Embroidery Newsletter - StitchFun News

Needle Safety

Have you ever dropped a needle on the floor, but never found it? If you step on a needle, you risk tetanus. Even without tetanus, it sure hurts! If possible, sew in a room without carpet. It is so much easier to find a lost needle on a hard floor. If you already have carpet, consider placing a carpet protecting chair mat where you sew. Wear shoes or slippers to protect your feet from fallen pins and needles.

You are sewing along and the needle breaks. Maybe the tip flies off. If you are wearing glasses, you have protected your eyes. If you are lucky enough to not need corrective glasses, consider wearing safety glasses.

Sooner or later, every sewist gets a needle through the tip of her finger. If you are smart, it only happens once. If you are teaching a newbie to sew, teach her to keep her fingers away from the stitching needle.

Dull needles are more prone to breaking. They also produce poor embroidery (thread breaks, looping, missed stitches). Change your needle at the first sign of trouble, and after each 4-inch filled design (or the equivalent number of stitches in other types of designs). Do not try to stitch with a bent needle. Start each project with a fresh needle -- you will know it is the correct needle for that project. If you buy in bulk, needles are cheap. They really are meant to be disposable!

Dispose of needles safely. Use an empty pill or vitamin container. Label it for needles. Keep it by the sewing machine. Fill it with used needles, staples and old pins. When full, place it in the trash and find a new container.

Next issue: combining colors

from Mary Jane Allen of Perfect Little Stitches

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