Embroidery Stitch-a-long. Part 5: the Dreaded BUT Sexy Metallic Thread!!!

by Muriel February 05, 2019

Hi Guys!

I hope that all went well last week with the roses embroidery.

At this point I guess that your Tote Bag is starting to look great. If you have pictures of your works to post on Instagram, that would be RAD! Don’t forget to tag me @vintagemadbym so I can see you!

Today to something very special: the Metallic Embroidery Floss.

I know that a lot of embroiderers are avoiding to use it at all costs, because it can be a real pain to work with, because it tangles, it makes knots, it is fragile and frays and it breaks easily. BUT it is so beautiful! It always does make your embroideries look special. So I really wouldn’ t remove it from your needlework paraphernalia if I were you. There are a few tips that are great to know and that makes the stitching bearable.

First of all: keep it short!

I would recommend to lower your usual thread length while working with metallic thread. Something under 15 inches seems reasonable. It will mean less tangling, less knots and a thread that will less be damaged by all the going up and down through the fabric. Keep in mind that the metallic thread is made with a cotton base and a metallic coating. The metallic coating is fragile and tends to detach from the cotton base. This is where the troubleshooting starts!

A shorter length means new thread more often.

Second tip: the needle!

Get a needle that is big enough, a size 7 embroidery needle is gonna make it easy for you. By using a pretty wide needle, you will poke the fabric and leave a good size “hole” for your thread to pass. If the needle is small, the thread will struggle to go through the fabric and will certainly get damaged quickly.

Third tip: a bit of magic!

Use a thread conditionner like Thread Heaven, or Beeswax to run your thread through before stitching. Thread Heaven has been discontinued but sometimes you can still find it on the web if you are lucky. Otherwise you can use beeswax and it works too.

Here is a bit more about Thread Heaven (and yes, its name means it all!).

Last tip: a useful tool!

Use a laying tool to guide your thread in and out of the fabric, or use just a finger or a seam ripper. The thing is to keep the thread straight and tight to ease the stitches.

Et voila!

Now back to our Tote!

We will start using the metallic gold thread this week to stitch the fringes of the sleeves, with 4 strands of metallic thread and a Backstitch!

Blog Embroidery - VintageMadbyM

Keep calm, and ...Let me know how it goes!

Find all my Embroidery Tote Bag Stitch-a-long posts there:

Introduction

Part 1: gather supplies

Part 2: a few basics before we start

Part 3: let’s start!

Part 4: let’s embroider the ROSES!!!

Part 5: the Dreaded BUT Sexy Metallic Thread!!!

Part 6: let’s put some nail polish and learn the Satin Stitch!

Part 7: Stitching some Needle and Thread!

Part 8: The French Knots

Embroidery Stitch-a-long. Part 5: the Dreaded BUT Sexy Metallic Thread!!!

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