillac. It is all about how much you value your time and comfort.
- Anonymous
  
  Lady, you are all right!
  
  Your invention is great and clean, we don’t need a machine or tool, just the thread and your needle.
  
  It’s a pity I cannot find your needle here in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro.
dexcox

I don’t want to be cynical , but if someone have a coordination or vision problem how can they sew at all?
- Anonymous
  
  I can assure you that some people including my wife who has
  
  vision problems do remarkably well even with their disability
- Anonymous
  
  Sewing is a good way to combat aging related motor deterioration.
- Anonymous
  
  Funny you should say that. At one time I use to sew a lot. Some things by hand and some with a sewing machine. I can still sew, I just can’t thread a needle. After you’ve learned to sew, it’s like riding a bike, you don’t forget.
- IronEdithKidd
  
  Coordination issue as in arthritis, maybe? RA sufferers have a hard time manipulating small objects. Such as needles. And thread.
  
  My threading trick: fold thread over pointy end of needle, forcefully pinch folded thread between thumb and index finger, pull out needle, push needle eye onto folded thread. This works on nearly every thread/needle combo. It even works to jam worsted-weight yarn through a tapestry needle.
AuntBarb

If it gets people sewing, I’m all for it. I find it kind of scary that so many people today can’t even sew a button on.

But I find most people can thread a needle if they 1) do it in front of a sunny window instead of artificial light, 2) do it against a contrasting background (thread light colored thread against a dark background, and vice versa) and 3) hold the thread still and poke the needles eye at it, instead of holding the needle still and poking the thread at it.

I learned number three by reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
- dainel
  
  I always do the opposite of the 3 things you mentioned, and I’ve never had any problem threading needles. This might be because I’m very strongly near sighted. When I remove my glasses, instant 300% magnification. I can quite easily read 4pt text printed from a laser printer.
MrsBug

Easy thread needles have been around for a long time. Some for sale
- oasisob1
  
  It’s a shame that a website selling products for people with vision loss doesn’t have larger images of their products.
FlaxenCurls

And what’s the problem with these good old fashioned devices that sell for pennies?

http://www.hearmore.com/ProdImages/5053555.jpg

I suppose they might not work for the tiniest of needles, but they’d work for the one in this article!
- Anonymous
  
  I’ve used those needle-threading devices before, and I’ve broken every one, some within the first use. :( They’re a great concept, but either I’m too strong or they’re too shoddily made, because they just don’t survive much use.
Anonymous

Those kind of threaders do work on the tiniest needles, I’m using one on a 32 gauge tapestry needle I’m doing some petitpoint with at the moment.

(It’s a uber tiny cross stitch of the Buckaroo Banzai logo, I did a test pattern on 14 count Aida first.)
Anonymous

This would’ve been a godsend the last time I replaced the lining in my leather jacket – I can’t begin to recall how many needles broke while trying to stitch through the leather.
OntarioJer

Also, Everything should be sewn with this:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=50700&cat=1,43456

I DO have this, and it works really well.
OntarioJer

http://www.leevalley.com/gifts/page.aspx?c=1&p=58703&cat=4,104,53208

I haven’t tried it, but I know the customer service and return policies are excellent.
- MrsBug
  
  Lee Valley rocks! They have great stuff and great prices too.
stringmonkey

Easy-thread needles have been on the market for at least 30 years. They seem like a nice idea, but can be problematic because 1) the thread tends to slip out of the eye, and 2) the edge of the opening in the needle tends to catch on the fabric. I’ll take a wire needle threader any day.
jemather

i have to imagine that’s going to get snagged on everything you tried to sew.
Ironic Sans

I photographed Pam Turner, who came up with this needle, about a year ago as part of an ongoing series of inventor portraits. http://bit.ly/c8jO0G She gave me a sample after the shoot, and I had occasion to use it a few weeks later when a button fell off a shirt. I have to say it’s amazingly simple to thread. I had no issues with snagging. And her design apparently eliminates the issue of the thread slipping out, which is a problem with other similar needles.
Rider

Ummm really why not just buy a needle threader:

http://sewing.about.com/od/notions/ss/needlethreader.htm
- Doctor Popular
  
  How is buying a needle threader easier or more practical than buying a needle that doesn’t need threading?
  - funkyderek
    
    Because it works with all your existing needles and any other cheap needles you can buy, it’s much cheaper, and you probably already own one.
  - Rider
    
    Because as Cory stated the needles cost more then regular needles.
- Flaminica
  
  Also worth mentioning that any dollar store sewing kit will include a needle threader. It’s not an extra frill you have to make an effort to look for.
  
  That being said, old ladies who sew – the quality of their eyesight notwithstanding – have a knack for threading any hand or machine needle without even looking at it, so I’m not sure toward whom this product is being marketed. Probably fumbly young men with missing shirt buttons and absent mothers who haven’t clued in that paying five or six bucks for a needle is profligate insanity.
  - Cory Doctorow
    
    From the FA:
    
    I remember laughing as my mom struggled to thread a needle. Glasses resting on her nose, she trimmed the end
    of the thread, sucked on it, failed to get it through the eye of the needle and re-trimmed it. Sometimes she would
    curse, “Why can’t someone invent a better needle? We’ve been to the moon for goodness sake.”
    Eventually, she would break down and ask one of us kids to thread it for her.
    Then, just a few years ago, I realized it was me that couldn’t get a limp piece of thread through a hole I couldn’t
    see. And it wasn’t so funny. My mom died in 1976, but I could hear her laughter as I struggled to get that needle
    threaded. Surely someone had invented a better needle by now.
    So, I went shopping for one. I found an open-eye needle called the calyx needle. It has an opening at the top. It
    was easy to thread, but the thread came out every time I used it. I tossed the needle in the trash. Obviously no one
    was ever going to invent a better needle.
    Forty years is long enough to wait for someone else to do something. I decided it was up to me. So I did it. I did it
    for Mom.
  - Anonymous
    
    Gender-rific!
Teller

It’s not hard to thread a regular needle if you sew everything with dental floss as I do.
- Gilbert Wham
  
  Dental floss is awesome. Never found anything better for sewing disintegrating boots back together.
- porkchop
  
  I used dental floss to repair the strap of my heavy backpack/laptop bag. Works great and it’s super strong!
Felton

It does have its limitations. I haven’t been able to get a camel through there yet.