Hello Gang!
I recently made a lovely vintage assiut bedlah set and I shared images of the process over in my Studio Davina Facebook group. During the construction process, I got a bunch of nuts-and-bolts questions that I thought I would share here on the blog. The most frequently asked question is, “What needles are you using?”
Needle Style of Choice – Milliners
For my current technique, which uses buckram, grosgrain ribbon, and fleece, I like to use milliners needles. Hat making utilizes many of the same materials, so needles made for this purpose work very well for constructing bras.
Milliners needles are long, strong, and flexible. This style of needle is thicker in the middle and tapers to a sharp point. They flex, rather than break when working around wires. Over time, the shape of my grip appears in the needle.
John James Milliners Needles
Because I spend a lot of time sewing, I choose to invest in high-quality hand sewing needles. Many years ago during a time of experimentation, I found John James MIlliners needles and it was love at first sewing project. Unfortunately, John James needles can be difficult to find in my local stores so I now get them via Amazon.
Because there are times when I require smaller, finer needles, I also keep one of the John James needle collections in my kit. Aside from the biggest and bulky craft needles, I might pull for very specialized purposes. This one kit holds them all. I do a lot of hand sewing, so the extra cost pays off in longer-lasting tools.
Slip Stop Thimble
I keep a wardrobe of thimbles available for different hand sewing needs. When working on belly dance bras, I like to wear a Dritz Slip Stop Thimble. What I love about this thimble is that it has ridged sides that help catch and hold the eye-end of the needle. It also has a lip at the top that I find very useful for helping me guide and control the direction and angle of the needle.
Thimbles are one of those items that are best bought at a store. Although I have ladies XL hands, I have very slender tapered fingers. My fingertips are quite tiny, so I wear a size small thimble. Visit your local fabric store and use the circle punched into the packaging to calculate the proper fit for your hands.
Happy Costuming!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
January 24, 2020
