I got so many great suggestions to my recent post where I asked about what needles you all prefer for hand sewing bindings. Carol raved about these Black Gold needles by Clover and swore they go through multiple layers of fabric "like buttah".
I have decided that I do prefer a shorter needle when I sew bindings, so I was interested in trying these. I ordered a pack from Amazon, and you know them, the delivery came a couple of days later. So here is what I think:
First of all, you only get 6 of them in the pack, and at $7.00, that is more than $1.00 per needle. "Hmmm", I thought. "They better be worth it". You only see five above because I had removed one to try it.
Here is a size comparison. The Clover Black Gold #9 Sharp is the upper one, and the Primitive Gatherings Binding Needle is below it. I found the PG needle way too long for my liking, so the size of the Clover looked very good to me.
Carol had warned that they were ridiculously difficult to thread, due to the very small eye. I can't thread a needle with a large eye on my best day, and always depend on needle threaders to get the job done. I was afraid that my needle threader might not fit through the teensy eye on the Black Gold needle, but after a few tries, it went through! So far, great.
The verdict? I have never sewn with a better needle. They do glide effortlessly through layers of fabric and are a pleasure to sew with. I highly recommend them. Carol, thank you so much for your excellent suggestion! I think a lot of people will benefit from it. I love them for bindings, but you gals who enjoy hand applique will be over the moon.
14 Responses
Hurray! OK you made my day. My heart is with you on all of those bindings… and you may want to revisit appliqué now, too! A million hugs.
Good to know. I have binding you do in my near future. Just ordered a pack.
Fat Quarter Shop has them on sale this month for $3.49
Great tip, thank you so much!
Mary
Good to know! Thanks for Carol’s input & your doing the investigation! I’ll go take a look at FQS’s sale as a bonus! Stay well!
I definitely prefer shorter needle. Longer needles just get bent. 🙁
It always surprises me how much difference such a small thing can make. Thanks for sharing your thoughts,they’ll go on my next order.
I love the Black Gold needles but find they break easily. I rarely break other needles.
Thanks for the review and I’ll definitely try them!
I’d also like to suggest you turn your quilt so you are approaching it as though you were hemming a skirt for ease in stitching.
Thanks for the update on binding needles. I’ll definitely put them on my list.
Oooo good review! I will have to try them out! Thanks Carol!
Thanks for this review. Will definitely try them!
Hi Carol, I use the black gold needle all the time for applique and love love love them. I use a clover needle threader and no problem. They were recommended to me back in 2013 when , on a quilt tour to Houston, a lady in our group was there because she co-won the Baltimore applique quilt section and she said the one thing she recommended was these needles ( her quilt took 5 years in the making !). In Australia these needles sell for anywhere from AU$9-11 per pack, but I think they are worth it. Best wishes, Suzanne