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7 Best Hand Sewing Needles (2024 update)
Are you looking for the best hand sewing needles? Let me help you!
I can be somewhat referred to as a “needle nerd,” so a lot of people ask me what needles I use for hand stitching. I believe most of it comes down to personal preference. Usually, I would buy brand-new needles to experiment with, but even for me, picking the finest ones is sometimes difficult. So, if you want to quilt or bind by hand, I would suggest that you choose the right needle for the job.
High-quality hand sewing needles make clothing repairs quite simple and even guarantee that the fabric won’t catch or fray during the procedure.
Whether you prefer long or short needles, choosing the best needle for the job will undoubtedly improve the quality of your stitches and give you a satisfying sewing experience!There are many different types of specialty hand needles available. You can view all of the available sizes and varieties by following the links provided below. Here are a few to consider:
Top Picks For The Best Hand Sewing Needles
- Best Overall: Singer 01125 Assorted Hand Needles (jump to review)
- Best for Professionals: Bohin Sharps Hand Needles (jump to review)
- Best for Elders: SAVITA Large-Eye Blunt Needles (jump to review)
- Best for Heavy-work: Dritz Heavy-Duty Hand Needles (jump to review)
- Best for Denim: Singer 01025 Heavy-Duty Hand Needles (jump to review)
- Best for Leather: Hekisn Professional Leather Stitching Needle (jump to review)
- Best for Thick Fabric: Singer 01824 Large Eye Hand Needles (jump to review)
Detailed Reviews Of The Best Hand Sewing Needles
Best Overall: Singer 01125 Assorted Hand Needles
The Singer 01125 Assorted Needles are an excellent choice for all your hand sewing needs. Ideal for both comfort and variety, this pack offers high-quality needles with different eye sizes, widths, and lengths, perfect for any sewing project. Crafted from nickel-plated steel for rust resistance and strength, these needles cater to tasks like embroidery, hemming pants, and mending minor clothing holes.
- The inclusion of 45 hand sewing needles is ideal for everyday sewing tasks
- Several projects can be handled because of its numerous sizes
- The tips might not be sufficiently sharp
Best for Professionals: Bohin Sharps Hand Needles
The Bohin Sharps Hand Needles are crafted in France for impeccable sewing precision. Perfect for professional projects or everyday sewing, these nickel-plated steel needles boast triple polishing for a sleek, narrow tip, effortlessly gliding through fabrics. With 50 sizes available and stored in transparent containers for easy selection, these durable needles with a generous eye ensure hassle-free threading.
- There is a variety of lengths and widths available in the needles
- Even the tiniest size needle have a huge threading eye
- These needles might not be for someone searching for incredibly thin needles
Best for Elders: SAVITA Large-Eye Blunt Needles
The package of these large-eye blunt needles includes 16 sturdy and durable needles made of high-quality aluminum. With a generous length of 7 cm (2.75 inches), these needles are convenient for various projects. The large-eye design makes them easy to thread, ideal for crochet and loose knitting, and perfect for elders or anyone who enjoys hand sewing. Suitable for a wide range of needlework, including crocheting, sewing, threading, embroidery, knitting, and craft DIY, these needles are a practical and thoughtful gift for sewing or craft enthusiasts.
- Made of high-quality aluminum, ensuring sturdiness, wear resistance, and long-term durability
- The large-eye design of these needles facilitates easy threading, making them practical for users of all ages, especially for elders
- While the package includes 16 needles, they are all of the same length (7cm/2.75 inches). Some users might prefer a set with a variety of needle lengths to accommodate different projects
Best for Heavy-work: Dritz Heavy-Duty Hand Needles
These heavy-duty hand needles are perfect for tackling tough fabrics and intricate repairs. With seven needles offering different designs and sizes, they effortlessly handle upholstery, tapestries, and various projects. Their strength and versatility make them ideal for hard-to-reach seams, ensuring flawless results. Experience the high caliber of Dritz, your go-to solution for effortlessly fixing and creating with precision.
- Ideal for manual stitching of patches
- With this kit, various range of needle forms and sizes can be obtained
- Might break if applied excess force
Best for Denim: Singer 01025 Heavy-Duty Hand Needles
These needles excel in sewing tasks and are particularly adept at handling denim. With ample hole size for fringe threads and exceptional strength, these needles effortlessly pierce fabric without bending or causing discomfort. The all-in-one package features a leather needle, canvas needle, sail needle, carpet needle, and two upholstery needles – catering to a range of heavy-duty projects like bookbinding. Crafted from nickel-plated steel, these needles ensure durability, longevity, and reliable performance for your toughest sewing endeavors.
