New Gold-Plated Needles

My gold-plated needles come from The Cross Stitch Guild and this attractive box is a new format for me. After attending The Great British Sampler Weekend here in the UK in September, I realised that many stitchers work on fine fabrics and so I looked at the needles supplied by the CSG and chose two sizes for my Treasures.

I have put two of each size in a matchbox-style card box for safety and I have selected sizes 26 and 28. The size 28 should be used for one strand of floss and the 26 for two strands. Perfect for your sampler making! I have also included a sharp which is very useful for areas of fine backstitch. The box of five needles measures a handy 2.5 x 3in (6.5 x 7.5cm).

These gold-plated needles have been voted the best in the business for many years, so let me tell you a little more about how they came to be. During 1987, the I visited the US with my family and explored American cross stitch shops. It was then that I was introduced to gold-plated needles and, I must be honest, I thought it was all bunkum. You can imagine how surprised I was after stitching with a good-quality gold-plated needle for an evening – I was completely hooked!

Back in the UK I found that no-one sold gold-plated needles! After an afternoon on the phone, I found a company prepared to gold plate one thousand, size 24 tapestry needles. It was at this point that I made the most important business decision I was ever to make: I was asked how much gold I wanted on each needle – I had simply no idea what to say and mumbled something about the gold not wearing off. The company informed me, “British Nuclear Fuels and the Ministry of Defence have 2 microns, so that should be plenty”. I agreed and this is how The Cross Stitch Guild came to sell gold-plated needles. I did ask what the MOD used gold for and was told it was for the detonators on grenades!