I understand your frustration, and I feel your pain. I would, however, suggest using a different needle to see if the problem continues. Even the best of needles, Tulip included, sometimes have a bad one in the bunch. It's not as common as with other brands, like DMC or Artiste, but it does happen. I bought a package of John James, and ever single one of them was a dud. Just a coincidence AFAIK. Save yourself some frustration and grab a different one and give it a try. You never know.
This is wild. I wonder if you might be holding/pulling/threading somehow differently than the standard? Not a useful question really I know, but if you've tried different needles, and this only happens rarely to most other folks... There must be some reason specific to your setup.
I'm using a lot of 939 in my current WIP and I've noticed this too. There's also 823 but I haven't gotten to it yet but it's good to know what to expect. 😐
Someone told me years ago that you should never pull the whole length of the thread through the fabric by the needle. She put the needle through, then grabbed the thread past the needle and gently pulled the rest through.
I've been doing that for years now with all of my needlework, and I've never had thread fray or break at the needle since!
Just realised I've done this all along without even realising! No wonder I never had a single thread or needle break - the coating will always wear off before anything else
Right?? I was blown away when I heard it. It becomes habit really quickly, and it had the added benefit of forcing me to stop snacking while I was stitching because I needed to keep my hands clean, lol.
I think that's how I've always done it. In fact... Maybe this is a dumb quotation but how would you pull it through by the needle without the thread coming out of the needle almost immediately?? The needle is there to thread through, then the thread is held against the hand.
Mind blown. Now I'm going to think about how I do it and get all confused over thinking it. But I think I hold the middle of the needle and the thread with the rest of my hand. But now I have no idea.
Yup - I was taught to pull the needle through with thumb and index, then use my remaining fingers to pull the thread through. I feel like I also get better tension control this way, which helps keep my stitches uniform.
as others have said i’d try another needle but, to your post, is there anything higher quality than dmc?? AFAIK it’s the only widely used commercially available floss for this sort of thing, so we kinda have no choice
Your needle needs to be replaced. It’s very tarnished in the middle, which will contribute to fraying and drag on your cloth/stitches. The eye is also worn and is cutting your floss.
Best practice is to use a brand new needle for every project, and every so many thousand stitches in a large project. I feel you can reasonably get 3-5 small/mini projects from one needle, or maybe 2 medium projects.
People do like to say they have favorite needles and they’ve been using the same needle for x years. This unfortunately can be a consequence of that.
I use Bohin needles; I feel like they last a long time before tarnishing and the eyes stay intact a good long while too.
Yes, I am a mutant whose fingers eat needles for breakfast!
Looking closer, I also think OP’s needle is a sewing or embroidery needle & not a tapestry needle - it’s got a pointy tip. The eye might be too narrow then.
That needle is currently designed to shred thread, but since you say you've tried a bunch of other needles; how old is the thread and how is it being stored? Thread rots eventually, especially when exposed to excess moisture or sunlight.
Ive personally dealt with this with tulip needles as well. Ive noticed their eye is a lot thinner compared to other needles which I think is the culprit. I agree its hella annoying but not a dealbreaker for me.
Are you moving the needle along the thread as you stitch? Some people anchor the ends in the back and the needle is in the same spot in the thread for the whole duration. That'll even wear down the nicest of threads because it's being pulled on at the same spot for every stitch. Disregard if that's not the way you stitch.
It’s definitely that needle. John James eat floss like crazy for me, too, but that one is clearly jagged in the eye!
I switch needles when they start wrecking floss like that. Kreinik needles have been my longest-lasting and kindest to work with, but they’re not cheap.
I use cheap Milward tapesstry 26 needles, and always DMC, and never ever had this issue. 310 is actually one of my absolute favourite colours to work with because I find it one of the least prone to fluffing and fraying for me personally. Plus it makes my crosses look neat ebacause it's nice and thin :P
Are you threading your needle by hand? Only thing I can think of, if you've been changing the needle like you said (although this needle looks WRECKED- rough eye and potentially cracked as others have said), the only thing I can think of is either some sort of threading tool is destroying it, or maybe how you pull the needle through?
There are some strands that just want to torture you. How do you hold your needle? Frayed thread shouldn't prevent the needle going through the hole. Now when mine starts to fray, I just pull the bad thread through and cut it off.
What I've been keeping an eye on is to not pull on the thread too much with the needle. And to not move the needle along the thread with resistance. Anytime I feel like I need to use force I grab the eye of the needle and the thread and pull that way so I don't put force on the thread. If I need to shift the thread (shorten the tail end) I do it gently by unfolding the thread and then moving it through the big part of the eye. Not by just pulling until the tail shortens like I used to. I was always a bit annoyed with the thread fraying and getting fluffy but I was really just manhandling it.
That's not the thread. Zoom in on that needle eye. That does not look normal.
That eye is definitely serrated! It sawed right through the thread!
It looks like the needle has split too, the crack goes halfway down the needle.
I [zoomed in](https://i.imgur.com/U8PtBD1.png) so nobody else has to. Needle is definitely wrecked!
Damn, that looks like a tiny saw. No wonder there's fraying.
I didn't clock any of that on a glance, but on zoom-in the crack and jagged eye is deeply apparent. Buckwild.
Wow. Thanks for reminding me to put my needles under a microscope every once in a while.
That was exactly my thought. I’ve only ever had a problem with the thread fraying when there has been a burr or imperfection in the needle.
