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Please order by email, phone or post. If you haven’t done business with us before, why not try us out? Mark and David Spalding look forward to hearing from you!
THREADS
Non-Metallic Machine Embroidery Threads (we try to list the finest threads first, and the thickest last):
Semi-translucent
14 colours:
off-white, cru, nutmeg brown, olive brown, terracotta, dark coral, burgundy, sky blue, mid-blue, navy, old gold, leaf green, charcoal
100 metre spools
£2.25
Very fine but surprisingly strong
100% pure filament silk thread in 21 classic colours:
white, black, red, pLe blue, navy, cru, gold, light emerald green, dark emerald green, mid-brown, natural grey, mid-grey, taupe, brown, deep beige, creamy beige, baby pink, light taupe, baby blue, creamy yellow, pale green
200 metre reels
£5.50
Favourite with quilters and for invisible appliqué and sewing
Softer than Madeira
Clear or smoke
1200 yard small cones
£4.99
Luxurious pure silk thread
Performs well with both hand and machine stitching – ideal for sewing silk or satin and adding a touch of lustre and luxury to your embroidery, sewing and quilting
Also in 30’s
59 colours in 100’s 80 metre reels
£3.70
“metallized accompanying yarn for knitting”
We think these have a lovely watery shimmer
Use #75/11 standard or large eye needle
5 iridescent shades:
rime, sunlit oily water, seascape, melting butter, strawberry ice
500 metre reels
£3.59
Machine embroidery cotton for fine embroidery and lace making – contrasts well with the shiny rayons
Can be washed in water up to 95°C
(Originally 180 plain colours; ask us which colours are still available)
500 metre reels in 50’s
£1.80
Special offer: 10% discount on boxes of any 10 reels in stock
£16.20
Highly recommended
100% viscose rayon for machine embroidery
Bright, shiny and lustrous; smooth, durable and very user-friendly; endorsed by a number of top embroiderers
270 shades, plain & multi colours
200 metre spools
£2.20
Machine and Hand Embroidery
A superior-quality rayon, which has been used in industry throughout the world for over 50 years
Silky lustre
Ideal for decorative work, appliqué and for use on modern computerised machines as well as the older serviceable warhorses
Lace Making
Ideal for baby lace as it looks like silk but has more body, stability and washability
For a contrast of textures, use with Tanne passives
Whites: super white, snow white, creme white, natural white, fluorescent white
1000 metre spools
£3.72
Blacks: emerald black, diamond black, amber black, ruby black, sapphire black
1000 metre spools
£3.72
Colours:
1000 metre spools
£3.72
1000 metre spools
Ombré
£6.1
1000 metre spools
Multicolours
£6.7
Astro colours
fire colours, red, pink and yellow, soft pastels, basically creams, stronger pastels, cool frosty blue, cream and pink, late summer pinks, reds, creams, acid summer, lime yellow and red, winter grey, pink and blue, high summer, limes, turquoise, yellow, harvest golds, brown, cream, icy blues and turquoise
1000 metre spools
£6.72
Denier 120/2
A strong Madeira machine embroidery thread, washable at 95oC, with a high degree of colourfastness
We normally have the complete range in stock, including the “fluorescents”
1000 metre spools
£2.75
Madeira have brought out 10 multicolours, space-dyed with less-stripey effect
Good value for money
orange/pink/yellow, cold blue/lilac/purple, light and mid green/lime/blue, pale green/pink/deeper pink, gold/pink/aqua/light brown, deep pastel/pink/aqua/gold, cold blue/pink/turquoise, cold blue/pink/turquoise, mid and dark green/brown, brown/pink/grey/gold
1000 metre spools, multicoloured
£4.99
Excellent coverage, strength and flexibility
100% colourfast
Only the variegated items stocked, others available to order (in sixes)
44 plain colours and 6 variegated
680 metre small cops
Plain
£4.75
Variegated
£5.75
21 blended colours
grey/black, light grey, lilac, lavender, deep pink, purplish pink, dark dull red, lightish blue, deeper blue, turquoise green, deep emerald, light emerald, dark green, mid yellow, yellow/orange, deep orange, light brown, brown/green, red/black, blue/pink, red/green.
