The eye of the needle struck again. Several years ago, my daughter gave me some of my grandson’s t-shirts, asking if I would make him a t-shirt blanket. So long ago, in fact that the shirts were appropriate for elementary school children. Now, as a junior in high school, he wears adult sizes.

The bag sat in my closet, and I looked at it every day for one, two, three at least five years and finally felt guilty enough to complete the project as his Christmas present for 2024. After gathering more of his shirts, I diligently began to cut and apply backing to the t-shirt squares.

About now, I am sure you are asking, WTF? Why are you writing about needles and Christmas presents when Christmas is in the rearview mirror? Uh, because I screwed up when ordering material for the backing, thinking the chosen fabric was soft and fluffy. It arrived just before Christmas, and I did not have time to buy something soft and cuddly-friendly.

Now, remorse and shame are eating me alive. I have vowed to complete the gift before the next gift-giving season rolls around. And what does that have to do with the eye of the needle?

EYE OF THE NEEDLE INCOMPETENCE

Threading a needle is one of the skills I do not possess. I sat at the sewing machine yesterday to stitch the squares together. Not only did I struggle to make a new bobbin and place it in the machine properly, but when time came to thread the needle my patience was fried. I could not do it!

I tried wetting the threat with saliva and punching it through, taking the needle off the machine to thread it (bad choice, I couldn’t get it back on), and finally using a wire needle threader. While I eventually got the wire into the eye of the needle. I couldn’t get the thread into the wire! I have an eye condition that distorts vision in one of my eyes, making the process more difficult.

Note: You should be thankful this is a reading post and not a listening post because the stream of expletives emanating from my mouth would have made you blush.

 WHY I PERSIST ON CHALLENGING THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE

Your mind is turning, I know. Watts sews? What’s with that? My girlfriend’s mother insisted she and I learn the craft, so, as teenagers, we were sent to sewing school. BTW, I did not take a home economics class in high school, I took elliptic geometry instead.

My sewing machine is approximately 56 years old, and I mostly use it to make curtains, pillowcases, and t-shirt blankets. My daughter has two of these masterpieces. My travails with the machine are highlighted here.

And a quick look at the internet exposes you to the many companies who will do this work for you. But those of you who know me best realize I am cheap. I am not going to pay for something I can do myself. And I am not going to spend the money on a new self-threading machine when mine works fine.

EYE OF THE NEEDLE WORK AROUNDS

I am not the only one struggling with the eye of the needle. MadamSew previews the tactics for us.

• Cut the thread at a 45-degree angle with sharp scissors,
• Use saliva or hair spray to make the end stiffer,
• Try a white background,
• Bring the needle to the thread rather than the thread to the needle, or
• Use devices such as the wire needle threader.

EYE OF THE NEEDLE LAST THOUGHTS

I hope this blog was not disappointing. Yes, I thought about some profound statement regarding the fact that the Quran, Bible, and the Talmud warn followers that those who do not heed the scripture will have as much trouble passing into the promised land as a camel through the eye of a sewing needle. But my brain is not on active duty today.

Time to quit writing and start sewing.

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