Best Ribbons and Threads for Embroidery
Aug 12th 2020
The following information is from The Embroidery Book by Christen Brown. Find out more about these 4 main threads and ribbons, plus be sure to enter our giveaway for a chance to win an ebook copy.
Embroidery threads come in a variety of materials, weights, and colors, in both twisted and flat threads. The choice of thread should be determined by the embroidery stitches and your overall design. Silk ribbon made especially for embroidery comes in a variety of sizes.
FLOSS
Floss is a flat six-stranded thread that comes wrapped in a skein. A variety of fiber contents are available, including cotton, linen, silk, and rayon. Cotton and silk can be found in solid, ombré, varie-gated, and hand-dyed colors. Linen floss and rayon floss can be found in solid colors.
SILK EMBROIDERY RIBBON
Ribbons that are made especially for silk embroidery have a woven edge. This ribbon is sold by the yard or on cards, spools, or plastic reels. The most popular sizes are 2 mm, 4 mm, and 7 mm, though 13 mm and wider can occasionally be found.
TWISTED THREADS
Perle cotton and silk perle threads give stitches some dimension. Perle cotton is a two-ply twisted cotton thread that comes in a skein or a ball; it is available in a variety of solid, ombré, variegated, and hand-dyed colors. I recommend sizes #5, #8, #10, or #12 for the embroidery stitches in this book. Specialty threads can be found in hand-dyed and solid colors. Two examples are Wildflowers thread, which is perle cotton #12, and Subtlety, which is a silk perle found in size #12.
METALLIC THREADS
Metallic threads come in a variety of styles and sizes, including floss, twisted threads, cords, and ribbon. These threads can be found in a variety of metallic colors, such as gold, silver, and copper, in addition to other solid colors, such as red, blue, purple, black, and green.
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