- A typical set of strong and good needles
- Different needle size available
- On a hard surface, they might sound metallic, although the interior appears to be plastic
Best for Leather: Hekisn Professional Leather Stitching Needle
These leather stitching needles are your essential companion for leather craft and daily stitching. Crafted from high-quality stainless steel, these needles are corrosion-free with a nonporous surface, ensuring durability for leather projects. Featuring a thick shaft, triangular point, and a large eye, they simplify threading, making them ideal for those with impaired vision or coordination. With rust-resistant properties, these needles promise a longer lifespan. Conveniently stored in a transparent container, they are easy to carry, keeping your needles tidy and secure.
- There are no noticeable stitch holes left by the needles
- Highly efficient for stitching leather
- The needles are extremely sharp, so has to be cautious
Best for Thick Fabric: Singer 01824 Large Eye Hand Needles
The Singer 01824 Large Eye Hand Needles is a must-have for sewers working with thick fabrics and heavy-duty threads. This set of 12 chenille large-eye hand needles features a robust shaft, sharp point, and extra-long eyes, catering to a variety of sewing needs. The needles are conveniently stored on an ornamental magnet, making retrieval a breeze and keeping them securely together. Attach the magnet to a metal base for easy access, ensuring you never lose your needles again. Ranging from sizes 18 to 22, these nickel-plated steel needles provide rust resistance and strength, making them the perfect choice for durable and precise stitching on heavy fabrics.
- The magnet is powerful enough
- The needle's thickness is of the right length, neither too thin nor too long
- The blunt needle point can hurt sometimes
Buying Guide – Hand Sewing Needles
Before delving into hand sewing needles, it’s important to understand the distinction between hand and sewing machine needles.
Hand Sewing Needles vs Sewing Machine Needles
Before discussing the differences between hand and machine sewing needles, let’s first take a look at the similarities. (For more detailed reviews of sewing machine needles, visit our post ‘Best Sewing Machine Needles’
Regardless of whether you are using a hand or machine needle, they all have some common ground… starting with the point:
- Ball point – used for knit fabrics. The ball point does not separate the fibers, stretching them out of shape, but rather goes around and between them, retaining the integrity of the fabric.
- Regular or Universal point – ideal for light to heavyweight woven fabrics. Universal point needles go through, not around the fibers within the woven fabric. Needle size is determined by the weight of the fabric to be sewn. (see fabric table for details)
Types of Hand Sewing Needles
There are numerous varieties of hand sewing needles:
- Sharp Needles: They are all-purpose reliable needles with a medium length, a rounded eye, and a pointed tip.
- Embroidery Needles: Embroidery needles have sharp tips and longer eyes making it simpler to thread embroidery floss and thick thread.
- Quilting Needles: Quilting needles are thin and short for accurate and quick sewing.
- Tapestry Needles: Big needles, blunt ends, and big eyes characterize tapestry needles.
Some Guidelines for Hand Sewing Needles
The success of your project hinges on choosing the correct hand sewing needle for the style, thread, and cloth, just like it does with sewing machine needles. A considerably more straightforward design is a hand sewing needle. It features an “eye” on one end and a “tip” on the other. The type and size of a hand needle will affect its length. A larger needle usually has a greater length than a smaller needle. The “eye” differs both in shape and size depending on the needle type. The size numbers of hand sewing needles are different from sewing machine needles. The size of the hand needle denotes its diameter, much like with machine needles. However, on hand needles, the bigger the size number denotes a smaller needle. This is contrary to sewing machine needles.
Depending upon the task, you will find that hand sewing needles may look alike, but are vastly different. Typically, hand sewing needles all have a sharp point on one end and an eye for the thread to pass through at the other. That, however, is where the similarity ends. Hand sewing needles may all look alike, but they are quite different. Some of these differences are visible to the naked eye. Others, however, may require a magnifying glass or microscope to detect. They are used for quilting, beading, upholstery, embroidery and countless other tasks. The following table describes some of the most popular types of hand sewing needles.
