Focus on threads

Last month I picked out some of my blog posts about fabric, so this month I've picked out a few about threads to share with you.

• Most embroidery is stitched with one or two strands from 6-stranded floss. This blog post shows you the differences when you stitch a range of embroidery stitches and vary the number of strands used.

• If you've ever wondered why your thread tangles when you work, take a look at my tips for avoiding tangles. 

• How do you start off with a new thread when embroidering? Everyone will have their favourite method but this blog post goes through different techniques for starting off with a thread.

I've got plenty of other blog posts about threads (and other aspects of embroidery) so I encourage you to browse through the embroidery tips page on my website.

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Top tips for embroidering with yarn

You can use pretty much any thread for embroidery. One of my favourites to use for creating more abstract embroideries is yarn. As an avid crafter I have quite a stash of yarns left over from knitting and crochet projects. Embroidery is a good way to use up shorter lengths of yarn that can’t be made into a knitting or crochet project. Here are my top tips for embroidering using yarns:

Use a large eye needle

The yarn you use will be much thicker than standard embroidery floss so you’ll need to find a needle with a larger eye to fit the thread through Chenille needles work particularly well for yarn embroidery as they have a very sharp point and a large eye (second needle from the right in the picture).

Use an open weave fabric

When embroidering the stitches pass through the fabric between the warp and weft threads. The tighter the weave of the fabric, the harder it will be to physically get the yarn through the fabric. Open weave fabrics such as linen, hessian or aida (such as used for this piece) are much easier to stitch on when working with yarn.

Use a heavier weight fabric

Each strand of yarn is thicker and heavier than embroidery floss. This means that the fabric being stitched onto needs to hold that additional weight. Thicker fabrics such as canvas (used for this piece) or felt can help make sure the additional weight is held. Alternatively using a second layer of fabric can also provided the additional support needed.

Keep the stitches simple

Stitching with thicker yarn can mean the definition on more complex stitches is lost, especially if the yarn has any sort of fluffy texture to it. Simple stitches such as straight stitch, seed stitch, back stitch, running stitch, brick stitch and satin stitch work well.

Stitch carefully

With thicker thread you’ll be creating larger holes in the fabric. Therefore if you make a mistake and need to unpick the stitches those larger holes will remain. This piece was stitched on felt which held the weight of the stitches well but when I unpicked any stitches I had to think carefully about covering the holes that were left behind.

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How to be a thrifty crafter

When I was a kid I was very thrifty with obtaining craft materials because I didn’t have the money to spend on buying new. As an adult, I’m lucky that I have the disposable income to spend on any craft materials I want or need but that thriftiness learnt as a child is still there and there are some things I continue to do to this day. Here are my tips for making the most of your craft materials:

• Embroidery hoops are probably the most expensive item of any embroidery project and although they may only cost a few pounds one way to make sure you can re-use them is in how you finish your embroidery project. If you are displaying your project in a hoop, finish the back in a way that means in the future if you don’t want that project on display any more you can take it out of the hoop and use the hoop for the next project. costs of an embroidery project finish your hoops so you can re-use them. This blog post outlines 4 ways to finish the back of an embroidery hoops - just avoid the gluing method if you want to use the hoop again in the future.

• Embroidery projects need fabric to stitch on. I regularly use old fabrics such as sheets, curtains and shirts that aren’t good enough to go to the charity shop. I cut around any stains or tears and make use of as much of the fabric as possible.

• Keep thread offcuts for use in future projects. There are two ways I keep thread offcuts, the first is if there is a long length of several strands left, I rewind this onto the thread bobbin I cut it from. For shorter lengths and single strands, I have a jar where I store these for when I need a tiny amount of a colour or for use in an abstract embroidery project.

• Store things well. There is nothing more sad than opening a bag of yarn and finding its been nibbled by moths. This has happened to me and although I tried to rescue as much of the yarn as possible the grainy deposits the moths left meant much of it was unusable. I now store all my yarn in sealable bags and have moth balls dotted around the storage boxes.

