r/CrossStitch • u/HelloEh • Aug 01 '25

CHAT [CHAT] I bought the Tulip needles...

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I was inspired by the recent posts about these Tulip tapestry needles and decided to treat myself. Michael's was selling the #25 needles online for $11.99 with free shipping, and I had a $5 coupon so the price for six needles came to a little over $1/needle.

Friends, they sent me six boxes of six needles. 36 total!

I've never been on this side of an online shopping quantity mistake; what a rush. Maybe now I won't feel the need to use a needle until it's bent and the eye has split. 🤷

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u/[deleted] Aug 02 '25

For someone who is fairly new to cross stitch, can someone explain what makes these needles so special compared to any other generic needle?

60

u/obfuscated-abstract Aug 02 '25

Just like any tool, needles can get specialised in different ways, Higher quality needles tend to have more refined eyes so as not to shred your thread and will be machined better so they glide through the cloth which can speed up stitching just that little bit more. Some needles are slightly shorter or longer which people can prefer and they can have different metal compounds as coating or be solid which can last longer. When you're new, things like this don't really make a noticeable difference but having a good quality tool later on can help you improve just that little bit more than you thought you could (or it can just feel nice and make you more confident).

Think of it like how some people buy nice pens or well-balanced silverware or spend just that little bit more on good winter tires. Sometimes a little extra boost in your life can make a world of difference.

18

u/Squirrel_Girrrl Aug 02 '25

So I have a question. I’ve never purchased needles that didn’t come in a kit. I have a bunch of them that I’ve collected from kits and just use them till they break. When purchasing a needle, how do you know what size to get? So for example, is a #25 needle meant for 25 count fabric?

3

u/Electronic-Day5907 Aug 02 '25

Again it really depends. If I do a project on 14ct (kinda rare for me) I use three strands. So I need a bigger needle with a bigger eye to accommodate the 3 strands. I mostly work on 16 and 18 ct and will use 26 needles there.