The Hows and Whys of Variegated Threads

Many people like to use variegated threads, those threads with color changes along the stitching length, for a variety of reasons - they like the color combinations, they provide interest in the stitching, they relieve the stitcher of having to change thread colors for shading, among others.

Knowing when and how to use variegated threads is important, and here’s why:  as a stitcher, you need to make a determination whether the change in color helps or hinders your stitched piece.  Too often this point is not even considered by the stitcher.

So in this post and in the next couple, let’s look at different ways that trouble with variegated threads crops up in stitching.

Many counted thread needlepoint pieces rely on variegated threads to add interest to the stitching.  The important thing to realize about counted thread pieces is that they rely heavily on symmetry.  Therefore, color changes in the variegated threads should not be random - they need to be planned.  Knowing this before you start stitching will allow you to select lengths of thread that will provide the color changes in your piece to make it more symmetrical.

Look at the piece below.  Notice that the stitches around each of the three sides that are stitched match.  This is what I mean by symmetry.  I think that this piece would look better if the darkest part of the variegated thread was in the middle of each side.  The crescents were stitched so that the same color changes would take place in each of them.  This is a symmetrical piece, the color changes in the variegated thread should enhance that symmetry.

Symmetrical Piece with Variegated Threads

One other point with respect to the piece above, I did not cut the skein of Watercolours in half.  Many times it is easier to find color runs with a skein of Watercolours if you cut one thread at the knot and then unwind the skein.  The length of the repeat in the Watercolours above is longer than the length of a skein.  So cutting the skein in half does not always make color sense for this piece.

The sample below shows Watercolours, color Aurora.  The colors in Aurora range from green to blue to violet to pink to dirty yellow.  This stitch sample shows how the change of color from pink to blue takes place - it has to pass through violet to get from the one color to another.  This makes sense because when you combine pink and blue it creates violet, and this is how that violet is created, by the pink dye mixing with the blue dye.  If you have trouble with what color is created when two different colors are mixed together, get yourself a color wheel.

Normal Color Flow with Variegated Thread

OK, where does the problem come in?

I saw this type of stitching with color change in an exhibited piece: 

Changing Thread in the Middle of a Stitch

The color changed right in the middle of a stitch.  Let me go so far as to say, never do this.  Never change thread color in the middle of a stitch, like the Scotch Stitch in this sample.  Let me go so far as to say never change any thread in the middle of a stitch - tension will be your biggest problem if the threads are all one color.  If you do not have enough thread to finish the stitch, rip the threads out for that stitch and end your thread.  Begin with a new thread.  

But don’t do this:

Too Drastic of a Color Change

This sample shows a color change, but in the stitch next to it.  If you have a line of stitching, try not to change the thread while you are stitching in a line, whether vertical or horizontal.  This is not always possible, so find a new piece of thread that will show a gradual color change away from the color of your last stitch.  And remember that the color you are searching for may not be at the END of the thread, you may need to start stitching a little way into the length of thread.  As you saw in the first example, the color changed to violet before turning to blue.  That is what you need to see in the stitching.  The difference is exaggerated, and visually jarring, when the stitches are right next to each other.

Therefore, look at your variegated thread.  Notice how the colors change.  Don’t pick up the thread randomly to stitch with, especially if you have to change colors in a line of stitches.  Find the color of your last stitch in a piece of thread, then begin stitching at that point to make a gradual change of color.

Those Pesky Ending Threads

I was recently at a needlepoint exhibit and I came across a needlepoint piece that had an error in it related to ending a thread.  The piece had a lot of white stitching in it and there was a section that had a red metallic thread that was couched down.  Surrounding this red metallic thread was all white threads.  Where do you end the metallic thread with all that white thread around it.

Here is an example of what I am talking about:

The arrow is pointing to the ending part of the red metallic thread showing through to the front.  The problem is intensified because the two cashmere stitches end right at the point where the thread is pulled across the back, showing through to the front.  I don’t quite remember what was above and below the metallic thread, just that whatever stitches were there were not suitable for ending the metallic behind either.  So I put in some herringbone stitches in white so that I could make my point.

The back of the canvas looks like this:

The arrow shows how the ending thread is pulled away from the red metallic thread on the front and through the white cashmere stitches on the back.  This is why you see the red thread from the front of the canvas.

