Regular readers of my Blog will have guessed that I am a bit fussy when it comes to choosing threads. It’s not that I always go for the most expensive things (- in fact in lots of ways, the opposite is true of me), but it’s true that when it comes to stitching something really special, I think that it is worth buying threads that look wonderful, and which can produce the very best design possible. After all, a stitched picture will take hours. Is it really worth buying threads that will look lacklustre, or buying threads that are not colourfast? The answer surely must be ‘no’. Not only that, but buying wonderful threads will make a great difference to your finished work.
It is worth looking around to find beautiful threads – and not compromise with the cheap and/or ordinary offers.
For example, I have discovered ‘Hand-Dyed Fibers’ a couple of months ago, and these threads are wonderful, even though I have to order them from halfway across the world. They are truly worth it. They supply highest quality hand dyed silk aimed at stitchers who wish to to create heirloom quality products. Hand Dyed Fibers has over 300 colours in its silk range including variegated colours. These comprise colours from the solid range so it’s easy to mix them and get the look you want.
Silk floss, the most popular item, comes in two weights:
- Regular floss is for one over two stitching on 36-42 count.
- Premimum floss is for one over two stitching on 28-32 count.
Both weights of floss have a monthly assortment at a reduced rate, which can be autoshipped or bought from the website.
The colours used will remain unchanged for 50 to more than 100 years of light exposure with proper mounting and display, and are rated suitable for artistic use by both the International Standard ISO 105-B and by the ASTM D5398. Perfect for heirloom and reproduction stitching!
The entire colour line was recently reformulatedwith these dyes, and colours are now based on the DMC colour card by using a machine that scans thecolour. This gives a lightwave read-out of its particular and unique wavelength. The information is then usedto recreate that wavelength read-out on silk, by dyeingthe silk and scanning it until it emits the same wavelength of light as the colour originally scanned.
Hand Dyed Fibers provide conversion charts and packs of threads for popular designs. They also carry a wide range of stitching supplies, including floss and silk perles, silk ribbon and chenille, mother of pearl and finishing items, along with linen.
Perhaps you have a favourite threads manufacturer that you can share with us at Patterns Patch. I’m sure we’ll all be interested to hear of them.
Happy Stitching!
Iona
Just a note to say I have been stitching with Vikki Clayton’s Hand-Dyed Fabrics for over 2 years. They are absolutely some of the finest silks you will ever stitch with. Also, the price of these silks are at least half of what other silks cost. Finally, Vikki is the nicest lady to purchase from. She will answer any question and help you with choosing colors or any other form of question you might have. It is my favorite site for silks!!! Happy Stitching
I too have been stitching with HDF silks for several years (love them!) and I wanted to mention one particularly amazing thing you can do at HDF and nowhere else (that I know of) – custom-create the colors for a variegated floss. Very easy to do, all the instructions are in the Forums. The only caveat is that in order to dye a custom batch, there has to be a minimum amount ordered – not an extreme amount, and there are many ‘silk collectors’ on the forums – I have yet to see a color variation that has *not* gotten dyed to order. So if you have a design that you really want to do in a color combination you can’t find anywhere else, you can always make it at Vikki’s HDF!
Thank you so much for this post on HDF. I have always used DMC and recently have been trying to find good information on other products. I have saved the link you posted and am excited to put in my first order.