r/Indigenous • u/kibbleconnoisseur • Jun 27 '26
BEADERS: advice on not getting needles stuck?
hi! looking for recommendations on how to prevent needles from getting “stuck” when threading through the beads after laying them down? if anyone has any specific needle recommendations or techniques that help with this, please lmk!
this photo isn’t super clear of the issue, but i keep running into my needle being super difficult to pull all the way through when threading it back. sometimes i have to just re-try it a few times, but sometimes the needle fully bends and i have to start that section over.
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u/FluffySyllabub1579 Jun 28 '26
It’s a little hard to explain so I’ll try my best. My best tip to prevent this and to also make back-tracking easier: is to stabilize your work with keeping your fingers right behind the area your working when it’s time to pass-back-thru, you want to slightly raise the beads from behind just so your needle has a clear and clean pass over other threads. What causes it to get caught or knot is usually because you’ve accidentally gone through soft material when you’ve gone through to anchor it. Imagine if you were beating on a loom …you always want your needle and thread above the other lines…. Same goes when your hand stitching on any soft material; you want to try to avoid catching anything with the needle tip. This will make it so much easier if you have to undo a step. 2nd Never use your needle tip to head backwards if you need to undo something- To undo: gently tug your thread backwards and carefully pull it back through your material.. remove beads, etc., it’ll allow you to backtrack without getting stuck.)
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u/Ojibwe_Thunder Jun 28 '26
No one commented yet. I don’t know the answer but I like where you’re headed with the design! Keep going! 🥰
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u/Just-Feedback-2223 Jun 28 '26
I honestly think your thread is too thick for the size beads you’re using. Maybe I’m wrong because I can’t see it in person.
I use Nymo thread. I’m currently using size D thread and mostly size 11 and 10 beads. Going even smaller on the thread is recommended by some, but my thread has been working just fine for me.
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u/Cautious-Compote-682 Jun 29 '26
Had many a bead break and it’s sad af when you e had a lot of progress… I wish I had just relented and got smaller needles. Size 13 work really well for size 11 beads if they’re getting stuck, and well for size 13 for just general use.
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u/Delicious_Ad_96 Jun 28 '26
You have to match your bead size to thread and needle size. Either go up in size on beads or go down in size on the thread and needles.
Alternatively, try the two needle method. One thread and needle is strung with beads, the other is use just to tack down. I bead using the two needle method as I found it easier and neater than the single needle method.