150 metre reels
£2.70
Beautifully variegated with non-stripy, frequent shade or colour changes
Highly popular, smooth thread
Wonderful for use in either machine embroidery or quilting
A “reel” hit!
40 colours
300 metre reels (328 yards)
£3.20
This quality embroidery thread has quite a sheen for cotton – it is made from long staple Egyptian cotton and is double mercerised
Fast-dyed to 95o C
Needle size 80
Approximately 96 shades
Quilters
This is a quilting thread
It is easy to use on the top of the machine and is ideal for heavy fabrics
Recommended for use on the bobbin when the top thread is rayon, metallic, Lana (Burmilana) or the YLI machine quilting thread
Find a blending plain colour to use on the bobbin with YLI’s variegated machine quilting thread
Tassel-making is foolproof with Tanne threads!
Lacemakers will find that Tanne makes up superbly without fluffing and that the lace has both body and a crisp finish but is not “hard”
Tanne 625 metre spools
£3.95
Exactly the same thread as Tanne 30 but on retail size reels
60 colours
Cotona 30’s 200 metre reels
£2.25
Made from highest-quality long staple cotton, with colour changes every 5 to 10cm
Perfect for machine and hand embroidery, lace-making, quilting, etc.
10 colours
“soft ice”, “coral fish”, “savanna”, “blue lagoon”, “amazone”, “cappuccino”, “sunrise”, “sunset”, “petunia”, “mocha”
400 metre reels
£3.89
Machine embroidery cotton for fine embroidery and lace making – contrasts well with the shiny rayons
Can be washed in water up to 95°C
Treatment depends on background fabric used
(Originally 150 plain colours; ask us which colours are still available)
300 metre reels in 30’s
£1.80 *to clear*
Special offer: 10% discount on boxes of any 10 reels in stock
£16.20 *to clear*
Thicker and more lustrous than Madeira 40’s
Lovely shiny, silky finish, covers beautifully
Used for machine and hand embroidery, lace making and knitting
Denier 180/2
Approximately 200 colours
620 metre spools (25 gm)
£3.72
Luxurious pure silk thread
Performs well with both hand and machine stitching – ideal for sewing silk or satin and adding a touch of lustre and luxury to your embroidery, sewing and quilting
(Also in 100’s)
Stocked in “neutrals” only
(120 colours in 30’s range)
20 metre reels
£3.00
Titania is a lustrous, high quality 100% rayon machine embroidery thread from India
Suitable for both machine and hand embroidery
Denier 150/2
Titania is very popular for “Chinese” embroidery
Keep a large-eyed machine needle specially for this thread and reduce top tension slightly
Around 288 plain dyes and 74 shaded/rainbow dyes
550 metre spools
£2.30
100% spun polyester
Topstitch thread – smooth and matt
Use with topstitch needle or in bobbin
24 plain colours and 4 variegated
White, black, hot pink, red, cranberry, brown, grass green, navy, mid-orange, wet sand, royal blue, light blue, dark purple, lavender, sea-foam green, beige, soft green, soft yellow, burnt orange, soft pink, dark rose (“mauve”), peach, dull mauve (“orchid”), sun yellow, cream (“off-white”)
180 metre (200 yard)
£4.50
A glistening textured thread
Pam Watts advises “reduce top tension by a half and use a 110 needle for best results”
20 gm spools / reels
£8.25
200 metre reels
£2.65
Highly twisted, thicker cord-like thread
Use in the bobbin
Works well in hand embroidery
We’ve used it successfully for blackwork and on congress cloth
Hand washable, dry cleanable
Colourfast
19 plain colours and 5 variegated
91 metre small cops
£3.99
A lovely matt thread
80 shades
Madeira will now supply Burmilana only in 1000 metre cones (£5.00), for which we have no space
Once our stock has run out, the 25 gm spools will no longer be available
We can, however, supply cones in boxes of 5, all of one colour
25 gm spools* £2.50
1000 metre cones Box (5 of one colour) £30.00
One of the lesser-known threads, which can be used with great success, either on top of, or on the bobbin of, the sewing machine
Its matt texture contrasts well with the shinier rayons and cottons giving that extra individuality to any piece of work!