The correct way to end those threads should not reveal any metallic threads showing through to the front, as shown below:

The black arrow points to the location that the red thread is taken to the back of the canvas and you can not see the any thread shadowing through to the front.  Just how did I end that thread without any red showing through?   Look at the back:

The black arrow points to where the red thread is brought to the back of the canvas and pulled behind the red thread on the front of the canvas.  I used a length of white sewing thread to tie down the thread on the back directly behind where the thread lies on the front.  Furthermore, to make sure that thread does not wiggle out, I pierced the metallic thread with the sewing thread in more than one place.  That thread end will not loosen or wiggle out of place - it will keep the front thread crisp and solidly in place.

Do not hesitate to whip or couch threads in place on the back of your canvas piece.  Piercing the ending thread will hold it stable.

Red thread stitched near white thread is notorious for causing troubles:

• red fibers may shed onto the white thread
• red ending threads show through to the front very easily 
• the red color may rub off onto the white thread

Always stitch the white thread first and the red thread last in these circumstances.  And always end the red thread directly behind the red stitches on the front of the canvas.  Now you know how to end that pesky red thread behind the red stitches on the front of the canvas even when it first appears that there is no way you can do it.

Slanted Gobelin Borders

How much thought have you given to how you execute Slanted Gobelin borders?  Here is a picture of such a border:

Here is a stitch diagram of how I am stitching the border as I approach a corner:

Many people will continue stitching as shown in the diagram below.  If the stitching began by stitching from the outside of the border to the inside of the border, once the corner is turned the stitching will continue in this manner (outside to inside):

Let’s look at a picture of the front and back of the canvas for this border:

Do you see why this is incorrect?  The slant of the stitches on the back of the canvas changes after the corner is turned.

Another way to think about this is if you reduced the width of the Slanted Gobelin Stitches, shown above as over 3 canvas intersections, to just over 1 canvas intersection you’d have a Tent Stitch Border.  Here is a picture of tent stitches stitched just the same way as the Slanted Gobelin Border above, from the outside of the border to the inside of the border.

Most needlepointers know that this change from continental to half cross stitch is incorrect and will not stitch this way.  And yet, when they lengthen that tent stitch to over 2 intersections or more, they will happily stitch away in this manner.  Remember that how the thread lies on the back of the canvas affects how it looks on the front of the canvas.

What is the correct way to stitch a Slanted Gobelin Border?  All threads on the back of the canvas need to have the same slant.  This means that if you are stitching vertically and the stitches travel from the outside of the border to the inside of the border, you will need to change the direction of your stitching after you make the turn (need a tacking stitch to change direction) so that you are stitching from the inside of the border to the outside of the border.  Here is a diagram of what I am saying:

And here is a picture of the front side of the canvas and the back side of the canvas:

When you are stitching a Slanted Gobelin Border, think of it as a long tent stitch, and you want that tent stitch to be in the continental style, not the half cross style of stitching.  If you think about it this way, then you will be able to adjust for any direction of travel that you may need, eg. horizontally left to right, horizontally right to left, vertically top to bottom or vertically bottom to top.

Ripping Out Stitches

Whether it is due to the wrong color thread, the wrong type of thread, the wrong stitch or incorrect stitches, we’ve all ripped out stitches.  The question is: just how do you rip out your stitches?

Are you one of those stitchers that does this?

When stitches are ripped out like this you will hear the thread scraping against the sides of the holes on the canvas.  Depending on the thread, it may be quite loud.  Now, stop and think:  if you can hear it, just what does that mean?

It means that the entire length of the thread is being excessively worn by the friction from the canvas holes.  Further, you are putting excessive pull on the stitch you made before the one you are pulling out, which will give you bad stitch tension.  Let me just say, that even if you don’t hear the scraping sound, and with some silks, you may not because some of them slide so easily, you are still placing excessive wear on that thread.

The worst part of this issue is that those stitchers will then rethread that pulled out thread into their needle and stitch with it.  The only thing I can say to this is: Don’t.

If you must pull out your stitches this way, cut the thread very short and pull the stitches out.  You should not reuse this thread ever.  If you cut it very short, the tug on the other stitches will be lessened because you are not pulling the thread a great length.  It is still not an ideal way to rip out stitches.

What should you do?  And can you ever reuse the thread from a bad stitch?

As I see it there are 3 options:

1.  Never reuse thread you have pulled out.  This means take the stitch or stitches out, end off the thread and start a new thread.  This will ensure that there is never any thread wear from ripping out stitches.
2. Unstitch the stitches, using the needle as a guide to unstitch.  This option will work if you have not caught any other threads on the back in the thread you are removing.  The probability that this is the case is small, but there are times that this technique will work.  I still would not reuse the thread if I unstitched a lot of stitches.  How many is a lot?  Probably not more than five, but that depends on the thread type, how far I’ve already stitched with that thread, etc.  Use your best judgement.  When in doubt: Don’t.
3. Unthread the needle and turn the canvas over, pull the thread out from the back.  Turn the canvas over, pull the thread out from the front, and continue in this fashion until all the stitches are ripped out.  Again, how many stitches?  With this technique I’d say only two to three.

