You probably think of pearl cotton as a humble thread, but it’s well worth looking at in more detail. This single-strand thread is inexpensive, widely available, and very easy to use. It has a distinctive texture that makes it easily recognizable. Today we’ll look at this thread in more detail.
The Name
“Pearl” as in pearl cotton, comes from the strong twist of this thread, making it look, when stitched, like beads. Perler is the word for bead in French. From this comes the French name of the thread, perle coton (Notice that cotton in French has only one “T”).
Translate that into English and you get our correct name for the thread: pearl cotton. Folks will continue to call it perle cotton, even though this is incorrect in both French and English. “Perle” by itself can be used.
What is Pearl Cotton?
Pearl Cotton is a two-ply, single-strand, all cotton thread with a twist that can clearly be see. It cannot be divided.
Several sizes of pearl cotton are made: 1,3, 5, 8, 12, and 16. One, the largest, has not been made in more than 35 years (I saw some once in about 1980). Three, suitable for 12- or 13-mesh canvas, has been discontinued by most manufacturers, but can still often be found. Five is used for 18-mesh canvas and is probably what most needlepointers think of when they think of this thread. Eight gives thin coverage on 18-mesh and good coverage on Congress Cloth. The other sizes are thinner still and are used for accents and overstitching.
Sizes thinner than #5 come on balls, pictured above, while 5 comes in both balls and skeins, below. Sizes thicker than #5 are only available in skeins.
Who Makes Pearl Cotton?
The major manufacturers of thread (DMC, Anchor, Prsencia, Valdani) all make pearl cottons, though not every company makes all sizes. Many makers of hand-duyed and overdyed threads, such as Threadworx and Weeks, make pearl cottons using thread from these companies as their base.
A thread that looks similar to pearl cotton, but is not one in fact, is Watercolours from The Caron Collection. Instead of being a pearl cotton, it is a more loosely twisted thread made from Pima Cotton. It has three two-ply strands in it. Each strand is the sizeof #5 pearl and is often substituted for it.
For each of the big manufacturers the number of colors available in each size differs. As a general rule the number of colors available becomes less as the thread gets thinner.
Most manufacturers do not put dye lots on their pearl cotton, although they do have dye lots (all threads do).
Opening the Skeins
If your thread is in balls, put it into a container to use. The best choices for this are either zipper bags or the smallest size of Rubbermaid container.
If you are using the container, poke a hole through the top. The thread end goes through either this hole or out the bag with the zipper closed around it. Then you can pull out stitching lengths easily.
If your thread is in skeins, do not remove the labels but look at the thread. One end will have one loop, the other will have two. Cut the single-loop end in the center. This gives you perfect stitching lengths and all but one strand comes out easily. The strand that does not has the knot in it. Pick another strand and continue to do so until you can see the actual knot. Then pull at the knot to remove this strand.
I used to get terrible knots all the time before I learned this trick. It’s very easy to do and keeps the thread neat. I even can store this thread unknotted because the labels keep the skein together.
What Can I Do with Pearl Cotton?
Pearl cotton makes a great every day tread. Because you don’t need to ply and recombine, it’s the perfect first thread for beginning stitchers. I love using it for backgrounds and it’s my go-to thread when I need just a little bit of something.
The round shape of the thread combined with the harder finish of cotton makes it a great choice when you want every stitch to stand out. This also makes it the perfect thread for padding. This construction though does make it less well-suited for some techniques and stitches. Because it will not fluff out between the holes as wool does, it is not a great choice for Straight Stitches, including Bargello.
If you want to stitch Straight Stitches with this thread, you will have better results if your canvas is colored underneath to match the thread. You can also make the thread thicker by adding strands in a matching color of floss or thinner sizes of pearl cotton.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Helen Danneels says
Not a mention of Perle #12. I love this thread which I use on Congress Cloth for all my Blackwork pieces.
I also use #5 with Watercolors for my 18 ct Canvas pieces. Helen
Janet M Perry says
Actually #12 is listed as one of the sizes of pearl cotton. Watercolours is also talked about, while similar in structure to pearl cotton and the same size as #5 pearl cotton, it is not actually a pearl cotton , but spun from Pima cotton (a specific type of cotton) into a softer thread than pearl cotton. YAou can see this is you place two strands next to each other.
Keep stitching,
Janet
Robyn Jackson says
Recently had a request for more information on size 1 pearl cotton. One of the members of The Braid Society from Germany recently purchased several skeins off eBay. She was wondering what it was used for and why they stopped making it. She thinks her skeins are about 100 years old perhaps. Would you happen to know more about it or where we could find more information?
Janet M Perry says
I did see some #1 pearl cotton, back in the early 1980s. I don’t think it was particularly old, but even then it wasn’t in production anymore. It could be used for needlepoint only on pretty large mesh canvas — I’m guessing 10 mesh or larger. Like all pearl cottons, I’m sure it was quite strong so it could be used for weaving, knitting, crochet, macrame, and other textile crafts.
I’m guessing that it went out of production because people were not buying it and they were not buying it because those large mesh canvases were less popular.
I don’t know where you could find out more about it. You might try Lacis in Berkeley, CA because they have pretty extensive archives about textile things. You could also try writing to DMC directly.
I hope this helps you.
Keep stitching,
Janet