Lovely to use for hand embroidery and tassels
Use a large-eyed needle, size 100
80 shades
200 metre reels
£3.20
Specifically designed to give a soft furry texture to your Lana embroidery
2 Lana brushes
£3.50
Made of high quality Peruvian Pima cotton for strength and consistency
The solid shades are designed to combine with the variegated to create an almost unlimited variety of effects
Expensive, but very well worth it for ease of use and quality of results, according to our local quilters
Use 90/14 needle
Approximately 37 colours
450 metre (500 yard) large reels
£6.20
Hologram thread, light-catching, fantastic subtle sparkle effects
6 colours:
pink, ruby red, gold, blue, silver, emerald green
100 metre reels
£2.60
Metallic Machine Embroidery Threads:
A fantastic range – wider than any other – of colours
As one normally needs relatively small amounts, these 100m reels fit the bill very reasonably
34 plain or multicolours
100 metre reels
£1.85
Needle size 80-90
Excellent high-quality thread developed in Germany for high-speed machines
Washable at 60oC
These are also recommended for fine hand embroidery and lace making
Gold, silver and multicoloured shades contain pure noble metals, and have a smooth, round surface with a classical look
The surfaces of the Supertwists have a textured effect resulting from the applied twist, which provides colour reflections
1000 metre reels
£12.10
200 metre reels
£2.70
Covers better than 40’s for satin stitch
Seam quality, superb for quilting
6 shades:
silver, aluminium, light gold, bright yellow gold, cold brassy gold, coppery gold
200 metre reels
£3.12
A textured thread to use on top of the machine
Pam Watts advises “reduce top tension by a half and use a 110 needle for best results”
1000 metre spools/reels
£8.00
A less glittery thread – easy to use on the machine (top and bottom)
Does not twist, fluff or bounce
Ideal for “wow” techniques and use with a soldering iron
20 gm spools / reels
£8.55
The only truly metallic sewing thread
Strong, thick 3-ply
Strong enough to be used for ornamental seams as well as decorative sewing
Use needle 100
5 shades: Copper (dull), gold-22 soft, dull gold, gold-27 dull, bronzy gold, “silver” (aluminium), bronze
300 metre (25 gm) reels
£6.09
Non-Metallic Hand Embroidery Threads
Empress is a sleek, shiny, untwisted thread
It can be used in the machine bobbin and is an excellent knitting yarn with a superb sheen
Use short lengths
Approximately 73 shades
Empress plain dyes
300 metre (27 gm) spools
£1.70
Special offer: 10% discount on boxes of any 10 spools
£15.30
“For special outlines, fancy stitches and heavier designs.”
Is also “wonderful” as an overlock thread on the sewing machine
46 shades
Ask for prices
6-stranded rayon embroidery floss
These strong, lustrously versatile threads add a special and exciting finish to even the simplest work
Use for silk ribbon, Brazilian and surface embroidery, stumpwork, smocking, crazy
patchwork and quilting, as well as for cross-stitch
The range of colours is small, but the threads are dyed so that they provide perfect shading from very rich and exotic to subtle pastels and the complex deep renaissance colours
Threads are hand-dyed, so please buy enough for each separate piece of work
Approx. 60 shades
Rajmahal “Art Silk” floss 8 metre skeins
£1.20
Special offer on “Art Silk” floss 10% off any 10 skeins £10.80
Luxurious soft heirloom-quality pure silk
Approximately 80 shades
5 metre packs
90p
A luxury stranded pure silk at a non-luxury price
Lovely to work with – try one strand for blackwork; ideal for crewel work, stumpwork and other techniques where surface shine and quality is paramount, or where you just want the joy of working with something out of the ordinary!
