Updated October 1, 2021.
One of the most fun parts of doing a needlepoint is picking the threads for the project. I love the different textures you can get from the threads, so I take great delight in deciding and pulling these threads.
I thought I’d share with you the process I went through to pick these threads to stitch Dim Sum, a vintage canvas from Needlepoint for Fun. You can see how I needed to expand the stitched area to fit the Lee ebook cover. This is the process I go through often when I pick threads, although sometimes my original picks are not always the ones I end up using.
Begin by noting how many colors are on the canvas. The one has six: dark brown (background), hot pink, yellow-green, dark blue, light blue, and orange. Only light blue is used in more than one place.
I was looking for threads for another piece when I found the hot pink knitting wool. It was a perfect match so I started there. Since I want the flower to be the focal point, the other threads will need to be duller. But the other colors in the flower (orange and light blue) also need to be dramatic.
Because I want the hot pink to stand out, I decided to accent the orange and light blue by making them a different texture — metallic. I picked Gold Rush 14 and Sparkle Braid from my stash.
Do I want to use Sparkle Braid for the other light blue areas? I decided they could be secondary accents, so I’ll use it. I picked navy Medici to be the dark blue to set the metallic off.
The background is a problem, because of the extra areas on the sides for the ebook cover I’ll need a thread that covers well. It will also need to go with the color of the case. High Cotton, no longer made, was my first choice, but in the end, I decided on the Watercolours pictured, which works beautifully with the leather case.
That left me with the yellow-green, a color I don’t often use, but I remembered this Planet Earth silk, the right shade but not too vivid to clash with the hot pink. You can see from the picture below, how well the choices worked out.
Today, when so many of our projects are stitched partly or mostly from stash, you can use this method to shop your stash first, then you have a smaller shopping list when you buy new threads.
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
Marlene says
Hi Janet,
Other than choosing threads based on color and texture, can you give us guidelines for selecting specific threads when the project might need to be wet blocked, ironed by a (hopefully) warm iron, the project subjected to heavy use or even dry cleaned in the future? Decades ago, I used DMC 666 (Christmas red) in a red work project and it turned out great until I tried to wash and iron the piece. The 666 dye bled on the ivory linen but have never had a problem with the other DMC colors.
I am always in awe over the wide range of threads that are currently available. When I first began stitching in the 70s, there were a series of wools, cottons, silks, metallics and a few synthetic threads to choose from. Now, going into a needlework shop, I am amazed at the variety of threads on their shelves and in their bins. When approaching an unknown thread or fiber, is there a vetting process that you go through before using it in an involved piece?
Janet Perry says
Marlene —
Your wish is my command. Look for it on Sunday.
Keep Stitching,
Janet