Practical Thread Magic: Thread Savy-Why dye! The Case for Hand-dyed Thread

Practical Thread Magic

When I come to teach to a group, there's always a frantic rush of questions and concerns. I don't play with the same toys other quilters do. Though I talk about that at length in class, I thought it would be helpful to have that information available in a blog. So here we're going to discuss the nuts and bolts of the kind of thread work I love and teach. We'll discuss products, choices, threads, fabrics, tools, stabilizers and all the things that make my work work for me, and will help your work work for you.

If you have an upcoming class with me, you should know I bring almost all of the things I use for your needs. If you want to try something you've got, absolutely bring it. But if you're having trouble finding it, please don't stress. I'll have it there for you.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Thread Savy-Why dye! The Case for Hand-dyed Thread

1:55 PM |

Posted by Ellen Anne Eddy |

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We've talked about the commercial thick metallic threads. They're yummy.As your asking yourself, "What more could you need?", think of this. They don't come in very good variegations.

Variegated thread is sort of a mixed blessing in almost all the commercial threads. There are two basic types. There are threads variagated through rainbow colors. These make great stippling threads. The color changes carry your eye across the surface and they're very interesting for that. But they're miserable to shade with. Who, over the age of three, wants a random rainbow colored anything? It's a serious limit.

They also come with small variegations, that range around one color. Again, it's a limited effect. Finally you'll find pearl cottons that range in value from white to the darkest tone of the color. This works for flowers, but for anything else, it looks like it fades in and out. These threads were never made to shade solid images.

This is why I dye thread. I've learned that the best way to color an image is to have a range of colors, light to dark and then to add a shader for weight and a shocker for interest. With thinner threads, you pick your colors one by one. But thicker threads fill up quicker and don't have enough space to let you do that. So when I dye my own threads, I dye in that range and a shocker or shader( sometimes one color works for both purposes) so that thread will automatically shade as I stitch.
The threads I dye are #5 Pearl cottons. They're made from mercerized cotton and dye beautifully! And they're already washed out and needle ready( I wash out all my red threads an extra time, just to insure their color fastness). Slightly larger than the #8 metallics, they are a perfect thread for bobbin weight work.

It sounds complicated. But the dyeing makes it a simple coloring exercise. And I never stay within the lines, so I don't see why you should either.

You put these threads in an adjusted or bypassed bobbin and stitch from the back. The results are spectacular. I often add either black or iridescent white Candlelight for details and to outline.

Ellen Anne Eddy's Hand-Dyed Thread Club can checked out at The Cotton Club. These cute little kits can start you out with threads that will do the hard color choices for you.
You can see these kits at the Cotton Club or on my blog at
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2 comments:

Robbie said...: i just love your 'teaching' blog!!! so much info and tips and insight!! Thanks Ellen!!; January 29, 2010 at 6:26 PM
Roberta Ranney said...: I'm really enjoying all the information you share on this blog. Thanks for all your work.; January 30, 2010 at 11:44 AM

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