108 colours
5 metre spiral packs
£1.10
Luxurious pure silk thread, new to Coats UK and of course to us!
Performs well with both hand and machine stitching – ideal for sewing silk or satin and adding a touch of lustre and luxury to your embroidery, sewing and quilting
(Also in 100’s)
120 colours in 30’s
20 metre reels
£3.00
DMC have suddenly discontinued this product
The subtle colours blend with their new range of embroidery fabrics, that are available to order by the cut piece or the metre. 24 shades
All colours available, including: black, écru, varied neutrals and pastels; mainly “natural” colours
DMC Stranded Linen 8 metre hanks
£1.25
DMC Linen Kits (6 different designs) dimensions vary
£15
DMC Nature (scenic design book) ref: 14214/22 (2005)
£2.99
DMC Herbarium (plants design book) ref: 14213/22 (2005)
£2.99
Frequent colour changes give subtle and stylish variations as you stitch
The colours blend together to create a vibrant effect
The threads coordinate with their new range of embroidery fabrics, available to order by the cut piece or the metre
24 shades
8 metre hanks
97p
We have the full range of the solid colours
(Longer lengths than many competitors, and packed in keep-clean spiral packs)
10 metre spiral packs
74p
Cotton threads in randomly changing multicolours – each one different
24 colours in two thicknesses
5 metre skeins
£1.50
Following customer demand we have introduced a new range of variegated pearl cotton in sizes 12 and 16
New, vibrant and attractive, and they fill a gap in the market!
Full range stocked
Size 12 10gm balls (appx. 102 metres)
£1.90
Size 16 10gm balls (appx. 142 metres)
£1.90
A lovely, slightly twisted mercerised thread, available in a variety of sizes
We like to use it instead of stranded for a neater, non-splitting finish which isn’t affected by washing
Essential for Hardanger, blackwork, pulled work; superb on canvas and has masses of other uses where a defined, twisted non-matte thread is required
15 metre skeins
£1.22
87 metre balls
£1.99
126 metre balls
£1.99
A semi-matt finished embroidery thread
100% Californian combed cotton
3 colours stocked: White, ecru and black
Complete boxes of 12 skeins (other colours) available to order
DMC Coton à Broder No. 12, No. 16 23 metre skeins
£1.00
DMC Coton à Broder No. 20, No. 25 32 metre skeins
£1.00
A fine, white, colour-fast 100% cotton
30 metre skeins
£1.00
Unique glazed finish
Hand/machine
Glides easily through fabric and wadding
Top quality thread which gives top quality results
24 shades
YLI Quilting Cotton 400 yards 367 metre large reels
£4.99
Some colours still available, plus white and natural
228 metre reels
£3.75
Please ask – a few colours available
200 metre reels
£3.50
Metallic Hand Embroidery Threads
2 shades
gold, silver
40 metre reels
£3.30
This thread includes pure silver and is resistant to
tarnishing; a soft and pliable thread, it is useful for tassels, braids, cords and embroidery
It can be stranded for
filigree work
6 shades: 3004 dark gold; 3007 warm gold; 3008 brassy gold; 3010 silver; 3027 copper
Madeira Metallic No. 3
20 metre spiral packs
£3.60
Softer and more pliable
Useful for tassels, braids, cords and hand embroidery
Can be stranded for use on counted fabrics, etc.
