the upholstery needles that i have been able to locate (wal-mart) come 4 to a pack ranging in length from 6 inches up to 12 or 14 inches and that was a great deal of my problem (the post from jlm is mine) the ligh bulb finally came on for me and i cut the needle back to the 2.5 inch length which makes all the difference in the world. a 12 inch needle with foam plug off-center on the end rotating in a dremel can wreak much havoc on your hands and fingers as the needle bends more with each rotation.

i have yet to find the eyes you use yet. any suggestions?