“What beading needles do you recommend?” Is one of the questions often asked by customers in our shop. There is no definitive answer as there are many types of beading needles available. You're going to definitely need good lighting when using needles so check out our lightcraft items when you get the chance. In this blog, I will share some information about suitable beading needles, depending on your project. Most of which are available on our website.
Beadalon Hard Beading Needles
These needles are one of our popular sellers. You can use many types of thread with them - such as KO thread, Fireline and even Elasticity.
- Size 10 Needles can be used with many beads including Seed Beads up to a Size 11
- Size 12 Needles are slightly thinner which makes them ideal when you are working with
- Size 15 Seed Beads and making multiple passes through the beads
Both sizes come in Packs of 6 together with a Threader or Packs of 25
Beadalon Collapsible Eye Needles
These needles are a good choice for those who sometimes find threading the needle a little bit difficult as they have a large eye. This is also good if you wish to work with a slightly thicker thread such as S-Lon. They are very flexible and instantly return to their shape when they have passed through the beads you are using. They come in 3 types – Fine, Medium and Heavy. If you are using very small beads, such as Size 11 seed beads, then Fine would be an ideal choice and if you are using larger beads then Heavy would be a better choice.
There is just one thing I would like to point out about needles with larger eyes. If you are using thinner beading threads like Nymo or KO Thread then just keep a look out for the thread slipping out of the eye. It can be a little frustrating but, thankfully, it is easy to re-thread the needle.
John James Needles
These needles are very similar to the Beadalon Hard Beading Needles. However, they are made in the UK from very high quality fine steel and have a small eye. They are strong, but also flexible, which makes them a great choice when you are creating beaded jewellery that requires multiple passes through the beads – say, for example, a project worked in Right Angle Weave.
Miyuki Needles
These needles are made in Japan and are very fine. These are an ideal choice when you are working with Delica beads and other seed bead creations. Again, one of their advantages is that they are a good choice when using beading techniques where you pass through the beads several times.
Curved Needles
Curved needles have a large eye for easy threading and are good when you might want to use a slightly thicker thread. One of the greatest advantages of the curved needle is when it is used together with a Spin ‘n’ Bead. We recommend that you half fill the Spin ‘n’ Bead with your chosen beads, place the curved end of the needle into the beads and then gently spin the bowl. This motion will feed the beads around the curve of the needle and then straight onto your thread. Absolutely perfect when you want to thread lots of beads onto your thread – great, for example, if you want to make a beaded lariat. This is a much quicker method than using a straight needle and individually picking up each bead.