• Home
  • Shop
  • Stitch Showcase
  • Embroidery tips
  • Freebies
  • About
  • Contact
Menu

Embellished Elephant

  • Home
  • Shop
  • Stitch Showcase
  • Embroidery tips
  • Freebies
  • About
  • Contact
a picture of an embroidery stitch sampler using a variation of number of threads overlayed with a blue square and the text - hand embroidery, how many strands of embroidery floss to use, www.embellishedelephant.co.uk

How many strands of embroidery floss to use

April 20, 2022

Embroidery floss comes in skeins of six strands and patterns will often indicate how many strands to use. But what effect does varying the number of strand actually have on your embroidery?

I tried stitching various embroidery stitches with different numbers of thread to demonstrate how this impacts the overall look. For many stitches they loose their definition if too many strands of floss are used. But some stitches, for example stem stitch actually look better with thicker thread.

Here are some things to bear in mind whichever stitch/thread number combination you choose.

  • One strand - Perfect for fine embroidery work and for thin outlines.

  • Two strands - I stitch most of my projects with two strands because the additional strand gives a little bit more bulk. It’s especially useful to have that extra stitch when filling areas it means fewer stitches are needed to fill the area.

  • Three strands - I sometimes use three strands when stitching plant stems as it gives extra width without the need for another row of stitches.

  • Four strands - I have to admit I rarely stitch with four or five strands, but sometimes four strands is just the right amount of bulk needed for the part of the pattern you are stitching.

  • Five strands - It seems like a very odd number to stitch with if you ask me. But if it’s right for the project then go for it!

  • Six strands - Sometimes you want maximum bulk and to retain the embroidery floss look, in which case all 6 strands can be used. A longer length of three strands can be doubled if you want to stitch with 6 strands but don’t want as much bulk at the eye of the needle.

A picture showing blue thread on calico fabric. There are 6 rows of embroidery in backstitch. Each row is stitched with a different number of threads starting with 1 strand at the bottom and 6 at the top.

Backstitch

A picture showing blue thread on calico fabric. There are 6 rows of embroidery in split stitch. Each row is stitched with a different number of threads starting with 1 strand at the bottom and 6 at the top.

Split Stitch

A picture showing blue thread on calico fabric. There are 6 rows of embroidery in stem stitch. Each row is stitched with a different number of threads starting with 1 strand at the bottom and 6 at the top.

Stem Stitch

A picture showing blue thread on calico fabric. There are 6 rows of embroidery in chain stitch. Each row is stitched with a different number of threads starting with 1 strand at the bottom and 6 at the top.

Chain Stitch

A picture showing blue thread on calico fabric. There are 6 groups of embroidery in fly stitch and seed stitch. Each row is stitched with a different number of threads starting with 1 strand at the bottom and 6 at the top.

Fly stitch (top), Seed stitch (bottom)

A picture showing blue thread on calico fabric. There are 6 groups of embroidery in cross stitch and french knot. Each group is stitched with a different number of threads starting with 1 strand at the right and 6 at the left.

Cross stitch (top), French knot (bottom)

Want to experiment with the effect different number of strands has on the finished embroidery piece? Then this floral stitch sampler is a perfect project to practice on. It comes with pre-printed fabric and guidance on stitches that you can use, but the final composition of stitches and how to make them is totally up to you.

Enjoyed this blog post? I share embroidery tips and a free embroidery pattern in my monthly newsletter. Sign up here to receive the newsletter on the 1st of each the month.

In tips 3 Tags Thread
← The traits you need to be an embroidererHow to deal with a wonky hoop →

Tags

  • About me
  • Artists/Designers
  • Basics
  • Christmas
  • colour
  • Couching Stitch
  • Fabric
  • Filling Stitch
  • Finishing
  • Hoops
  • Isolated Stitch
  • Line Stitch
  • London
  • My Makes
  • Needles
  • Stitch Showcase
  • Texture Stitch
  • Thread
  • Transfer
  • Travel

Latest Posts

Featured
Jun 1, 2025
What is stranded embroidery thread?
Jun 1, 2025
Jun 1, 2025
May 1, 2025
How to manage your backlog of craft projects
May 1, 2025
May 1, 2025
Apr 1, 2025
What to do if you don't like what you've stitched
Apr 1, 2025
Apr 1, 2025
Feb 15, 2025
How to decide which embroidery stitch to use
Feb 15, 2025
Feb 15, 2025
Feb 1, 2025
Focus on stitches for flowers
Feb 1, 2025
Feb 1, 2025
Jan 1, 2025
Focus on stitches for leaves
Jan 1, 2025
Jan 1, 2025
Nov 1, 2024
Stitch Showcase: Six-pointed star stitch
Nov 1, 2024
Nov 1, 2024
Oct 1, 2024
Focus on transferring or tracing patterns
Oct 1, 2024
Oct 1, 2024
Sep 1, 2024
Focus on hoops
Sep 1, 2024
Sep 1, 2024
Aug 1, 2024
A focus on needles
Aug 1, 2024
Aug 1, 2024

Home — Shop — Stockists — Wholesale — Portfolio — Contact — Reviews — Policies — FAQs