• Keep anything and everything! This is only a good tip if you have the space. That ribbon from around the Christmas cracker, a necklace that broke, buttons from a shirt that you had to send to the fabric recycling. They could all be used in future craft project.

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What threads can be used for embroidery?

You can create embroidery with any threads that you have available, here are five that I’ve used in many different embroidery projects.

Embroidery Floss

This is what is classically used for embroidery. Each skein of floss has six strands of embroidery which can be separated out and stitched with separately or in multiple number of strands.

Perle Cotton

This is also designed for embroidery and is used in certain styles of embroidery such as Hardanger. The cotton is formed of multiple strands twisted together to form the thread that you stitch with. Unlike floss, you don’t separate the strands so this tends to be thicker.

Sewing Thread

I’ve built up a collection of sewing cotton over the years from past dressmaking and other sewing projects. Sewing thread can be used for hand embroidery and much like floss you can use multiple strands together to give the necessary bulk. There are also specific types of thread for use in machine embroidery.

Metallic Thread

There are metallic embroidery flosses available for hand embroidery as well as metallic sewing threads that can also be used. Beware though, stitching with metallic thread is tricky - read more here.

Yarn

Modern embroidery can make use of all kinds of thread including yarn of different thicknesses.

Working with yarn is great for larger pieces as it is thicker and fills up areas much faster!

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What is perle (pearl) thread?

The most common embroidery thread that you can buy in shops is six stranded embroidery floss. But you may also come across a type of thread called pearl or perle.

Pearl (or perle) thread is not stranded thread which means that you can’t separate out the strands to stitch with. You need to use the thread as it comes. It is therefore a much thicker thread and whilst you can use it for embroidery there are few things to bear in mind.

• You’ll need a needle with a larger eye

• Fewer stitches are needed to fill an area

• It has a different texture and sheen to stranded floss

• It’s great to couch with as it has a thicker texture

• You need to use it for some styles of embroidery such as Hardanger or drawn thread embroidery (pictured above)

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Which brand of embroidery thread should I use?

Like a lot of products, whether it is toothpaste, a phone or a car we have a habit of becoming loyal to one brand. It may be the first one we use, recommended by a friend, the influence of advertising or simply a tried and trusted favourite.

There are several different brands of stranded embroidery floss available as well as thread that is unbranded. The brand that seems most common in haberdasheries and craft shops I’ve visited is DMC, but Anchor is also available. Other brands that offer stranded embroidery floss include Maderia, Paintbox Crafts, Rico, Trimmits and Duchess/Trebla

What to look out for in the floss you use:

• Range of colours - as different brands have different looks to their thread, it is a good idea to pick all the threads for a project from the same brand

• Composition - is it 100% cotton or mixed with other fibres such as acrylic, different thread compositions have different sheens and strength

• Texture - some threads are ‘fluffier’ than others ie you can see the fibres sticking out from the main thread

• Colour fastness - if you stitch items that will be washed then this is an important consideration

• Cost - tends to indicate quality, although there are plenty of cheap poundshop threads that I’ve loved stitching with

DMC is the most widely available and the most popular for a reason. It comes in a wide range of colours and have a smooth texture that gives a lovely sheen to the finished stitching.

However, I also like stitching with Duchess/Trebla which has more cotton texture and a more matt look. It suits my style of embroidery.

Over the years my stash of floss is a real mish-mash. It is made up of floss I’ve specifically purchased for a project, left over floss that came in a kit I bought or spur of the moment impulse pound shop purchase.

In other words, most of the time it doesn’t matter what brand of floss you stitch with, just pick one that best fits your needs and your budget.

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How many strands of embroidery floss to use

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 think 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.

Backstitch

Split Stitch

Stem Stitch

Chain Stitch

Fly stitch (top), Seed stitch (bottom)

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.

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What additional supplies are useful for embroidery?

When starting out with embroidery you need just a few supplies (that I cover here). But if you are hooked and want to do more and more embroidery what other supplies might it be useful to invest in (or ask for as gifts).

