The big- stitch means we are hand quilting with #12 perle cotton thread and making big even stitches...this is the perfect needle...big eye for threading the thicker threads and it a very sturdy somewhat shorter needle for needling between those layers...Big stitch quilting goes fast and is much easier on the wallet than getting every quilt you do machine quilted by our lovely most awesome-est machine quilters.  There are 12 to a package.