A few weeks ago I designed a needle in CAD to try out in laser sintered steel.. I got the print back from Shapeways last week. I am very pleased with the final result, However, I did have to file and sand it as the grains were quite prominent on the raw print and would have caught on fabric. The needle also has a really nice weight to it. I am a little concerned that it might be a little thick for some fabric. I will try it out and if so I will file it down a little more.
A Tool Making Approach through digital technologies. 