Thread storage

If you’ve stitched a few projects you’ve probably got a growing stash of threads. Investing in some thread storage really helps in finding the colours you need (and ensuring you don’t end up buying skeins of colours you already have).

This blog post covers different storage options, but my favourite is thread boxes and bobbins.

Embroidery Stand

If you are really hooked on embroidery then you may be stitching for hours on end and finding that you get cramp in your hoop holding hand.

An embroidery stand can hold your hoop for you. It also frees up your non-stitching hand so you can use one hand on the top of the fabric and another underneath.

This stand slips under your leg as you are sat stitching to hold it still.

I tend to make sure that I take regular breaks rather than use a stand but I do use on for really large pieces which are much heavier.

Cutting mat, rotary cutter & quilting ruler

You can cut up fabric for stitching on just using scissors but if you are wanting to make life a little easier for you then a cutting mat, rotary cutter and quilting ruler makes life so much simpler.

I will buy a length of calico, wash it (so there is not shrinkage) and iron it (another great investment is to get an iron purely for your crafting). Then I’ll cut up the fabric into lots of squares for different sized hoops so I always have fabric ready to stitch on.

Daylight bulb or lamp

Especially during the winter if you are wanting to do lots of stitching then investing in a daylight lamp or bulb can be invaluable. It really helps prevent eye strain and in particular when trying to stitch darker colours such as black.

I found that the IKEA NÄVLINGE desk lamp works really well for me. It’s not a daylight bulb but can be easily angled onto my embroidery to give some extra light when I find my eyes straining.

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What is 'thread chicken' and how to win!

If you’ve been crafting for a while you will no doubt have played thread chicken or thread roulette (although you may not have called it that)! I’ve encountered it in embroidery, knitting, crochet and dress making.

It’s where you have just a few more stitches to make to finish a line or section and it will be touch and go whether you will get there with the thread you have left on your needle. Extreme thread chicken kicks in when you have no more of that thread in your stash!

You may decide not to play and just tie off and start a new length of thread. That’s OK & it’s probably perfectly normal not to be competitive with inanimate craft materials.

But I like to use every possible inch of my materials to reduce wastage so I’ve learned a thing or two about playing this game and how to maximise my stitching.

Efficient Stitching

Some stitches have more than one method for how to stitch them for example back stitch and split stitch. In each case one method uses slightly more thread per stitch than the other.

This is what the two different split stitch methods look like from the back. You can see that the method that splits the stitch from above (top row of stitching) uses up much more thread than the method that splits the stitch from underneath.

I find that satin stitch is one of the stitches where I play thread chicken most often, I sometimes decide not to stitch fully across the back so that I have enough thread to complete the stitches on the front although this does have an impact on how the stitches lie if you use it for a large area.

Use your needle creatively

As you get to the very end of your thread you will find it hard to pass the total length of the needle through the fabric. There are a range of options here:

• switch to a shorter needle - sounds simple but it will buy you valuable room for manoeuvre

• pass the needle part way through the fabric and then thread the fabric end (this can be tricky if the end of the thread has frayed)

• depending on your fabric you could even turn your needle around and lead with the eye end of the needle (watch your fingers if you do this though!)

Managing how you move from one area of stitching to another

If you are stitching in different sections then it may be a more efficient use of thread to tie off, snip and then restart in the new section rather than trail thread across the back of your stitching. It can also help to plan the order in which you stitch sections of the same colour so you are not criss-crossing across the back of your work.

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5 ways to store embroidery threads

Trust me, the more embroidery you do the more threads you will accumulate.

I have quite a stash of threads but I was working on a project and just couldn’t find the right green. So I ended up buying six different greens until I found the one that worked for my project.

And, the more threads you accumulate the greater the need for an organised storage solution.

Whichever storage solution you adopt, my top tip is to make sure that you can easily see the brand and shade number so you don’t end up buying a colour you already have in your stash.

Bobbins

This is my go to method, I love the process of winding the thread onto the bobbin. I store my threads in several boxes organised by colour and I get great joy from opening one of those boxes and seeing all the colours for me to pick from.

