I’ve enjoyed our discussions on variegated thread. It did take a while for some people to tell us that they don’t like them, but I’m glad you did, because I’m interested to hear of your opinions!
Today I want to ask about the types of variegated threads that you like. Do you like the ones that change from hue to hue of the one colour, or that change from colour to different colour? e.g. do you prefer variegated threads that have all shades of green (or red, or blue) in the one skein, or skeins that change from red to green to blue in the one skein?
I tend to prefer skeins that have variations of the one colour within them. I find that they are more useful. However, I did use some that change from colour to colour when working on my stitch dictionaries, and I did enjoy them too.
What do you prefer?
White Threads is the blog of Yvette Stanton, the author, designer, publisher behind Vetty Creations' quality needlework books and embroidery products.
I tend to use the multi-colored overdyes more frequently than the single colored ones. But both have their place. Using a single color can give a much richer look to a monochrome piece, increasing the depth of the color and adding shadows and highlights to it. The multi-colored threads can be a great inspiration for a color scheme on a more complex piece and add to the realism of some motifs where that is important. Like anything, they can be overdone, but I don’t think I would want to sacrifice any options they might offer whether they are monotoned or multicolored.
Mm… I wonder if our preference has anything to do with the type of stitching we tend to do? I use them sometimes for Hardanger, where both multicoloured and single coloured variegated threads can work well. I also use them for the type of stitching I did for the covers of my stitch dictionaries. Other than that, I don’t tend to use them much, given that my focus is primarily whitework!
I use variegated threads a great deal, although not the DMC or Anchor ones, which I find a bit too abrupt in their colour changes. Using them can be a little challenging, but it’s fun!
But do you prefer multicoloured ones or single coloured ones, Rachel?
I use both Yvette. I designed an entire piece (cottage and gardens) using only variegated threads, but they were all single coloured ones. I do use multicoloured occasionally, but the abruptness of the colour changes can be a challenge.
I tend to use the multicolored threads more than the single color variegated, but I do use them too. It just depends on what I am trying to achieve. I will sometimes use both in the same piece too. I will generally use the multicolored threads to set the color scheme for a piece. I will use the variegated threads for the larger elements such as kloster blocks and blanket stitches, and then do the needleweaving in a single color thread. I don’t want to overdo things, and I think the needleweaving details show up better when using a single color.
Yvette, I use single-colour or multicolour variegated threads, depending on what effect I’m after. Some of the multi-colours worked really well in the Firescreen I did years ago, but the little hippopotamus used single-colour. Basically, whatever the design demands!