Quite a while ago, when I was writing about tambour embroidery, a reader asked about a tool in my tool box that showed up in one of my photos.

Well, I would have answered the tool question a little more clearly and directly, except that, in all honesty, I didn’t know what the tool was called.

Sometimes, I call it a Tucker Tool. Sometimes, I call it a Tweaker. Sometimes, I call it by its long name (invented by me) – it’s a Thread-Tucker-Tweaker-Fixer-Thingy.

Not knowing its official name made it somewhat difficult to look up, but I did eventually find it online. I discovered that it has an official name – it is a Stitch Fixer.

I wasn’t too far off!

Let me introduce you to this handy tool that’s been in my box for years, and that I use All the Time, for All Kinds of Things.

The Stitch Fixer is a small tool that can nestle comfortably into most stitchers’ tool boxes, etuis, tool rolls, tins, or whatever you gather and keep your tools in.

It’s simple in concept – a wooden dowel-like handle with wires poking out of each end.

The wires are the size of a 24 tapestry needle on this particular version of the tool. The size (24) is marked on the side of the wooden handle.

On one end, there’s an open-eyed needle eye sticking out. This is the eye of a needle that is split at the top, so that you can push the open eyed needle eye onto a short thread to get it into the eye.

The other side has a bent, pointed wire, the same thickness, sticking out of the end.

I use the word “wire” rather loosely. These aren’t bendable wires. Think “needle shaft” and you’ll understand that they are sturdy, fine metal rods.

When you have short threads on the front or back of your needlework that you have to tuck away, you use the open-eyed-needle-eye end to push the short thread under other stitches or back down into the fabric.

You use the bent end of the Stitch Fixer to grab and pull threads through tight spaces.

So you can see that, although really simple in concept, this tool can come in really handy when you’re in a tight spot, stitch-wise.

I picked mine up at a needlework shop somewhere at some point in time – I don’t remember when or where. I’ve had it a pretty long time, though – I can’t remember not having it. I use it in situations like those described above, but I also use it for other things as well. When doing tambour work, I use the bent end when finishing threads, to pull threads through loops to end them. I find it works better than the tambour needle, because it isn’t sharp like the tambour needle, so it doesn’t snag.

You can find the Stitch Fixer at your local needlework shop (if you have one). I’m sure it can be found online at a variety of shops. Nordic Needle carries the Stitch Fixer under tools & accessories, with stitch fixers and hiders.

Just one of those useful little tools I never really think about, but use often… I love those kinds of tools, don’t you?