The colour number can also be written on the bobbin to help search for an exact shade. Some people store in number order rather than by colour but I love the rainbow look of threads stored by shade.

Pegs

This seems to be a popular way of storing embroidery threads if you look at stylised pictures on Instagram. I’ve tried it and I found it was just to bulky for my storage space.

Hanging

Pegboards are great for all kinds of craft material storage. Floss skeins are suitable for hanging on hooks and give a lovely visual display of colours. It’s a great method if you have several skeins of the same colour as you can hang these together. But I prefer to hang some bulkier craft materials such as hoops on my pegboard wall.

Bags

Self seal plastic bags are great for storing individual colours. Larger bags can be used for all threads of a certain colour way.

I tend to use bags to store cut threads and off cuts.

Drawer/Box

This may be the first storage solution you try but it’s going to get messy as more and more threads accumulate - trust me. As you use the skeins, there will often be a tail left and when in a drawer these tails get tangled.

In addition it is difficult to find a particular colour if everything is loose in a drawer.

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How to get your stitches the same size

There are some designs where you want stitches to be an identical size to give a polished finished. But how do you achieve this? Here are five techniques that might help.

By eye

I have to admit this is normally the method I use. I feel fairly confident about judging small distances. I tend to stitch slowly and make sure that with each stitch I’m happy with the position of the needle before I complete a stitch. I also look back at the past few stitches to check I’m happy with the consistency and unpick if anything looks out of place.

For slightly longer stitches I use the needle and my finger to help judge the length of the stitch.

Use a ruler

This can really help with getting the right stitch length but you still need to make sure the position of the needle is accurate.

Working with a ruler can also be a bit cumbersome (even if it is my trusty WWF ruler I’ve had for 25 years).

Draw guidelines

This is a great alternative to to ruler especially if you are able to remove or stitch over the guidelines that you make. It means you don’t need to keep picking up/putting down the ruler with each stitch.

The type of guideline you use will depend on the stitch you are making but if I use this method I tend to use tiny dots rather than full lines as these are easier to stitch over.

In this picture the guidelines are pre-printed onto the fabric which makes it even easier!

Marks on your finger

I saw this ingenious method on Instagram as a tip for stitching blanket stitch. I’ve not tried it myself yet but in taking this photo I did find that I had to hold the hoop a bit funny to get the markings to be where I needed them. A bit of trial and error might be needed for this one!

Evenweave fabric

The clue is in the name - this type of fabric has an even number of warp and weft threads per inch. It means that if you stitch is five holes in length you can count this number of holes for every stitch you make to get stitches of identical length. It’s the fabric used for techniques such as blackwork and hardanger but you can also use high count evenweave fabrics for standard embroidery too (higher count means more warp/weft threads per inch and smaller gaps inbetween).

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Four ways to tie off an embroidery thread

This is one of those things that isn’t really explained much, I know I’ve written ‘and tie off your thread’ in kit guidance a few times.

Most of people will have one preferred way to finish off, secure or tie off a thread when you’ve come to the end of the length or have finished stitching with that colour.

Over my years of stitching I’ve come across a few different methods for tying off a thread. I’ve tried them all and I do have a preference but it’s good to know the different methods as there are circumstances where one may be a better option than your normal methods.

Weaving in

Traditionally embroidered pieces didn’t have any knots to secure threads and the ends were woven under other stitches on the back of the work to secure them and stop them unravelling.

This method works really well if you have a lot of stitching visible on the back of the piece. The more stitches you can weave under the more secure the finishing.

To finish in this way, complete your last stitch and flip your hoop over so you are looking at the back of the work. Find a patch of stitches close to where the thread has come back through the fabric and pass the needle under and over this patch (without piercing the fabric) a few times.

Loop and knot

This is the method I use most of the time as it’s nice and quick and simple way to knot the thread.

