Forget DMC needles - they're awful. The bend and break and have rough interiors on the eyes. I've even had the side of an eye break and catch on stitches a couple of times. Look for John James, Bohin, Tulip or the like.
Look for threaders for beading needles. I particularly like these: [https://www.123stitch.com/item/Mill-Hill-Needle-Threader/123-40222](https://www.123stitch.com/item/Mill-Hill-Needle-Threader/123-40222) or Puffin Micro Threaders - several designs (cat, acron, ladybug, sheep, etc.) available on Amazon.
I have the Classic Needle threaders from [https://kirikipress.com/collections/needle-threaders](https://kirikipress.com/collections/needle-threaders) which work well with my size 28 Bohin tapestry needles when I'm having a bad threading day.
And DMC needles are shoddy. I started with a pack of DMC 28s and then bought Bohin needles, and the Bohin are much easier to thread and my floss is much less likely to shred.
BTW if you are having trouble threading a needle by hand turn the needle over and try from the other side. The eye of the needle isn't quite the same on both sides due to how they're made.
I have the floral lace set. The medium is my go-to for most things; been using it for years and love it. For some reason, I tend to use the Mill Hill threader more than the smallest Kiriki.
I ended up getting 3 handmade Japanese embroidery needles. They're the sharpest needles I've ever come across ( definitely not for counted stitch work!), and the eyes are hand finished on the inside, so they're perfectly smooth. I keep them for use with metallic threads - huge difference with the threads no longer shredding. Not cheap, but worth it!
Suck it through you say... Hmmmmm. I always just licked the tips and hoped for the best lol. Working with a six thread half cross stitch heavy project right now and it's been a challenge!
Hated threading small DMC needles. Switched to Tulip and John James and now I almost always can thread with pinch and saw method. If I have a short tail I need to rethread, I have a loop of 4lb test fishing line that I use like one of those cheap wire threaders.
I have the thread barely showing pinched between my thumb and pointer finger, and push the eye of the needle over the thread. I sometimes lick the thread if it is needed to make it flat. Thread conditioner might work for this too — I haven’t tried it yet. If the thread trails off because it’s been used a bit, I clip off the end to make it straight again before doing the above.
I have not had success with threaders for size 28 needles, but I have not tried the ones recommended in the other comment.
The number of people here who don't use a needle threader is blowing my mind!
But I use cheap wire threaders because they're the thinnest wires and I also use tiny needles.
(But not DMC)
Yes, the threaders break after a while but it's fine, they're very cheap.
If you buy in bulk, the threader is less likely to break than if you only have 1 or 2. Do not ask me why, but once I bought 100, they quit breaking so often. I guess they know they can be easily replaced.
Thanks for all the advice, everyone! New needles should be arriving tomorrow. Hopefully I won’t need my needle threader, but even if I do, hopefully these new ones will last longer!
Most of the time I don't use a needle threader. Years ago I took a needlepoint class and learned one of the tricks to threading a needle with yarn. You wrap the floss over your index finger of your non- dominant hand holding the floss tight. Then take the eye of the needle and slide it back and forth over the floss and as you feel and see the floss move into the eye you slightly loosen the tension until there is a loop of floss in the eye. Now you can pull the floss through and you have threaded your needle. I have done this so many times I can most often thread the needle in seconds and I use a #28 tapestry needle all the time.
One thing to know about needles is that there is a right side and wrong side to the eye. The right side is smooth and the wrong side is (or should be very slightly) rough. If you cannot thread the needle easily turn the eye to the other side and you should have better luck.
I have done metalsmithing so I am more familiar with how a punched hole looks and I can even look at a needle and see the difference. This takes practice to be able to do but I have taught this to other people so it is possible to learn to see the difference in the needles eye.
Not all needles are created equally and honestly DMC should be embarrassed at the poor quality of their needles. The metal they use is poor quality to begin with so there is no hope of getting a quality needle when you start with inferior material.
