Old fashioned needle threader - where to get?

Miró

Hello everyone :hello:

Apologies if this is in the wrong place as it is probably more of an 'I wanna' but I thought you lovely people here would be more likely to know/help.

My elderly neighbour has failing eyesight yet loves to sew and do needlecrafts. She has recently broken her needle-threader contraption and has asked me to help her to find a new one but I have no idea where to start! All of the old habadashery shops seem to have closed down now! Does anyone know of anywhere in the Yorkshire area that might have any of these things? It has a metal 'holder' thingy with a bit of fine looped wire that you push through the eye of a needle. I don't suppose it would be possible to make one would it

I really would appreciate any thoughts/help on this...thank you.

Sweet_Pea_2

I recently bought a packet of needles from Poundland, it contained all different sized needles, pins, safety pins and a needle threader. HTH.

pingua

yep i will second that. the cheap sets you get from the cheap shops usually have one in.

lizzyb1812

Try the Co-op - the department store not the supermarket. They usually have a haberdashery department. Dunelm do them (don't know if there are any Dunelm's in Yorkshire) and so do some craft type shops.

lizzyb

whistler-alison

I have seen them in Woolworths and John Lewis/Waitrose over the last couple of days when I was getting some needles. (Though you wouldn't have thought it it, the needles were actually cheaper in John Lewis).

rosy

If you can't find one, there was a post a wee while ago with a tip to make threading a needle much easier - wet the thread and wet the needle. I tried it and it was amazing how much easier it made the process! I don't know if your elderly neighbour would manage it, but might be worth a try while you hunt for the threader. By the way sorry to the OP of the tip, have looked to try to get a link for it, but can't find it anywhere now!

spiddy100

Miro, I have one in my sewing box which I don't use, if you want to PM me with some details I'd be happy to post it to you or to your neighbour

pavlovs_dog

im sure hawkins bazaar sell them

LJM

i got a set out my xmas cracker this year !! what about any sewing machine crafty shop ?

Miró

Oooooh...thank you all so much, some brilliant ideas here :T

I will try the Pound-type shops tomorrow (never would have thought of them!!)

If that fails...next stop Waitrose/John Lewis with my Pigsback voucher or Woolworths. Don't know of any Co-op Dept Stores around her unfortunately.

Aww spiddy100...that is so kind of you...if all else fails..may I come back to you?

rosy...think I might be trying that tip myself!!

Once again, many thanks to all you lovely OS'rs

XXX

sandieb

Just another thought - not a needle threader - but you can get those magnifying glasses that are attached to a corded "necklace". You hang them around your neck, and the glass kind of sits on your chest. This would magnify the needle, thread and any fine sewing. I am researching one for my mum who says it's difficult for her to thread needles.

HTH