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Needlepoint Threads 101

Everything you need to know before buying thread

Understanding Thread Materials

Cotton Thread

  • The most affordable thread option 
  • Durable and great for areas that don’t need a lot of thread (or to DIY your own cording)
  • No need to worry about dye lots/consistent color
  • 16 yards per skein

  • DMC Perle Cotton

    (Size 5)

    Easy to find in stores, great for beginners. Best for 18 mesh.

  • DMC Perle Cotton

    (Size 3)

    Easy to find in stores, great for any canvas, nearly indestructible. Best for 10-13 mesh.

Decorative/Sparkle Thread

  • A fun addition to any canvas that needs added texture like a sparkle background, a velvet bow, or metallic text
  • Great for adding extra texture and dimensions to your piece, No need to worry about dye lots

  • Neon Rays+

    Great for 13 or 18 mesh, vibrant colors, great sparkle, rayon/polyester blend

  • Silk Lame Plus

    Great for 13 or 18 mesh, more muted sparkle, silk/rayon/polyester blend

  • Fyre Werks

    Great for 13 or 18 mesh, vibrant colors, amazing sparkle, metalized nylon/nylon blend

  • Very Velvet

    Petite

    Very Velvet Petite is best for 18 mesh. Durable, high coverage, smooth stitches.

  • Very Velvet

    Regular

    Very Velvet is best for 13 mesh. Durable, high coverage, smooth stitches.

Silk Thread

  • Slightly more luscious, a go-to among stitchers and used in most PL kits
  • A very smooth stitch
  • Vibrant colors and a silky sheen on the canvas

  • Pepper Pot

    Mainly used for 18 mesh (though some people do like stitching with it on 13 mesh!), variety of colors, great coverage

  • Planet Earth Silk

    Krista’s favorite for 13 mesh projects, great coverage, silky sheen on canvas.

  • Vineyard Silk

    A go-to for 18 mesh, beautiful colors, silky smooth stitch, a stitchers favorite.

Silk + Wool Thread

  • A nice option for longtime use (slightly more durable than silk on its own)
  • Perfect for backgrounds or projects that will see a lot of wear 
  • Vibrant colors and a smooth stitch

  • Silk & Ivory

    A fan favorite for 13 mesh, the most amazing colors, an easy stitch, silky coverage.

  • Essentials

    Ideal for 18 mesh. Great for small amounts of color per canvas, 10 yard per card, vibrant colors.

Wool Thread

  • Durable for high touch/wear pieces like belts and keychains
  • Stretchy thread allows the stitcher to control the coverage they wantMore muted color

  • Vineyard Silk Wool

    Can be used on 13 (lighter coverage) or 18 mesh (higher coverage), durable, great for high-wear pieces, more muted in color

What is Mesh Size?

Mesh size refers to the number of holes per inch on your canvas. A 13 Mesh canvas has larger holes, will be quicker to stitch, and will require a thicker thread. An 18 Mesh canvas has smaller holes and a more detailed design, requiring thinner threads.

Common Thread Questions, Answered

This is one of the major mysteries in needlepoint. Some people use their fist to measure a skein, others their thumb to measure small areas. Truthfully, the best thing to do is to over-buy and not worry about running out of thread. The more you stitch, the more you will learn how you use up skeins.

If you’ve already started to stitch, pay attention to dye lots – especially for large areas like backgrounds. If the design area is small or broken up, you don’t need to worry as much.

Feel free to mix and match! Sometimes we like to just pull from our stash, other times we like different tones of colors from different thread lines. The world is your oyster!

YES! We do this all the time and love color swapping. Just make sure your thread is full-coverage.

For high-use items, cotton or wool are the best options. We love stitching belts in cotton, and bag straps in wool.

Pick Our Favorites

Need more help picking thread for your project? Add a "Pick Our Favorites" thread kit to any canvas.

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