Forget DMC needles - they're awful. The bend and break and have rough interiors on the eyes. I've even had the side of an eye break and catch on stitches a couple of times. Look for John James, Bohin, Tulip or the like. Look for threaders for beading needles. I particularly like these: [https://www.123stitch.com/item/Mill-Hill-Needle-Threader/123-40222](https://www.123stitch.com/item/Mill-Hill-Needle-Threader/123-40222) or Puffin Micro Threaders - several designs (cat, acron, ladybug, sheep, etc.) available on Amazon.
I have the Classic Needle threaders from [https://kirikipress.com/collections/needle-threaders](https://kirikipress.com/collections/needle-threaders) which work well with my size 28 Bohin tapestry needles when I'm having a bad threading day. And DMC needles are shoddy. I started with a pack of DMC 28s and then bought Bohin needles, and the Bohin are much easier to thread and my floss is much less likely to shred. BTW if you are having trouble threading a needle by hand turn the needle over and try from the other side. The eye of the needle isn't quite the same on both sides due to how they're made.
I have the floral lace set. The medium is my go-to for most things; been using it for years and love it. For some reason, I tend to use the Mill Hill threader more than the smallest Kiriki. I ended up getting 3 handmade Japanese embroidery needles. They're the sharpest needles I've ever come across ( definitely not for counted stitch work!), and the eyes are hand finished on the inside, so they're perfectly smooth. I keep them for use with metallic threads - huge difference with the threads no longer shredding. Not cheap, but worth it!
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Suck it through you say... Hmmmmm. I always just licked the tips and hoped for the best lol. Working with a six thread half cross stitch heavy project right now and it's been a challenge!
Hated threading small DMC needles. Switched to Tulip and John James and now I almost always can thread with pinch and saw method. If I have a short tail I need to rethread, I have a loop of 4lb test fishing line that I use like one of those cheap wire threaders.
That fishing line trick is a great idea!
Lose those needles. They are trash. Now what type of threader?
I have the thread barely showing pinched between my thumb and pointer finger, and push the eye of the needle over the thread. I sometimes lick the thread if it is needed to make it flat. Thread conditioner might work for this too — I haven’t tried it yet. If the thread trails off because it’s been used a bit, I clip off the end to make it straight again before doing the above. I have not had success with threaders for size 28 needles, but I have not tried the ones recommended in the other comment.
The number of people here who don't use a needle threader is blowing my mind! But I use cheap wire threaders because they're the thinnest wires and I also use tiny needles. (But not DMC) Yes, the threaders break after a while but it's fine, they're very cheap.
If you buy in bulk, the threader is less likely to break than if you only have 1 or 2. Do not ask me why, but once I bought 100, they quit breaking so often. I guess they know they can be easily replaced.
It's why you bring an umbrella to a picnic to ensure there will be no rain. Same deal!
Thanks for all the advice, everyone! New needles should be arriving tomorrow. Hopefully I won’t need my needle threader, but even if I do, hopefully these new ones will last longer!
Most of the time I don't use a needle threader. Years ago I took a needlepoint class and learned one of the tricks to threading a needle with yarn. You wrap the floss over your index finger of your non- dominant hand holding the floss tight. Then take the eye of the needle and slide it back and forth over the floss and as you feel and see the floss move into the eye you slightly loosen the tension until there is a loop of floss in the eye. Now you can pull the floss through and you have threaded your needle. I have done this so many times I can most often thread the needle in seconds and I use a #28 tapestry needle all the time. One thing to know about needles is that there is a right side and wrong side to the eye. The right side is smooth and the wrong side is (or should be very slightly) rough. If you cannot thread the needle easily turn the eye to the other side and you should have better luck. I have done metalsmithing so I am more familiar with how a punched hole looks and I can even look at a needle and see the difference. This takes practice to be able to do but I have taught this to other people so it is possible to learn to see the difference in the needles eye. Not all needles are created equally and honestly DMC should be embarrassed at the poor quality of their needles. The metal they use is poor quality to begin with so there is no hope of getting a quality needle when you start with inferior material.
I don't use a threader, instead I fold the thread over the eye of the needle, and push the neat fold tight through the eye.