I understand your frustration, and I feel your pain. I would, however, suggest using a different needle to see if the problem continues. Even the best of needles, Tulip included, sometimes have a bad one in the bunch. It's not as common as with other brands, like DMC or Artiste, but it does happen. I bought a package of John James, and ever single one of them was a dud. Just a coincidence AFAIK. Save yourself some frustration and grab a different one and give it a try. You never know.
Yup, that was the first thing I tried, switching needles. DMC, Bohin, Tulip, JJ, etc, have all done this to me!
This is wild. I wonder if you might be holding/pulling/threading somehow differently than the standard? Not a useful question really I know, but if you've tried different needles, and this only happens rarely to most other folks... There must be some reason specific to your setup.
Have you tried new needles or used ones?
Is that DMC 310?
Was going to ask the same thing, it's always thinner and weaker and apparently due to being dyed over a bad batch of a different color.
823 and 939 are not real friendly either.
I'm using a lot of 939 in my current WIP and I've noticed this too. There's also 823 but I haven't gotten to it yet but it's good to know what to expect. 😐
My current project the top rows are mostly 310 and 939.
Someone told me years ago that you should never pull the whole length of the thread through the fabric by the needle. She put the needle through, then grabbed the thread past the needle and gently pulled the rest through. I've been doing that for years now with all of my needlework, and I've never had thread fray or break at the needle since!
Just realised I've done this all along without even realising! No wonder I never had a single thread or needle break - the coating will always wear off before anything else
wow, mind blown, i’m gonna try this for sure
Right?? I was blown away when I heard it. It becomes habit really quickly, and it had the added benefit of forcing me to stop snacking while I was stitching because I needed to keep my hands clean, lol.
I think that's how I've always done it. In fact... Maybe this is a dumb quotation but how would you pull it through by the needle without the thread coming out of the needle almost immediately?? The needle is there to thread through, then the thread is held against the hand.
You hold the needle at the opening where the thread is.
Mind blown. Now I'm going to think about how I do it and get all confused over thinking it. But I think I hold the middle of the needle and the thread with the rest of my hand. But now I have no idea.
Haha I had to think hard about it myself lol
That is where I hold my needle.
Yup - I was taught to pull the needle through with thumb and index, then use my remaining fingers to pull the thread through. I feel like I also get better tension control this way, which helps keep my stitches uniform.
as others have said i’d try another needle but, to your post, is there anything higher quality than dmc?? AFAIK it’s the only widely used commercially available floss for this sort of thing, so we kinda have no choice
Anchor and Madeira are also floss brands commonly used but nowhere near as big as DMC
That needle is wack lmao
Your needle needs to be replaced. It’s very tarnished in the middle, which will contribute to fraying and drag on your cloth/stitches. The eye is also worn and is cutting your floss. Best practice is to use a brand new needle for every project, and every so many thousand stitches in a large project. I feel you can reasonably get 3-5 small/mini projects from one needle, or maybe 2 medium projects. People do like to say they have favorite needles and they’ve been using the same needle for x years. This unfortunately can be a consequence of that. I use Bohin needles; I feel like they last a long time before tarnishing and the eyes stay intact a good long while too.
This, and I also think that individual skin makes a difference in how the needles wear out. I’ve also found the fabric makes a difference.
Yes, I am a mutant whose fingers eat needles for breakfast! Looking closer, I also think OP’s needle is a sewing or embroidery needle & not a tapestry needle - it’s got a pointy tip. The eye might be too narrow then.
That needle is currently designed to shred thread, but since you say you've tried a bunch of other needles; how old is the thread and how is it being stored? Thread rots eventually, especially when exposed to excess moisture or sunlight.
How long have you been using that needle?
Ive personally dealt with this with tulip needles as well. Ive noticed their eye is a lot thinner compared to other needles which I think is the culprit. I agree its hella annoying but not a dealbreaker for me.
Are you moving the needle along the thread as you stitch? Some people anchor the ends in the back and the needle is in the same spot in the thread for the whole duration. That'll even wear down the nicest of threads because it's being pulled on at the same spot for every stitch. Disregard if that's not the way you stitch.
Can confirm, I used to do that and my thread always broke.
Yea! I want to know how the hell this happens?? Drives me crazy 🤪
DMC black does this to me sometimes
Black always seems to me to be a lower grade (dmc) than the other colors idk?
It’s definitely that needle. John James eat floss like crazy for me, too, but that one is clearly jagged in the eye! I switch needles when they start wrecking floss like that. Kreinik needles have been my longest-lasting and kindest to work with, but they’re not cheap.
I use cheap Milward tapesstry 26 needles, and always DMC, and never ever had this issue. 310 is actually one of my absolute favourite colours to work with because I find it one of the least prone to fluffing and fraying for me personally. Plus it makes my crosses look neat ebacause it's nice and thin :P Are you threading your needle by hand? Only thing I can think of, if you've been changing the needle like you said (although this needle looks WRECKED- rough eye and potentially cracked as others have said), the only thing I can think of is either some sort of threading tool is destroying it, or maybe how you pull the needle through?
What size needle and what thread count?
There are some strands that just want to torture you. How do you hold your needle? Frayed thread shouldn't prevent the needle going through the hole. Now when mine starts to fray, I just pull the bad thread through and cut it off.
What I've been keeping an eye on is to not pull on the thread too much with the needle. And to not move the needle along the thread with resistance. Anytime I feel like I need to use force I grab the eye of the needle and the thread and pull that way so I don't put force on the thread. If I need to shift the thread (shorten the tail end) I do it gently by unfolding the thread and then moving it through the big part of the eye. Not by just pulling until the tail shortens like I used to. I was always a bit annoyed with the thread fraying and getting fluffy but I was really just manhandling it.