Really?  Is the thread worn that badly?

You really need to be the best judge of this yourself.  And just yesterday I caught myself using the third technique on a dozen stitches and then rethreaded the needle with that same thread.  I did stop myself and ended off the thread - it is a bad habit that requires diligence to break.

Can you see thread wear?  You may not see thread wear on the thread prior to stitching, but when it is placed next to stitches without wear, it will be obvious.  There may be less sheen on the stitches with thread wear, the stitches may look dirty if there is thread wear, there may be more fuzz and frizz on stitches with worn thread, worn thread may look thinner and it will be weaker.  It is the unfavorable comparison to surrounding stitches that is the most damaging issue when thread wear is apparent.

Let me assure you, your stitching will look better if you do not reuse thread from ripped out stitches.  It is as simple as that.

Thread Wear

We are in the midst of exhibit season, what with county and state fairs, and the ANG national seminar exhibit.  These exhibits offer a good look at just what stitchers are doing right and what they are doing wrong.  One of the areas that stitchers need to take care with their stitching concerns thread wear.  

There are many different ways that stitchers cause excessive wear on their threads.  We have discussed thread wear in a previous blog concerning perle cotton threads.  I also mentioned that Watercolours acts a lot like perle cotton, and you need to be careful of thread wear.  

Knowing how to stitch with a particular thread requires practice and testing that thread in different environments.  What do I mean by this?

Have you ever considered stitching a sample prior to stitching on your canvas?  Perhaps the usual long length of thread you use will cause undue wear on it from pulling it through the canvas many times.  A shorter thread length may be needed.

Do you stitch with a large length of the thread doubled over in the needle and then move the needle along the length of the thread as you stitch?  This technique will produce thread wear on the thread where the thread passes through the eye of the needle.  If you move the eye of the needle along the thread, you are creating many areas with excess thread wear.  Again, a shorter stitching length may be needed.

How about when you stitch your arm, shirt, or hand rubs against previously stitched areas of the canvas?  Do you realize that this friction causes thread wear?  You need to protect previously stitched areas from thread wear.  Cover previously stitched areas with tissue paper.  I cut a piece of tissue paper large enough to cover the areas that need protecting and then either tape it to my wooden stitching frame or tack it to the frame.  Some people prefer to use clear plastic, either the kind found in the grocery store or a thicker type that won’t easily tear can be found at fabric stores.  Again, tape or tack to your frame.  I know that some needlework teachers that work in silk and metal cover all silk threads that have been stitched onto the canvas as they continue to work their pieces.

How about when you stitch and the thread drags along the top of the canvas?  Canvas is very rough on threads, and not just when you pull the thread through the canvas.  Lift the thread above the canvas with your free hand to reduce the chances that the rough canvas will cause wear in your threads.  For those two handed stitchers, one on top and one on bottom, this technique requires both hands on top - which may slow you down a bit.  Or cover the canvas with plastic or tissue paper.  The results are well worth the little extra work required.

Just what did I see that leads me to this topic - obvious thread wear on Watercolours.  The stitches were the raised type of stitches commonly referred to as Jean Hilton stitches, or curved stitches.  These stitches are especially susceptible to wear from friction because they are higher off the canvas, and the exposed thread is long enough so that fibers are easily rubbed loose from the strand that was stitched.

Look at a strand of Watercolours compared to perle cotton.  Notice the looser twist and the longer fibers that actually stick out from the strand of the Watercolours.  Both of these characteristics make the thread soft and enjoyable to work with - but care must be taken not to create a lot more and longer fibers that stick out from the thread - which creates fuzz.

So shorter lengths of Watercolours and protect those stitches once you place them on your canvas.  The results are well worth the little bit of extra work.

Other threads that may need a little more care:  Vineyard silks, Silk & Ivory - these both have loose twists to them.  Any silk thread.

A Look at Eyelet Stitches

Have you ever given thought to how your eyelet stitches look?  Sometimes they do not look very good because of how they are executed.  Let me explain.

