Needles breaking at the eye

[Hennessy]

I just buy lots of needles and don't worry about it too much.

i started out in sydney australia many moons ago,i worked in two old prestigious saddle shops and still recall a bit of wot i learned.we made a lot of thread 4 5 6 or more strands.we allways tapered the ends down in a long taper n beeswax'd thread good down to the ends.when we threaded th needle, the thread was thin at the eye making th needle easier to pull through.when i hand sew cantles or seams i get my waxed thread in 5 or 6 strand hold it on my bench n pull it under a knife blade, feathering down the ends for 6inches or a li'l less then re wax th ends heavy n thread needles to hang in th taper area, it helps when passing thru holes eh adios n hoo roo pete

[Ladybug]

I also agree with the egg eye harness needles. I always bought tapestry needles, but they broke all the time or bent so bad you could sew in circles with them. The egg eyes are much more course and don't hardly ever bend. They are much more difficult to thread. I'll have to give the tapering a try. Thanks for the great idea.

JoAnn