tips: Stitching with silks

raven

What tips do you have for stitching with silk floss? Which brand is best? Are the conversion charts for DMC to silks? Can I use thread heaven or beeswax on silk like I have on cotton? How do you wash the finished project with silk before framing? Any other tips, thoughts or ideas? Thank you!!!:)

xsmom214

Hi Raven:)  I love stitching with silks!

Gloriana is my favorite but its expensive so I dont use it often.  Hand Dyed Fibers by Vikki Clayton is wonderful and the prices cant be beat.  She does have a full conversion from DMC to her silks on her website.  She even has some chart conversions already done and will convert a design for you if you ask.

I would never use Thread Heaven or anything else on my silks.  

I use a lot of hand dyed threads so I never wash a piece when Im finished.  Even if the label says its colorfast, I wouldnt trust it.  Im very careful when stitching and Ive never needed to wash any of my finishes.

A tip that worked for me, use shorter strands than you would with cotton.  You want to keep the "silky" look and feel, and the fewer times it goes through the holes, the better.

Hope this helps:)

Nekostitch

Thanks. very handy tips.  THat shorter thread tip at the end also works for metallic threads since those will fray if you pull them thru too many holes.

threadbare

very handy tips, Ive not done much with silks yet, have some in my collection waiting to be used :)

xsstitcher

Thank you for the tips. I love working with silks.

chrisnz44

thanks for sharing

sallyrose

Reply 2# xsmom214

I am thinking of trying silk threads for my first time, so I really appreciate your tips.
Not knowing anything about them, I could not decide which brand to try first. I am glad to read about your preferences. Thanks for posting.

rteixeira63

All very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Bleu

Belle Soie or Au Ver A Soie are wonderful silks, the colors are more blending than Cotton

Jazzi

Thanks for the tips everyone, I too have never stitched with silk and would really like to try them. I appreciate the brand names too, now I know what to look for.