In this tutorial today I’ll be showing you how to use a needle threader. You’ll even find a quick video to help you find the easiest way to thread a needle.
I didn’t actually know how to thread a needle with a threader until I was an adult! I remember playing with them as a child and then eventually breaking the little wire on them. It must have driven my mother crazy…. A recent viewer of my YouTube channel commented that they had realised they’d been using their’s wrong all these years, after watching the video.
Once you thread your needle you’ll want to see this tutorial for how to do a ladder stitch!
I hope This step-by-step guide can be of some help to those of you learning to hand sew, as well as more experienced sewers as well.
What You Will Need
How to Use a Needle Threader Video
Below you will find the video instructions, but scroll on to find the photo instructions.
Or you can find the video on YouTube here.
How Do You Use a Needle Threader?
Below I will show you step by step instructions.
What is a Needle Threader?
Before I get into the steps, I want to go over what a needle threader is. It’a a small metal tool with a diamond shaped wire loop or a small metal hook that can fit through the eye of a needle. This makes the task of threading a needle much easier, especially if you have issues with your eyes or the thread just won’t go through the pesky little hole.
Now, let’s get into the steps!
Step 1 – Prepare your needle, thread, and needle threader
slide the wire loop through the eye of the needle and allow the needle to hang.
Step 2 – Insert the thread tail through the wire loop
Insert the thread tail through the wire loop by about 8″ (15cm). Allow the thread to drape down or you can hold the thread tail to ensure it doesn’t come out.
Step 3 – Pull wire loop out
Pull the wire loop out from the eye of the needle and ensure the thread tails comes through with it.
There’s an easy way to put the thread in needle!
If you are using the second type then the concept is very similar.
Instead of threading the wire through the needle eye you would thread the hook through and allow the needle to hang from the other side of the hook.
Put the thread tail over the hook and hold it down with a bit of tension.
Pull the needle over the hook and continue to pull the thread tail through.
There are pros and cons to both of these types of needle threaders.
The first type can break very easily, but on the plus side, they are very inexpensive to buy.
The use of the second type can restrict you to the size of the needle you can thread up. Most of my needles fit on the hooks very easily. These hook types are relatively inexpensive to buy as well but more expensive in comparison to the first type.
The first type would be great to use with a single thread, while the second type is great to use with embroidery floss.
Check out this little trick for threading a needle!
The History of Needle Threaders
The first known needle threaders were used in Europe way back in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century according to this source.
Alison Smith also talks about this in The Sewing Book on pg 22, 31, and 37. You can see more about this book here.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and you now know how to use a needle threader.
Until next time, happy sewing.
Other hand sewing tutorials you might like to check out:
