Looking For Silk Thread

Hi everybody,

I've been off this computer for a very long time, but was pulled back to th is group because my will to return to cross stitch / petit point is way too strong. :) I'm sending this from Google Groups, which is new to me so ple ase be patient. What I'd like to know from this group is which is the best silk thread to use? I've heard to use flat, twisted, Au Ver A Soie, Krein ik, Eterna, etc. Any help appreciated here. :)

Maureen In Vancouver, B.C.

Reply to
Maureen In Vancouver, B.C.
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group because my will to return to cross stitch / petit point is way too strong. :) I'm sending this from Google Groups, which is new to me so please be patient. What I'd like to know from this group is which is the best silk thread to use? I've heard to use flat, twisted, Au Ver A Soie, Kreinik, Eterna, etc. Any help appreciated here. :)

I'd say that's highly a matter of personal opinion. If you can, I'd buy a skein of several different types and stitch a swatch to see which one(s) you like or dislike. Some are shinier than others, or squeakier than others, etc., etc. Could be a fun experiment!

Sara

Reply to
sara

Vicki Clayton's Hand Dyed Fibres are great, although I don't find her website particularly easy to navigate to find a colour. It has a great feel, and so far for me it has good colourfastness. She has gorgeous threads, and they're wonderful to stitch with, but her (current) packaging does not show it to its best advantage. With any luck you'll have a LNS near you that stocks it so you can see it close up. (I have Thread & Eye here in London

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that carries a good selection and has absolutely fabulous customer service...) Good luck! vcardx

"Maureen In Vancouver, B.C." wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com...

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vcardx

this group because my will to return to cross stitch / petit point is way t oo strong. :) I'm sending this from Google Groups, which is new to me so p lease be patient. What I'd like to know from this group is which is the be st silk thread to use? I've heard to use flat, twisted, Au Ver A Soie, Kre inik, Eterna, etc. Any help appreciated here. :)

For 40ct silk gauze, I've always preferred Au Ver A Soie. I'm not certain i f that's because the first few pieces I did used this thread, but it's what I like.

Donna in Virginia

Reply to
Donna

Welcome back! It's been a while since I've seen you post here.

Warning - Long post!

I agree the others that it is largely a matter of personal preference which silk to use. If you want easiest to use, then Caron silks and Au ver A soie (Access Commodities) are good. They have a medium sheen. If you want high sheen, Kreinik and Eterna are both good. If you want maximum sheen, then a flat or slightly-twisted silk is best. The highest sheen comes from flat or slightly twisted silks. The best source for flat silks is the Japanese Embroidery Center in Atlanta, GA, while Eterna and Empress Silks both carry the slightly-twisted silk.

Personally, I like Eterna's mini-twist. It is a filament silk with a twist similar to standard cotton floss. The sheen is very nice, and the colors are matched to DMC's colors, so a conversion is easy to make. I've done Dimple Design's Rex in Eterna silk.

My experience is that the more sheen (which comes from the use of filament silk), the less twisted the silk is, and more difficult is is to work with. Flat and slightly twisted silks are always filament silk and are the most difficult, but give great sheen.

Hints on handling silk thread - Hands: make sure your hands are clean. Also, if you garden or do other stuff that will roughen up your hands, moisturise them thoroughly each day for a few days before you work with the silk, and keep them moisturized. Wait about 1 hour before stitching after using moisturizer to make sure it is completely absorbed into the skin and there is nothing left to stain the silk.

The silk will find the slightest roughness on your hands to catch on. If the silk is catching on something, I will actually take an emory board to the area to smooth the rough spot. I may have to do it every

20 minutes or so, but a few seconds doing this makes stitching much easier.

Humidity: The drier the air in your house/apt., the more static you will be faced with. I find it works best with at least 35% humidiy in the house.

Licking floss: This is up to you, but if you do this with silk, make sure you've brushed your teeth and rinsed well with water before stitching, as per my Japanese Embroidery teacher. Silk stains very easily, and keeping the mouth clean helps prevent problems. Some of the techniques in Jap Embr actually involve using the mouth as a 3rd hand, so they gave us some instructions on this.

Pets: Keep pets away from the silk, especially kittens. I have experience personal and current in this. Miss Molly (4 months old) looooves to play with it. Sigh.