6 shades: pale gold, deep gold, silver, ruby, royal blue, emerald
20 metre spiral packs
£2.15
Used on its own or for blending with “stranded”, silk, Decora or crewel wools like Lana (Burmilana). Antique shades of gold and silver
6 shades: 5010 silver; ; 5014 gold/black; 5015 brassy gold; 5017 warm gold
Madeira Metallic No. 5
20 metre spiral packs
£2.10
Pliable; a bit like jap, or imitation jap, only quite fine
A variety of uses, traditionally for couching and outlining
Adds a very subdued, restrained sparkle to your work
Two shades:
bright gold, silver
50 metre reels
£2.53
This is a braid-effect thread perfect for ornamental and Christmas decorations
Used for tassels and for fashion embroidery, either by hand or by machine
6 shades:
silver; a mix of mainly gold and silver; light gold; wedding-ring gold; dark gold; an iridescent, opalescent white
20 metre reels
£2.93
An all-purpose metallic thread
Suitable for Swiss embroidery, darning, knitting, tatting, crochet, bead-making, tassel-making or as a gimp for lace
20 colours
20 metre spiral packs
£1.36
A strong thread, perfectly suitable for seaming on fashion garments
Strandable 3-ply thread
3 shades:
gold-33, gold-34, silver
40 metre reels
£2.13
A 1-ply metallic thread, equal to 3-ply of 6-strand cotton
Soft, easy to use and doesn’t fray
Washable at 95º C
3 shades:
gold; silver foil; astro
50 metre reels
£2.49
A 1-ply textured knit metallic thread, with limited fraying
Washable at 95º C
4 shades:
silver; bright mid gold; bright deep gold; pearly iridescent white.
40 metre reels
£2.49
“A fantastic new range of light reflecting threads, excellent for blending with stranded cotton and for adding highlights to your stitching. Smooth, seamless coverage, perfect continuity of stitching, maximum versatility, easier to use than blending filaments, also great for card making and scrapbooking projects.”
36 colours:
Colour numbers are matched closely to DMC Stranded Cotton for easy blending. The range is organised into 6 family groups, each offering “a unique and dazzling effect”
Precious metal effects, 6 shades Gold or silver effects for a radiant touch…
Pearlescent effects, 8 shades Pastel, pearly and iridescent colours…
Jewel effects, 14 shades Gem-like colours for a dazzling effect…
Antique effects, 5 shades Antique metals for a vintage touch…
Fluorescent effects, 2 shades Bright colours for fun patterns…
Glow-in-the-dark, 1 shade A revolutionary stitching thread that glows in the dark…
8 metre skeins
£1.67
Please enquire
P.O.A
An exciting range of gold and silver threads from Rajmahal, superb for many types of embroidery including
ecclesiastical and ceremonial
All prices have increased
A coiled wire, spiralled into a hollow spring
Can be couched, cut like seed beads or bugles, looped, or even
glued
“Pearl” has a braided look; “Check” is multi-faceted
Presented in clear lidded tubes
Gold Fine Broad Silver Fine Broad
Check 3.0 metres £4.08 ↑ 2.0 metres £4.08 ↑ Check 2.0 metres £4.08 ↑ 2.0 metres £4.08 ↑
Pearl 2.0 metres £4.08 ↑ — Pearl 2.0 metres £4.08 ↑ —
Smooth 3.5 metres £4.08 ↑ 2.0 metres £4.08 ↑ Smooth 3.5 metres £4.08 ↑ 2.0 metres £4.08
Special Effect Threads
Adds an element of fun and safety
Charge Halloween with either natural or artificial light for a few seconds and a new technology makes this thread glow in the dark, time after time, and for much longer than other similar threads
Machine washable and dryable and will work with all embroidery designs
200 metre reels
£5.21
A thread that reacts to heat
When an iron is drawn slowly across the fabric, the thread shrinks while the background fabric does not
The fabric puckers in a controlled way and the wrinkled effect is beautiful and limitless
No special needles required
Can be sewn on any type of embroidery or domestic machine
Household iron perfect for this purpose – iron on wrong side and with a light hand
100 metre reels
£4.58
Water-soluble basting thread – saves unpicking
Disappears with water or heat from iron or damp press
Saves time in dress-making, quilting and general sewing
Does not dissolve in dry-cleaning solution
Store in a dry place like a zip-lock bag or plastic wrap
Do not handle with wet hands
200 metre reels
£4.58
Helps your thread jewelry keep its shape
12 colours:
brown; black; beige; red; white; orange; green; khaki; blue; turquoise; fuchsia; sweet pink
reels
£2.30
Filaments, Hand-dyed & Textured Threads
3 themes: greens; pink; blue
£2.95
Due to customer demand we continue to stock SOME Oliver Twist hand-dyed threads
Stocks vary daily but we always have in stock:-
“One Offs” – at least 10 × 3m. hanks of varying thickness, texture and shine
Cotton, Machine embroidery spools/reels
Happy Bags
Silk, Machine embroidery spools/reels
Textured threads – state what colour and texture you want and we will quote
p.o.a.