| Needle Type | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Beading | Attaching sequins to fabric; stringing beads for jewelry – necklaces/bracelets/ anklets | Long thin needle with a medium sized eye, somewhat flexible |
| Chenille | Ribbon/yarn/embroidery floss | Long thick needle with an eye large enough to use several strands of embroidery floss or yarn at one time. |
| Darning | Mending holes … usually in wool socks, sweaters and jackets. | Long, average thickness with large. Darning needles sometimes vary in length, but generally all darning needles have the same thickness and large eyes to accommodate yarn when necessary. |
| Self threading | General use – seams, hemming, attaching buttons | Self threading needles vary in length and thickness. The primary difference between these needles and all others is that there is a slit at the eye to allow thread to go into the eye without having to be threaded as with traditional hand needles. |
| Embroidery | Decorative hand embroidery and crewel* stitching. | Average length and thickness with a large eye to accommodate embroidery floss and yarn. |
| Leather | Sewing leather, buckskin and suede. Hand leather needles are used primarily for decorative top stitching and for adding shank buttons to leather, buckskin and suede garments and accessories. | Varying length and thickness; triangular point; small eye. |
| Milliners’ needles | Decorative stitching, pleating and basting | Longer versions of sharp needles (see below) |
| Sharps | General sewing, hemming, etc. | Sharp point, medium length, round eye. |
| Carpet sharps | Working with rugs and carpets | Longer and thicker than regular sharps. |
| Tapestry | Embroidery, needlepoint, decorative stitches on thick or loose weave fabric. | Long needle with a large eye and blunt tip. |
| Upholstery | Tufting; working with thick upholstery fabric; tying off quilts. | Thick curved or straight needles. Curved upholstery needles are used when working with a straight needle is awkward. Straight upholstery needles can be from 3 to 12 inches long. Curved upholstery needles vary in length from 1 ½ to 6 inches. |
* Crewel stitching is a form of hand embroidery that includes decorative knotting to give texture to hand embroidered projects.
Sewing Machine Needles
As a general rule, you should always choose a needle point that makes it easy to pierce the fabric you’re using and a needle size that matches the thickness of the thread you’re using.. The needles used in sewing machines and sergers are different from those used for hand sewing in that the eye and the point are at the same end. The opposite end of the needle is usually flat on at least one side for insertion in the needle bar of the sewing machine. The size and shape of the insertion end depend largely upon the sewing machine manufacturer. Read our detailed post on the best sewing machines needles to know more.
Summary: The Best Hand Sewing Needle Is
- Best Overall: Singer 01125 Assorted Hand Needles (jump to review)
- Best for Professionals: Bohin Sharps Hand Needles (jump to review)
- Best for Elders: SAVITA Large-Eye Blunt Needles (jump to review)
- Best for Heavy-work: Dritz Heavy-Duty Hand Needles (jump to review)
- Best for Denim: Singer 01025 Heavy-Duty Hand Needles (jump to review)
- Best for Leather: Hekisn Professional Leather Stitching Needle (jump to review)
- Best for Thick Fabric: Singer 01824 Large Eye Hand Needles (jump to review)
So this is our top choices for the best hand sewing needles. Enjoy!
If you are an advanced sewist, have a look at our best sewing machines, best sewing books and best sewing magazines posts and if you are looking to get a mechanical, heavy duty, quilting or industrial sewing machine, have a look at some of our great articles. If you are a beginner sewist, review our best sewing books for beginners, best sewing machines for beginners and best sewing machines under $200 to get started.
For brand related articles, check Best Bernette | Best Bernina | Best Brother | Best Husqvarna Viking | Best Janome | Best Juki | Best Singer |
For best accessories, check Best Chairs | Best tables | Best tracing paper | Best machine oils | Best scissors and shears | Best presser feet | Best needles | Best sewing kits |
Happy Stitching.
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Frequently Asked Questions
If you are an advanced sewist, have a look at our best sewing machines, best sewing books and best sewing magazines posts and if you are looking to get a mechanical, heavy duty, quilting or industrial sewing machine, have a look at some of our great articles. If you are a beginner sewist, review our best sewing books for beginners, best sewing machines for beginners and best sewing machines under $200 to get started.
For brand related articles, check Best Bernette | Best Bernina | Best Brother | Best Husqvarna Viking | Best Janome | Best Juki | Best Singer |
For best accessories, check Best Chairs | Best tables | Best tracing paper | Best machine oils | Best scissors and shears | Best presser feet | Best needles | Best sewing kits |
Happy Stitching.
You do not mention the Spiral Eye Side Threading Needles.
I am the inventor.
Spiral Eye Needles have a patented slot on the side of the eye to make it easy to thread and to keep the thread inside the eye while you stitch.
They are MADE IN AMERICA out of HYPOALLERGENIC surgical grade stainless steel.
My website is TheNeedleLady.com