#10 - Sew what?

Hey, welcome in! In today's post, I will demonstrate how to thread a needle and form a knot. If you are going to hand sew, you must know how to do these two actions. So if you are interested I invite you to stick around!

(dipper sewing gif)

    I will be using a hand-sewing needle and referring to its anatomy. The anatomy of a hand-sewing needle is quite simple and consists of three parts. The eye of the needle, the shaft of the needle, and the point of the needle

(sewing needle anatomy)

    The eye can range from small to large. As shown below the needle's eye on the left is smaller than the needle's eye on the right. The length of the needle can be shorter like the needle on the left or longer like the needle on the right. Smaller needles are used for regular sewing and bigger needles are used for embroidery. Since I sew and embroider I have both, these are the needles I have at home and use. 

(taken by me) 

    I will now show you how to thread a needle and form a knot. Follow the series of pictures I have implemented below for an easy follow-along. First, push the thread into and out of the needle's eye. It may be difficult as the thread may resist if the end of it is frayed, but licking the tip to straighten out the loose thread ends can help. Though this technique is not super recommended as saliva may ruin the quality of the thread. You can also cut the tip straight or at an angle for an easier thread through. 

(taken by me) 

   

    Next, you are going to pull the tip of the thread all the way through and match it to the other tip of the thread, as shown below. 

(taken by me)

    Now take those two loose thread ends and hold them between your thumb and pointer finger, like such.

(taken by me)

    Pay close attention because this is where it might get complicated. Next, take the eye of the needle and place it into the thumb and pointer finger. The needle's point should be facing away from the hand you are holding it in. Place it to the left of the two loose ends of the thread, it should look like this.

(taken by me)

    Now take the bottom thread and hold it because you are going to use it. It is important that you use the bottom thread and not the top, otherwise, you will not get the same result. You must be still holding everything together tightly between your two fingers, it is crucial.

(taken by me)

    Take the bottom thread that is being held and wrap it around the needle, like below. Do this three times to ensure a big and strong anchor knot. Again it is crucial to still be holding onto the two loose thread ends and the needle's eye. 

(taken by me)

    The thread should now look like this. See how the thread is wrapped around the needle three times consecutively? 

(taken by me)

    Next, take the two loose thread ends and pull away from the needle. At the same time pull the needle away from the two loose thread ends. This will create a loop with the thread as the picture below shows. 

(taken by me)

    Continue to pull the thread loop until it almost reaches the end. I say almost because if you pull it all the way through it becomes undone. 

(taken by me)

    Lastly, pull it tightly to form a knot. That tiny white blimp in the thread now serves as your anchor point for sewing. It should look something like this. 

(taken by me)

    

    I know this may look complicated at first, which is understandable. However, the more you practice the better you get at it and the quicker you can do it. It soon becomes muscle memory after some time, so don't give up you got this! 

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

(Mavis Hotel Transylvania sewing)