First let’s take a look at a typical eyelet stitch and how it is executed:

I stitched this eyelet with #5 perle cotton on 18 count canvas.  I did not enlarge the center hole and I followed the stitch diagram to the right of the stitched sample.  If you look at this sample, and it is more evident if you look at one that you stitched yourself, you will notice that the stitches start to build up on top of each other as you go around the circle of the eyelet (esp. stitches 25 through 31.)   That is because you have 15 stitches all going down into the same hole in the center and there is just not enough room for them all, especially if you do not open that hole a little bit.

So let’s compare this first stitch sample with one stitched the same way except that I opened the center hole prior to stitching.

By enlarging the center hole I have eliminated most of the thread build up towards the end of the eyelet stitch.  One thing that you need to be careful of is that you enlarge all of your holes exactly the same size.  The tension that you stitch with will also affect the hole size, you do not want different center hole sizes with your stitches.  I enlarge my holes with my laying tool, a very large needle will also work.

Now, let’s say you really do not want to increase the hole size, that is fine.  But you want to eliminate that thread buildup.  Here is a way to achieve a nicer looking stitch without increasing the size of the center hole:

I have changed the way I have executed this stitch.  I am now going around the circle of the eyelet 3 times, instead of just once.  This produces a nicer looking stitch.

As a final note, remember to execute stitches consistently.  Here is an example of stitching eyelet stitches with 2 different starting points.  After stitching the first one, I decided to stitch the next one (to the right of the first stitch) and wanted to start as close to the first stitch as I could.  This saves me thread and also I do not travel across open canvas with the thread on the back, which I am concerned about too.

You may wonder, just what is wrong with those concerns?  The concerns are justified, but you are sacrificing how nicely your stitching could look if you stitched consistently.  Remember about thread buildup - the first eyelet has thread building up as you approach the first stitch which is the vertical one on the top of the eyelet.  However, the thread build up on the second eyelet is at a different location.  It looks different.  You want all of your eyelet stitches to look the same.  So start all of your stitches in the same place.  

If you are concerned about thread travel on the back, run the thread underneath the first eyelet to the right most edge of the stitch then place a tacking stitch in an area of the canvas that will be covered by the second eyelet.  As for saving thread, you won’t, but there’s not that much extra thread used with this method.

Also, placing a tacking stitch underneath an eyelet, even with perle cotton, is not a problem, because the tacking stitch will easily be covered with all of the thread used with this stitch.

Laying Threads

Anytime you are stitching with more than one thread in the needle you should use a laying tool.  However, while this is necessary to ensure threads are layed smoothly and evenly, it is not sufficient.  Many people wonder, do you stroke the thread?  How do you guarantee that the threads will lay nicely?

There are several things that you can do to ensure that your laid threads look their best.

1.  Make sure that the threads in the needle are not twisted.

If your threads are twisted, pull the threads out of the eye of the needle, smooth them out, or let them untwist by letting the thread hang free.  You may want to separate strands if they kind of stick together - this may happen with cotton floss.  Then put the threads back into the needle.  The problem of twisted threads usually happens after you have been stitching for awhile.

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   2.  Try to position the canvas so that you are laying threads away from your body.  

1. Turn the canvas if necessary.  This technique is especially important when you are laying long lines of threads in the same direction - especially in a border.  Stitch problems in border areas really pop out at you.  Here is what I mean:
   
   

3.  Stroking the thread.

1. Place your laying tool underneath the thread at the hole it came up through the canvas, stroke it in the direction that it is being stitched.  Do not stroke back and forth, this may cause wear and a little fraying of the thread, especially some short staple silks and cotton floss.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   4.  Maintaining tension on the thread you just laid.
   Use the laying tool to maintain the tension on the thread by placing the tool at the place where the thread went through the canvas to the back.  Keep the laying tool there until you bring the thread to the front of the canvas through the next hole and can apply tension on the thread.  Obviously, those who like to use extremely long lengths of thread may find this difficult - another reason not to stitch with really long lengths of thread.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   5.  Turning the corner
   If you are turning a corner - turn the canvas so that you are laying threads away from you.
   
   
   6.  When threads need to be laid in several different directions for a stitch.
   It makes sense to turn the canvas if you are laying a long line of threads all in one direction (I’d say more than 2 to 3 stitches.)  However, if you are stitching a cross stitch, there is no way that you can turn the canvas for each stitch.  So use common sense.
   
   
   
   
   
   Some people ask about 2 threads in the needle, do you need a laying tool?  Is using your finger or thumb sufficient?  What about railroading the threads?
   My advice is - use a laying tool.  The more you use it the more used to it you will be and eventually it will be more natural to use one than not.  And the threads look best when you use one.