If you’ve ever tried to thread a needle and failed, you may have wished you had one.

It is not difficult to use a threader, but sometimes it is almost impossible to thread a needle without it.

Just thread the thread wire into the eye of the needle. Thread the thread through the loop in the threader. Pull the threader back through the eye of the needle along with the thread. Voila! Needle with thread.

Needle threaders take many forms, but this one is by far the most common. This kind is supplied in every tiny sewing kit in every hotel room across the nation. The face on the needle threader has the image of Minerva, the Roman goddess of sewing.

Aside from decorative purposes, there’s another reason for stamping an icon on the needle threader. The threader itself is made from very thin aluminum. By punching the impression of the figure onto the holder in the manufacturing process some strength is added. This makes it much less likely that the needle threader will flex so easily.

The older you get, the handier this gets! If you haven’t used one yet, you just wait. Someday you, too will get old enough to use a needle threader to thread a needle. If you have used one, welcome to the club!