Detail of Life in Abstraction ©Amanda Snavely
Hand-stitching through layers of fabric requires auditioning many different types of thread. I also paint many of my backgrounds with acrylic paint which requires me to pay close attention to the size of the hole my needle makes when stitching. My work is heavily hand-stitched so fibers that don’t fray, fuzz, or tangle are a must. I work across the surface of my work so I do not like using hoops that limit the stitching area to a small square or circle. Instead, I use felt as my inner layer to stabilize the fabric for hand-stitching without a hoop or frame. For extremely large pieces I do have a rug frame that allows me to scroll large sections for stitching at the time.
Picking threads prior to stitching
For variety, in material, finish, effect, and stitch size I use a large number of threads per piece. The above photo only includes some of the threads I selected for the background of this 6” x 8” piece I later stitched for the SAQA 2022 Spotlight Auction.
Detail after stitching
Photographing metallic threads can be a challenge but this photo gives you an idea of the range of threads combined in a piece of my work.
Welcome to my Thread Stash.
The most affordable option for some stitches is using traditional sewing threads such as Guttermann Viscose, Cotton, Polyester, or Silk thread. I use Guttermann, Sulky, Superior, and other brands for hand and machine stitching. I divide the threads by material in Ikea drawer organizers like the above one for Viscose.
Cheap embroidery threads like these from Simthread I get on Amazon to fill in random colors. These do unravel very easily off the top of the spool. I use Hugo’s Amazing Tape to keep these threads from turning into a bird’s nest.
Presencia’s cotton sewing thread’s color selection is one of my favorites for use with my hand-dyed fabric.
I especially like the look of small stitches in 100% silk. I use a variety of brands of silk thread similar to the Tire silk above.
For thicker threads, I use some DMC 8 or 12 cotton pearl. Presencia No 8 or 12 also works. Presencia No 16 is a little thicker than I generally prefer to hand-stitch with though I have a few still in my stash.
When I am hand-dyeing fabric with Procion Fiber Reactive Dyes I throw in the thread I have prewrapped on plastic thread organizers. I loosely wrap the thread. It does variegate depending on the resist of the layered wrapping on the dye accessing the fibers when bound. I like this variegation but if you do not, opt to loosely tie hanks of thread and dye flat in a pan instead of tossing in the bucket with fabric. I use cotton or silk thread in natural colors to add to my dye pot. I particularly like the silk thread from Aurora Silk in Oregon for dyeing.
A heavier weight fiber of 100% Tencel I like is dyed by Teresa Ruch. Her variegated skeins like the ones above offer an interesting range of color. I do need to try a better way of keeping these untangled once I begin using them though.
I prefer the 10/2 weight for hand-stitching. I love the look and feel of many yarns primarily used or knitting, weaving, or crochet but many do not work well for hand-stitching fabric. You can couch thicker yarns but I prefer to use the thinner yarns to stitch with instead of couch.
Habu Textiles offers fabulous different fibers for accents. They are more temperamental to work with though, so I only use them for small pops of color, texture, or interest.
I have a love/hate relationship with metallic threads. I have finally narrowed down my selection to metallics that do not make me scream in frustration. Giovanna Imperia Metal Gerbera or Verbenna were my favorite when they were still available online.
Kreinik Metallics are my favorite choice to find locally at needlepoint or embroidery stores. I prefer to see pick colors in person versus online whenever possible.
Kreinik Metallics are my primary metallics for hand-stitching. The metallic braids work for stitching my layers with very little fraying issues. I use #16 braid, Tapestry #12 braid, Fine #8 braid, and very fine #4 braid. #16 is a little thick for my preference so I only use it for added emphasis areas.
Soy Luster is a newer addition to my thread stash. I don’t like fuzzy threads but have found this Soy Luster appears fairly smooth when stitched through most of my layers.
Silken Pearl is one of the other miscellaneous brands I have tried and like though it is a bit more expensive so I only use their variegated options.
I sometimes try other new threads based on color. I generally only buy one or two colors before buying more. Treasure Braid metallics was my go-to until I switched to Kreinik Metallics. Sajou 100% cotton is a newer addition to my stash but I like it so far.
I often take a piece in progress with me to the store with a photo on my phone showing some of the threads I already plan to use. Otherwise, I find I often buy a lot of similar colors to ones I already have in my stash. This helps me expand my stash without too much overlap.
My final thought on thread for hand-stitching is that I am always looking at what brands are being used by artists I like. The lists of vendors, materials, tools, etc. in the back of books by author’s I like is always a great place to find more options. There are tons of different threads available but many are not meant for the friction of hand-stitching through fabric layers unfortunately.