To finish in this way, complete your last stitch and flip over your hoop so you are looking at the back of the work. Find some stitches close to where the thread has come back through the fabric and pass the needle under the patch (it doesn’t have to be a big patch it could be just one stitch). Create a loop and pass the needle through the loop. Pull the thread tight to create the knot. You can repeat this again to create a double knot or weave the end in a bit before trimming the end.

Try not to knot around the last stitch that was completed as this can sometimes make this stitch a bit loose on the front of the work.

Tie ends together

I use this method most often when stitching with yarn. I start my stitches by leaving a longish end and using my thumb to stop pulling this through. If when I finish my stitching the end is near to a loose end then I will secure the threads by tying the two ends together. You can tie the tails of two different threads together too.

I’ve sometimes used this method too when stitching with multiple strands of floss where other methods are not an option. I just split the thread and tie the ends together a couple of times (as one knot could pull through the fabric).

Sew in place

I learnt this method when practising gold work as the gold work threads can’t easily be woven or knotted.

To secure threads like this you take a thinner sewing thread and gently work from side to side catching the fabric and looping over the thread you are securing. Because you need to catch the fabric you need to be aware of what is showing on the front of the embroidery.

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Six ways to start off a thread

If you’ve stitched or sewn anything by hand before you probably have a method that you use to start off your thread. My go-to is a simple knot, but there are some other methods that you may find easier or may be particularly useful for the type of project you are working on.

Knot

I always knot the tail end of the thread. There are a few exceptions that I cover here, but most of the time a knot is fine to prevent your thread going all the way through the fabric.

Juts a note on knots. I always use a quilters knot which I like to think of a bit like a French knot just without the fabric! Take the end of the thread (furthest from the needle) and wrap it round the needle a few times. Then carefully move the wraps down the needle and to the end of the thread. You should find you have a nice neat little knot. There is a step by step tutorial from Craftsy here.

Waste knot

This is a little different because you start the thread from the right side. Once you’ve created your knot, bring the needle down through the fabric away from where you are going to start stitching.

Make a few stitches and then gently snip the knot away and make sure the tail is pulled through to the wrong side.

Hold in place

This is the one that puts you most at risk of frustration. You need to concentrate or you end up pulling the thread all the way through.

Pull the needle through the fabric and leave a 1-2cm tail on the wrong side. Use your thumb from your non-stitching hand to hold the thread in place while you make a few stitches. Be careful not to pull the thread too hard until you are a few stitches in otherwise the tail will pull through.

Anchor stitches

This is very similar method to the ‘hold in place’ method except you are consciously making a couple of tiny stitches that you will then cover up. In the previous method you are stitching as normal.

Weave in

If you have a lot of stitches already on the back of your work you can weave in the tail so that you have a secure base and can start stitching with confidence

Loop

Sometimes I’ll cut a metre length of thread and then fold it in half to stitch with two strands. When doing this it opens up the option of securing the thread using the looped end.

Bring the needle up through the fabric being careful not to pull it all the way through. Complete the first stitch and pass the needle through the loop. Pull the first stitch tight and continue stitching as normal.

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One rule for picking the right thread for your embroidery project

When you are first starting out learning embroidery the default recommendation is to use six-stranded embroidery floss. This thread is great for the traditional styles of hand embroidery but don’t assume that this is the only thread you can stitch with. If you want to start experimenting more with embroidery, changing up the thread you are using is a surefire way to get a different look.

But the one rule I wan to share if you are going to experiment in this way by using different threads is …

“The type of thread you use should match the project that you are making”

‘Of course’ you may be shouting at your screen right now but let me explain a bit more.

There are so many different types and styles of embroidery - gold work, Hardanger, canvaswork and not to mention modern embroidery artist such as Elizabeth Pawle artists who work with yarns rather than floss.

Some of the more traditional styles of embroidery use particular threads for very good reasons:

Gold work

This technique uses thicker threads so that you can see the beautiful gold detailing that this style is based on.

Hardanger

Size 5 & 8 perle cotton is used for this type of embroidery because you need this thickness of thread to hold the warp and weft threads when you cut out the holes.

canvas work

When working on canvas then using tapestry wool is best to make sure the larger holes in the canvas are covered up appropriately.