Abaca tissue also available.
12+ choices:
Red; green; pink; yellow; orange; rust/brown; cream; white; blue; purple; turquoise; “Pastels”; “Christmas”
(Mixtures on request)
Textured threads 10 metres in a minimum of 10 different threads
£1.50
Packs of 5 × 3-metre lengths of mixed-fibre yarns, primarily for couching and/or needle felting
15metres / pack
£2.20
Crochet & Knitting Yarns
65% Viscose Rayon – 35% metallised Polyester; 25gm balls (≈225 metres); fine yarn
Use 1.5–2 needles
Machine wash 30°C; iron (steam or dry) with low heat; do not bleach; professional dry-clean only
8+2 colours, all stocked:
Pearl; Brassy Gold; Gilt (Silvery Gold); Pale Gold; Tinsel Silver; Gold/Dark Brown; Silver/Jet; Purple/Green/Red; Dk Grey/Lt Grey/Gold; Icy Soft White
25gm ball
£3.89 RRP
65% Viscose Rayon – 35% metallised Polyester; 25gm balls (175 metres); soft yarn
Use 2–2.5 needles
Machine wash 30C; iron (steam or dry) with low heat; do not bleach; professional dry-clean only
16 colours, all stocked: 400 Pearl; 412 Deep Amethyst; 413 Pale Tinsel Pink; 415 Ruby/Dark Brown;
421 Brassy Gold; 423 Gilt (Silvery Gold); 424 Pale Gold; 425 Yellow Gold; 427 Copper/Dark Brown;
433 Pale Tinsel Blue; 438 Sapphire/Navy Blue; 442 Tinsel Silver; 458 Emerald/Dark Green; 460 Jet; 490 Icy Soft White; 551 Gold/Dark Brown; 560 Silver/Jet
25gm ball
£3.70 RRP
80% Viscose Rayon – 20% metallised Polyester; 25gm balls (100 metres); soft, supple yarn
Use 2.5–3
needles. Machine wash 30C; iron (steam or dry) with low heat; do not bleach; professional dry-clean only
20 colours, all stocked: 300 Rime; 312 Amethyst/Deep Mauve; 313 Matt Pale Pink/Pale Tinsel Pink;
315 Ruby/Deep Scarlet; 321 Matt Straw/Brassy Gold; 323 Ivory/Gilt; 324 Matt Straw/Shiny Pale Gold;
325 Matt Brass/Brassy Gold; 326 Matt Dark Straw/Shiny Pale Gold;
328 Matt Terracotta/Shiny Pinky Gold; 329 Copper/Tan; 333 Matt Pale Blue/Pale Tinsel Blue;
338 Sapphire/Mid Blue; 342 Tinsel Silver/Off White; 352 Matt Peridot/Shiny Peridot;
358 Emerald/Mid Green; 360 Jet/Black;
371 Matt Dark Brown/Shiny Sky Blue/Shiny Yellow Gold/Shiny Magenta; 380 Black/Jet; 390 Ivory
Thread 25gm ball
£3.08 RRP
80% metallised Polyester – 20% Polyamide; 500 metre reels; “metallized accompanying yarn for knitting”
We think these have a lovely watery shimmer
Use #75/11 standard or large eye needle
5 iridescent shades, all stocked: 400 rime; 401 sunlit oily water; 402 seascape; 403 melting butter; 404 strawberry ice
500 metre reels
£3.50
55% metallised Polyester – 45% Polyamide; 1000 metre reels; very fine yarn
16 colours in range
Not stocked: 312 Amethyst; 313 Pale Tinsel Pink; 315 Ruby; 324 Shiny Pale Gold; 325 Pale Gold;
326 Brassy Gold; 327 Copper; 328 Dark Bronze; 333 Pale Tinsel Blue; 338 Sapphire; 342 Silver;
357 Light Emerald; 360 Manganese; 365 Lapis Lazuli; 370 Shiny Sky Blue/Shiny Yellow Gold/Shiny Magenta; 380 Jet (These can be ordered in on demand)
1000 metre reels
p.o.a.
