Just a quick one today. Mary Corbet has brought up the fact that some people love variegated thread and some people hate it. I’d never considered that some people might hate it, because I’m one who loves it. (Except for the horrible ones that DMC first brought out – they are awful!)
So I’d like to do a poll. What are your feelings and thoughts on variegated threads? Do you love them or hate them? Do you find them difficult to use?
Please tell me, because I’ve just never considered this before!
White Threads is the blog of Yvette Stanton, the author, designer, publisher behind Vetty Creations' quality needlework books and embroidery products.
Love them, and rarely find them difficult to use, although that sometimes depends on what I am trying to achieve.
I love variegated thread.
I like variegated threads as they give a piece a different out look to a piece. They are good for different shading etc to flowers, trees etc.
I really love the variagated threads, IF the colors softly blend from one color to another, and IF the colors don’t look splotchy when stitched out. I like the new DMC variagated threads (I don’t remember their name) and also like the Caron Collection threads. These are the ones that I have in my stash. I have not used many from other manufacturers and so cannot comment on their use. I would say that I am in the “love to use them” catagory, because I use them quite often. Sandi
I LOVE variegated! The effect is so pretty. I love variegated yarns for crocheting small things too.
Well, lots of votes so far for those who like them (thank you). Anyone who doesn’t? Surely some don’t? Please, speak up!
Love them – I find them fun to use. The end results depends on how you stitch with them. It varigates nicely when you complete each stitch when cross stitching or you will get a different effect by completing a row and crossing back.
Any way I find them fun to stitch with.
Hi Veronica, Yes, I show the difference between working single crosses, or doing a row of half then coming back, with variegated threads in my stitch dictionary. It can make a huge difference!
Love them for some very interesting effects , did some snutki with it one time & did not like the look of it when finished . Some of the threadworks ones are great . Doreen .
Love them: they add texture to a space that might otherwise be monotonous. Also, they convey the seeming randomness of shading in nature.
I love variegated threads! They add so much interest to just about anything I have used them in.
Where are all the people that hate them? 🙂
I have a mixed relationship with variegated threads. My dislike stems from threads that don’t color change often enough (those old DMC threads) or changes so often that they make me feel schizophrenic. But lately, I find myself reaching for the variegated threads more often than not. Love the life they add to projects. Now if they’d just make them in all the color combos that I’d really love to have!
How about “I hate them coz they are so pretty and I don’t get to use them coz I usually do historical embroidery” ?
Will that do? The closest I get to using it is ‘heathering’ – two colours in the same needle.
I have two viewpoints on them – I absolutely adore them for their look once stitched as I love to see the variation of the colour spreading across the fabric … the only thing I hate is that my stitches never look as neat and tidy as when I stitch the whole row with half a cross then come back again to complete the stitch. For colour and effect, however, there’s nothing quite like it! 🙂
I love variegated thread- if the thread is dyed well and it is used tastefully. I mostly like the hand dyed stuff, a lot of the commercial dyes just look fake. They don’t transition well from one color to another. I love my intense, jewel tone colors and would not want to only use variegated. I don’t like the ‘striped’ look, but if the stitcher uses the thread well I love it. It’s a great way to give dimension to a piece without using 4 different colors and a long and short stitch.
Excellent, a few dissenters coming to share. Its really interesting to read your comments.
Megan, is heathering also known as tweeding? I like to do that sometimes too. Can make for interesting results.
Anne, do they really not look as neat, or is it just an illusion due to the stitches showing up more because of their individual colour?
Hi Sarah, I find your comment about hand-dyed versus commercially dyed interesting. Where does “commercially dyed” start? As in, lots of smaller companies make hand-dyed threads for the commercial market these days, but do you mean them, or do you just mean DMC and Anchor and the like? Have you ever dyed your own?
I love using variegated threads but…I HATE the earlier DMC variegated threads; they do not change often enough for my liking. Some of the new ones are much better from DMC but the best ones I have seen were some home made overdyed ones given to a friend that were wonderful. I would give my eye teeth to use some of those ones.
Sadly I have quite a few of the older DMC ones that I am trying to find a use for, they can be so pretty when they change colour but these ones have way too much of one colour before any change occurs.
Karyn, I agree with you about the earlier DMC ones. The newer ones (Color Variations), I find are very nice to work with.
I’ve never personally heard two threads in a needle called ‘tweeding’. I’ve only found a couple of places where it’s called ‘feathering’ (the term comes from knitting) – PinkLady uses it, and Tricia Nguyen.
Nothing comes up on Google at all. (I love it when I do find extant examples of it)