# Sew what? (Basic sewing query) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** arts-crafts\ **Created:** [June 7, 2024, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594 "2024-06-07T16:43:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/21 "2024-06-08T00:23:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Like any skill, it becomes easier with practice. I beg to differ. I had no problem threading needles when I was young and inexperienced. Now that I’m old, I can’t thread a needle to save my life. Might have something to do with my eyesight, but I prefer to believe that needle eyes are being made smaller these days. Probably because some greedy corporation is saving material to maximize their profit. Yeah, that’s the ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/22 "2024-06-08T01:32:30Z")
I like the way you think. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/23 "2024-06-08T04:04:47Z")
Temu has lots of fun, cheap options in needle threaders. Also a nice seam ripper with a threader at the other end. But probably quicker just to go to a Walmart or some other local store as others have suggested. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2024, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/24 "2024-06-09T01:06:11Z")
> [@GailForce](#): > > And has anyone ever seen pre-threaded needles for sale? Yes, usually in those little emergency packs you can put in your purse in case of a wardrobe malfunction. You can also buy self threading needles which allow you to match the thread you need to use. > **[Amazon.com: 24 Pieces Self Threading Needles Easy Threading Needles and 4 Pieces...](https://www.amazon.com/Threading-Large-Eye-Stitching-Embroidery-Accessories/dp/B0837QD6YH)** > > Shop WILLBOND at the Amazon Arts, Crafts & Sewing store. Free Shipping on eligible items. Save on everyday low prices. I haven’t used those needles, that was just to show you what they look like. > [@Kimstu](#): > > Mostly I don’t use them because I get by with wetting the thread end (reduces the fuzziness that blocks needle-eye entry) I was taught that licking the thread causes hair balls, with graphic stories of horrible surgeries and such. That was many years ago… I usually fold the thread in half around the head of the needle and then squeeze the fold tight while threading the needle. That gives some strength and stability to the thread…and won’t give me hairballs, LOL! > [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > I saw another type of threader, where the part that goes through the eye of the needle is a hook, rather than the loop. That is my favorite sort of threader. They don’t break when you are pulling thick thread through a too small needle. The needle head might, but that’s a lesson to always use the proper size needle for the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2024, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/25 "2024-06-09T02:06:42Z")
I gotta have a large thread ball in me. And I thought it was just cat hair. 😳 There are other ways to point up your thread as said cut with sharp scissors at an angle. The beeswax thingy for slicking up your thread and needle can help, instead of licking. My granny would run the thread thru her hair. Not sure it helped as she had me threading needles. Pinching the end of the thread. For threading machines putting a piece of white card behind the needle will help and a good light. You can also use needle threaders there. You can get self threading machines. Or ask a well-sighted member of your family to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2024, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/26 "2024-06-09T03:47:25Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > I was taught that licking the thread causes hair balls, with graphic stories of horrible surgeries and such. I think you were told a myth to discourage you from licking thread! It’s true that [humans can form digestive-tract bezoars from ingestion of various indigestible substances](https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/what-is-a-bezoar), just as cats get hairballs. But AFAICT, bezoar formation requires consuming quite large amounts of such substances. Humans who get trichobezoars (hairballs) create them through disordered behavior involving regularly eating hair. I have found a few recorded cases of persons developing a bezoar from ingesting cotton thread, but (warning: some of the following links have kinda gross photos) [all](https://www.jcpsp.pk/archive/2014/SS_Nov2014/43.pdf)[of](https://journals.lww.com/ajg/fulltext/2016/10001/hanging_on_by_a_thread___colonic_bezoar_caused_by.1473.aspx) [them](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4948481/) [involved](https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Shows-the-retrieved-cotton-bezoar-The-widest-part-was-in-the-terminal-ileum-and-the-tail_fig1_10581570) the patient deliberately consuming large amounts of thread, sometimes along with other bezoar-causing fibers like hair. For instance, one patient had pregnancy-related [pica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pica_(disorder)) and regularly ate quilting thread. I would be willing to bet a substantial amount that there’s never been a case of bezoar development simply from licking thread ends to make needle threading easier. That said, it’s undeniable that the practice of licking thread is a bit insanitary, so if you want to avoid it and need to scare yourself with the threat of bezoar development to reinforce that avoidance, you do you. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2024, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/27 "2024-06-09T06:34:10Z")
Last self-theading needles I bought were flimsy pieces of crap. I threw them away and I use embroidery needles exclusively now. My grandmother quilted, and she kept a flat piece of beeswax in a holder that had slits all around the perimeter. You pull the thread through one of the slits to coat the end with beeswax, and you can thread almost any kind of needle imaginable. If you don’t want the wax to end up in what you are sewing, just cut off the waxed piece. I’m another oddball with horribly myopic vision. I take my glasses OFF to thread needles! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2024, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/28 "2024-06-09T07:26:38Z")
That’s the beeswax thingy I was talking about. Available at notions counters everywhere. The Singer pre-threaded needles are not so flimsy. I used to get them for my kids. Come-on, anyone can sew a button on! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2024, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/29 "2024-06-09T12:28:56Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > I was taught that licking the thread causes hair balls, with graphic stories of horrible surgeries and such. That was many years ago… Judging by your profile picture, I’m guessing that your hairballs are from a completely different cause. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2024, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/30 "2024-06-09T12:52:59Z")
In a pinch, I’ve dipped the thread end into water then place the spool in the freezer. Makes it way easier. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2024, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/31 "2024-06-09T17:34:40Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > I was taught that licking the thread causes hair balls, with graphic stories of horrible surgeries and such. That was many years ago… I suspect that unless you are sewing 18 hours a day, your risk of hairballs is relatively slight. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/32 "2024-06-09T19:34:17Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > I think you were told a myth to discourage you from licking thread! Are you insinuating that my own _mother_ would lie to me? 🤣 I was embroidering pillowcase and sheet borders before I was in grade school, that was back in the days when parents and grandparents would routinely lie to children. Ya wanna hear some of the warning stories I got about putting needles or thread pullers in my mouth? It was good that they taught me to use the folded thread trick instead. Now that my eyes are crap, I can do it by feel instead. I’m not really worried about getting hairballs from stitching, I’ve always assumed I was getting them by sharing my pillow with cats. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2024, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/33 "2024-06-09T19:40:45Z")
That is unbelievably smart. Again. You kill me @kayaker ! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2024, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/34 "2024-06-10T10:36:51Z")
When my daughter was little she’d bring her stuff to me to sew. 🪡 ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2024, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/35 "2024-06-10T15:30:37Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > I’m another oddball with horribly myopic vision. I take my glasses OFF to thread needles! That’s what I used to do as well. Since I got the bionic eyes, though, that doesn’t work any more! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2024, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594/36 "2024-06-10T18:32:53Z")
Yep, beeswax is what I use for my leatherwork and sewing needles [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sew-what-basic-sewing-query/1002594.md?page=1)