Modern embroidery

I like to use yarn (I have a big stash from knitting and crocheting projects). The main reason for this is that the yarn fills up the larger space much quicker than floss would. But it also creates a different look and feel to the piece.

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To knot or not to knot when hand embroidering

In the ‘old days’ the quality of the back of the embroidery was as important as the front as it showed a lady’s skill in embroidery.

I’m a real advocate of knotting the thread when starting or finishing my embroidery. Why? Because I’m a bit lazy and I don’t always pay attention when starting off a new thread and have ended up pulling the thread completely through after one or two stitches (and roll my eyes every time I do this).

But there are certain occasions where even I will not knot:

• when the back does need to look identical to the front such as in Hardanger

• when the embroidery needs to lie completely flat such as for pieces that are framed

• embroidering on clothes where a knot in the wrong place could be irritating

• where the fabric just won’t take a knot as the holes are too big

• when you are stitching on thin fabric and everything going on in the back of the work shows through

The photos below show the difference between a piece where knots were used and a piece where they weren’t used, but no-one is going to see these when these pieces are on display.

Do you knot or not knot?

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5 tips to avoid thread tangles in your embroidery project

It seems so simple - you just want one or two threads from the six stranded floss … and 30 seconds later you have a big old tangle that you spend 5 minutes wrestling with before you win or give up.

Thread tangles are not unique to embroidery, every thread or yarn based craft I’ve ever tried I’ve had instances of that big tangled mess.

But since I’ve been embroidering there are a few things I’ve learned about working with embroidery floss that help to avoid the tangles. Here are my 5 top tips to avoid tangles:

1. pull the thread from the bottom of the skein (the long label end)

Most embroidery threads are manufactured and packaged in this way to prevent such tangles. It’s such a simple thing to remember to do to prevent tangles.

2. don’t cut the thread too long

It can be tempting to pull a really long length of thread so that you don’t run out of thread too quickly when you are in your stitching flow. I normally pull 2 full skein lengths or about the length of my fingers to my elbow.

3. pull your strands from the middle of your cut length

Most embroidery patterns require you to use one or two strands of floss for a section of stitching. Separating strands is normally where I end up in tangles. But ever since I was given the tip to separate the strands in the middle of your cut thread and use your fingers to run the strand to the end, I’ve all but eliminated the tangles.

4. pull each strand out separately

When threads are manufactured they are twisted to create each strand and each strand is twisted together to make the six stranded floss. So if you need two strands pull out two strands of one rather than two strands together, this just releases the twisting from the manufacturing process. Then just bring them back together and smooth them out.

5. keep an eye on twists

Each time you pull the thread through the fabric it twists slightly and twists twist upon themselves to create tangles. If you do find your thread twisting, periodically just let the needle and thread dangle and it will untwist itself.

And one final bonus tip (that I’ve not yet cracked!) periodically keep an eye on the back of your work to prevent knots and tangles while you are stitching. I’d love to hear from you if you have any other tips to help avoid the tangles just add a comment below.

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Four things to know about working with metallic thread

​New Years Eve 2018 I was lucky enough to view the fireworks from the 10th floor balcony of a building that overlooks the Thames.  ​

When my parents moved house my Mum de-stashed (not by very much her home studio is still full!) I inherited some lovely metallic threads in a range of colours. ​ To play around with these threads I stitched this firework embroidery sampler. 

Some things I learned from stitching with metallic threads:​

• they tangle

• they split

• they wear at the point where they pass through the eye of the needle

• they are much rougher than normal embroidery floss

The top tip for working with metallic threads is to keep the lengths of threads you use much shorter than you would normally stitch with - this will help immensely with the tangling, splitting and wearing.

These threads are rougher than normal floss, normally as the metallic part is wrapped around a thinner inner thread. it can make some stitches such as French knots more challenging. It doesn’t mean you can’t stitch these, but I’d recommend so practice and patience! The rougher thread also means that trying to undo a tangle is particularly horrendous

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