Roxanne needles
I just purchased some Roxanne Betweens needles for hand quilting. Never used them before - usually use John James. I'm finding them very hard to use - they have a sharp point but the needle itself seems fat. I'm using a size 10, my usual. I use the rocking motion and it seems that once the point gets through the fabric the needle pushes out too far. It's hard to control when I'm trying to load stitches on to the needle. Has anyone else tried these? I looked at their website but it's not very helpful. Went back to a John James and was able to make my stitches as usual. Just wondering if it's me or the needle! NancyH
posted by NancyH @ 9:31 PM
4 Comments:
At May 22, 2011 at 8:45 PM ,
Judy in Ohio said...
Just wondering if perhaps the new Roxanne needles you are trying are not as polished as John James you were used to using? I went online to see how many brands of "betweens" there are out there and this is what I found:
"Betweens are short, sturdy needles that are designed for hand quilting. Their short stature and small eye allow betweens to push easily through multiple layers of a quilt sandwich (although some betweens have a larger eye to help us actually thread them). New hand quilters sometimes assume they must use the tiniest betweens (size 12) in order to achieve short quilting stitches, but I recommend you purchase a packet with multiple sizes and experiment with the larger sizes first (try a 9) and become accustomed to the quilting process before you move on to the teeny betweens.
Roxanne, Size 10
Clover Betweens, Sizes 9-12
John James Betweens, Sizes 5-10
Dritz Betweens, Sizes 3-9"
There is also a French company named Bohin that makes betweens that claims their needles are highly polished.
At May 23, 2011 at 4:32 PM ,
NancyH said...
thanks, Judy. The polishing makes sense. They just seemed awkward to use and didn't want to push through easily after the point went through. Even used some "Thread Heaven" on them, but it just make them harder to grasp. I ordered some of the Bohin needles and will give them a try. Otherwise, back to John James tried and true! NancyH
At May 23, 2011 at 10:14 PM ,
Judy in Ohio said...
Nancy, I asked your question on another quilting forum and got this reply from another quilter:
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I'm a hand quilter and have used the John James betweens and do not like them at all. I found that the John James betweens tended to bend very easily and seem flimsy to me. After awhile I would need a new needle because the one I was using became bent. I could go though a pack of needles before I finished a lap size quilt. *s* On the other hand ......... the betweens I use now are the Roxanne's betweens and I love them. They are IMHO a much nicer and easier to use between than the John James.
The difference just might be that a Roxanne between could be a bit sturdier than the John James. Sorry I don't have a pack of John James to compare. Unfortunately, I also use a different size than the woman asking the question. I quilt with a size 11 between. I'm not sure if that would make much of a difference.
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So, you see, what one woman likes, another woman does not. LOL It is sort of like "I love Coke and you love Pepsi" or "I love Ford and you love Chevrolet".
Judy in Ohio
At May 24, 2011 at 7:03 PM ,
NancyH said...
Judy, thanks for all the detective work! You're right - we all have our preferences. I gave one of the Roxanne needles to a quilting buddy and she didn't have any trouble. I guess it's all in what you're used to. NancyH
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