H>Hi everybody,

group because my will to return to cross stitch / petit point is way too strong. :) I'm sending this from Google Groups, which is new to me so please be patient. What I'd like to know from this group is which is the best silk thread to use? I've heard to use flat, twisted, Au Ver A Soie, Kreinik, Eterna, etc. Any help appreciated here. :)

Reply to
Fran

this group because my will to return to cross stitch / petit point is way too strong. :) I'm sending this from Google Groups, which is new to me so please be patient. What I'd like to know from this group is which is the b est silk thread to use? I've heard to use flat, twisted, Au Ver A Soie, Kr einik, Eterna, etc. Any help appreciated here. :)

Thank you Sara,

I've used Eterna before but they seem to have gone out of business. At lea st, I can't find them on line anymore. I did like their silk though. :)

Maureen

Reply to
Maureen In Vancouver, B.C.

o this group because my will to return to cross stitch / petit point is way too strong. :) I'm sending this from Google Groups, which is new to me so please be patient. What I'd like to know from this group is which is the best silk thread to use? I've heard to use flat, twisted, Au Ver A Soie, K reinik, Eterna, etc. Any help appreciated here. :)

if that's because the first few pieces I did used this thread, but it's wh at I like.

Thank you Donna,

I think I'm going to go with the Au Ver A Soie silk threads myself. I'll g ive them a try at any rate and see how it goes. I think they'll do just fi ne. :)

Maureen

Reply to
Maureen In Vancouver, B.C.

I'm going to go with Au Ver A Soie threads for now but will have to order all my needlepoint supplies off line from now on because our only LNS closed down a couple of years back. Sure do miss them.

Maureen

Reply to
Maureen In Vancouver, B.C.

Great post, Fran!!!

I've found that Gloves in a Bottle lotion works *really* well for smoothing rough hands. It's kind of expensive but you really don't need to use much. I had one of those little sample packets like ketchup comes in and it lasted me for an entire project.

From Nordic Needle's site: "Harsh weather, hand washing and everyday activities can dry out your skin. Hand and skin lotions only attempt to replace natural moisture with artificial moisture. Gloves In A Bottle bonds with the outer layer of skin, allowing your skin to heal itself. Over 9,000 dermatologists recommend Gloves In A Bottle to their patients who suffer from dry and cracked skin. And it is perfect for needleworkers...no odor, no stickiness and no residue to harm delicate fabrics. It leaves your hands so smooth that no thread or fabric snags."

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I really need to get a bottle of this stuff when I next work with silk. HTH

Reply to
Joan Erickson

Followup - Eterna Silk is no longer in business, from what I've been able to determine. Which is a pity, as they had very good quality silk for a reasonable price. I think the fact that people generally don't know how to handle filament silk is what did them in, as I've heard complaints about the fact that it was not as "easy to use as Au verA soie". Well, that is directly a result of the use of filament silk vs rough silk.

Rough silk is the tag ends of the coco>Hi everybody,

group because my will to return to cross stitch / petit point is way too strong. :) I'm sending this from Google Groups, which is new to me so please be patient. What I'd like to know from this group is which is the best silk thread to use? I've heard to use flat, twisted, Au Ver A Soie, Kreinik, Eterna, etc. Any help appreciated here. :)

Reply to
Fran

group because my will to return to cross stitch / petit point is way too strong. :) I'm sending this from Google Groups, which is new to me so please be patient. What I'd like to know from this group is which is the best silk thread to use? I've heard to use flat, twisted, Au Ver A Soie, Kreinik, Eterna, etc. Any help appreciated here. :)

I did sell five skeins, but the rest are all in a plastic box, with drawers, and all numbered. Anyone interested?? Make an offer...I would like a stitcher to have it, rather than put it in a yard sale, or some such place.

It's not taking up much room...but DH is convinced hyperinflation is coming, and we need to build a food stash!! SIGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gillian

Reply to
Gillian Murray

I would be interested, let me know how to contact you.

Reply to
Fran

Fran....I have had two replies to date, plus you. I am trying to be really fair, and offer it to #1 first, then down the line, so to speak. My email is gillmurray1 at verizon dot net

Reply to
Gillian Murray

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