Embroidery Threads

What type of thread you decide to use is important no matter what type of embroidery you are undertaking.

Often you should choose what to use, based on the finished item. For example, if the finished item is a keep sake, or a special item such as a Christening gown, then you would choose an expensive embroidery thread such as silk, however if you are working on a wall plaque then a normal embroidery floss from Anchor or DMC will suffice.

In general rules, there are two types of threads for use with embroidery, the first being wool or yarn. Wool is used with needlepoint (otherwise known as tapestry), the purpose of the wool is to cover a large surface very quickly. When working with a tapestry embroidery, normally the finished project will be used for upholstery or cushions, which means the product has to be able to stand up to a lot of wear and tare. Tapestry embroidery is also completed on a study canvas fabric, which normally has much larger holes than those seen on other types of embroidery fabric, the wool will pass through those holes very easily, as well as covering them efficiently. You wouldn’t use wool for any other type of embroidery, unless it was for special effect, such as a raised area of embroidery. The embroidery wool, can also be made from all the normal things, such as sheep’s wool, goats wool, acrylic, mixes etc. Depending on the type of wool you choose to use the price will vary considerably.

The other types of threads you will encounter for embroidery are the cottons. Embroidery cottons are very different to the normal cottons you buy for your sewing machine, and the price often reflects this. The most common for of embroidery thread is in floss form, this are normally from the companies DMC and Anchor, you will find these threads in most hobby stores, and they are very reasonably priced. These types of embroidery thread are normally 100% cotton, and consist of six strands that can be separated to your requirements. These 100% cotton embroidery floss’ such as soft cotton or cotton perle, are suitable for use with fabrics of 10 or 12 thread count, however for this purpose, I would not separate the strands.

Those are the two basic threads you will encounter for embroidery, however there is not reason why you can’t think outside of the box a little. If you are planning on trying Blackwork embroidery, then you’ll soon notice that repeatedly buying large amounts of the same colour is costing a considerable amount, you could substitute your cotton floss for something else, for example very fine crochet thread (the type used for lace making), you can buy this in a ball and often it works out cheaper. Make sure you keep your eyes open when your out shopping for a suitable substitute, and you’ll be surprised at the savings.

If you are a keen embroiderer, whether it be Blackwork embroidery or free embroidery, you could try stretching your artistic talents, by using found items for your embroidery, such as copper wires, strings of bark, some ribbon, etc. You could incorporate these items into surface embroidery if you are not entirely happy to embroider them directly into the fabric. Surface embroidery is simply making a picture on top of the fabric rather than through the fabric, this is normally achieved by placing the thread you are using to make the picture on top of the fabric and couching in on with the use of another. Many works of modern art are waiting to be found with this technique, you could update old items of clothing or bags, and almost anything that can be stripped down to produce thin items can be used for surface embroidery.