Other Threads originally from Fantasy Fabrics
We have some 5.5 yard spiral packs of Decora, in the following number: 1400 (L11) × 7
5 metre spiral packs
£0.48
100% high-quality Bemberg viscose Rayon filament; Wash 95C
(110 yard reels)
“For machine and hand embroidery, giving a sophisticated shine. If the multicolours are machined together with the matching plain colours, a marvellous unique look is obtained.”
20 colours stocked
100 metre reels
£5.24
Matched Pairs 100 metre reels × 2
£9.60
65% Viscose Rayon – 35% Metallised Polyester; Wash 60C
(110 yard reels)
“A conspicuously soft,
metallised viscose thread, giving decorative stitching a refined sparkle”
All colours being stocked: out-of-stock colours can be ordered in on demand
100 metre reels
£2.90
90% Metallised Polyester – 10% Polyamide; Wash 60C
(220 yard reels)
A strong, heavy-weight, machine thread
Runs smoothly
“Ideal for decorating denim and leather, as well as for
top stitching, overlocking, stippling, seeding and cording.”
40 colours stocked
200 metre reels
£3.63
Pack of 5 needles
£2.50
FAQs:
► Many manufacturers are cutting part or whole ranges of threads. If you have a favourite, or your pattern specifies a
particular thread that has been phased out, let us know as we may be able to find a good supply or a replacement.
► Does your metallic thread break or fray when machining? If so, try using a big-eyed needle, keeping it specifically for
that manufacturer and that make-up of thread. Also try loosening your top tension.
► For thicker metallic threads, such as Madeira No. 12, see the section on Hand Embroidery threads.
► Different dyes affect the length, thickness and twist of fibres, so yarn thicknesses and fabric widths vary with colour.
►It is estimated that the cocoon of silk from one Bombyx mori silkworm can produce a mile of filament silk. [Hardingham]
► Flosses are threads made of fibres with little or no twist; also masses of such fibres, as opposed to “strandeds”.
► Strandeds (stranded threads) are threads twisted together to form yarns, as opposed to “flosses”.
► Tussah silk is the lovely thick, strong, brownish silk fibre produced by wild Indian silkmoths.”
► Mulberry silk is the fine white silk fibre produced by farmed Chinese and Indian silkmoths fed on white mulberry
Morus alba leaves. [Wikipedia]”
► Wool and other natural fibres: We have a large collection of woollen yarns and other natural and man-made fibres, many in “earth” or “plant” colours, and in varying thicknesses and textures. Ask about experimental fibre packs.
►It is also estimated that over 36,000 caterpillars are hatched from 1 ounce of eggs, and one ton of white mulberry foliage is consumed by this number of caterpillars to produce eventually 12 lbs of raw silk. [Hardingham]
