Does your family hate stepping on needles? Do you spend quality time hunting under your couch pillows to find a needle? Have you ever had to stop stitching because you lost the only needle you had with you?
Then you need a needle minder that attaches to your canvas and securely holds your needles for you. Recently I’ve test driven a bunch of them. Here’s the lowdown on each of them and how well they perform.
First the rankings, then a bit about each one.
1. Mag Friends from Acoutrement Designs
2. Needle Bling from the Elizabeth Turner Collection
3. Needle MInders Jewels Mini from Gingerbread Girl Designs
4. Kelmscott Designs Needle Minders
5. Texas Hill Country Ceramics Needle Magnets
6. Embellishment Plus Needle Minders
7. opi magnetic bookmarks
8. Ty-Di magnets
Mag Friends from Acoutrement Designs: A huge variety of designs that are flat and can be plain metal, enameled, or jeweled. Some designs exclusive to certain shops. I liked that they were flat, small, well-made and very strong. Rare Earth Magnet, available at needlework shops.
Needle Bling from the Elizabeth Turner Collection: A huge variety of designs, I tried on of their simple round faceted jewels. The facets provide flat surfaces to keep the needle on top. Rare Earth Magnet, available at needlework shops.
I’m looking for more of both of these.
Needle Minders Jewels Mini from Gingerbread Girl Designs: Small, rounded dichroic glass. Round top can mean needles slip, but mine mostly stayed on top. Securely glued. Rare Earth Magnet, available at needlework shops.
Kelmscott Designs Needle Minders: Cameo-style resin designs in a wide variety. oval shape, mostly flat. Ceramic magnets easy to pry apart and move. It would be higher on the list if the size was smaller. I found it too big for small pieces and canvases with narrow margins.These are very widely distributed. Ceramic Magnet, available at needlework shops.
Texas Hill Country Ceramics Needle Magnets: These magnets are flat (a big plus) and small to medium in size. But they are glazed ceramic tops, so it’s possible they can break with rough use. Ceramic Magnet, available on the Internet
Embellishment Plus Needle Minders: Cameo-style and carved resin, mostly in two larger sizes. The big problem is the carved designs which can make it hard to balance a needle on them. Ceramic Magnet, available at needlework shops.
opi magnetic bookmarks: Small and flat, they can only clamp onto the edge of a canvas. If you use wider stretcher bars, the back will be covered. IF your margins are small the magnet might cover part of the design. If you tack heavily, you may have to move or remove a tack. They are cheap, but, I think, of limited usefulness. Unknown magnet, available at The Container Store, Amazon, and bookstores.
Ty-Di Magnets: Stacked buttons on top, sometimes too many or too rounded to hold the needle, so it slips to a lower button. Glue did not hold magnets when being removed from a canvas. I cannot recommend these. Rare Earth Magnet, available at needlework shops.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
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