Sempstress

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You know those mistakes you make over and over and over? One of my biggies is with hand-sewing. I’ll get everything laid out, with my fingers carefully positioned to start, and then realize that I’ve forgotten to thread the gosh-darned needle. I’m not even kidding! This has to be the most basic thing in the universe, and I’m completely resistant to learning it. That’s why I know how to thread a needle with one hand….

You will need: one hand, a needle, and some thread.

Stick the needle in to something, so that you can see clearly through the eye.

Grasp the thread about 1/2" from the end, and position it behind the eye of the needle.

Push the thread through the eye, then let go of it. (The hardest thing here is letting go of the thread without pulling it back out of the needle....)

Grasp the thread from the front, and pull more of it through the needle.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…. “Push the needle into your nice, padded work top. Duh! Because I totally have a nice, padded work top.” Right. This is what it normally looks like when I do it:

Push needle into a handy bit of clothing, ideally without stabbing yourself. Thank goodness for layering!

This trick will only work if you have clear access to both sides of the eye of the needle, so pick your needle-sticking-spot accordingly.

Thread needle, as you do....

This is really a lot easier that you’d think. The hardest part really is letting go of the thread without pulling it back out of the needle. I’m actually doing this demo with my (slightly) off paw, because I can’t sort out how to use a camera left handed. (It’s goofy, I know. I can thread a needle or sew lefty, but I can’t hold a little box and push a button. I cannot explain…)