Thread

[u/library_leaves_2826]

How do you know how many strands of thread to use when embroidering? Until following this subreddit, I honestly never knew or realized that you’re usually not supposed to use all six strands of thread. But how do you decide or know how many to use?

[u/NoVariation5909]

I almost always use 2. I find it’s thick enough that it goes fast, thin enough that it blends, and I can use one strand of each color for blending between things.

[u/RiverFortune549]

If you're using a kit or a pattern, it should tell you how many strands of floss (it's called floss, not thread, to be pedantic) to use in each place. 

I'll let the more experienced embroiderers chime in with how to choose when making something from your own art. I have only used kits so far, myself. But in general, 6 strands is more bulky/thick, and the fewer you use, the thinner your lines or the smoother your fill.

[u/library_leaves_2826 → u/RiverFortune549]

Thanks! I think maybe I should do some kits for starting out to help me get better. I definitely thought thread/floss were just interchangeable! But that makes sense.

[u/VoraciousReader59 → u/library_leaves_2826]

Thread is for sewing, floss is for embroidery. 😁

[u/LuckyShenanigans]

You just kind of start to get a feel for how something will look and what you want. I'll most commonly use 2-3 threads, but if I'm going for something more folksy, I might use all 6. If I want a really clean satin stitch/feel like torturing myself, I'll go down to one.

[u/niamhylil → u/LuckyShenanigans]

I pretty much always use 2 unless it’s something super fine (then 1) or something like a woven rose where I’ll do 3 or 4 for the chunkiness

[u/Moist-Song9800]

Depends on fabric count and the look you want. Finer weave usually takes 1 or 2 strands, something like denim or canvas can handle 4 or 6 and still look bold. I just test a small patch on the edge before starting the real thing.

[u/Roobix9]

It comes with experience and how you want things to look. I normally use 3, but will go down to 2 for finer things. I think I used more when I did my turkey work but it’s been a minute. lol

Sew a little sampler. Just do a few of your more common stitches with a different number of threads side by side and see what you like best.

[u/dothemath_xxx]

As you practice and gain experience, you'll get a feel for how many strands you prefer to work with, or how many are suitable for what you're doing.

One way to learn is to do a sampler - the sort where you do the same stitch with one strand, two strands, three strands, etc. side-by-side, so that you can see the difference for yourself.

The general rule is that more strands will give you a thicker and more textured stitch. If you want a very flat and smooth look/feel, then two strands (or even one strand if you can tolerate it...working with a single strand drives me nuts) is what you want.

I typically work with two or three strands, depending on the size of the piece and other considerations. I occasionally use four strands if I want an element to be very textured and thick - like the foreground in a landscape design. The only time I use six undivided strands is when I want it to be durable - like finishing the edge of a bookmark with blanket stitch.

There are also other kinds of embroidery thread, like perle cotton, which you don't divide.

[u/bperki8]

Fewer strands allow for finer details, but it takes more stitches to cover a piece. So, you just have to decide on that tradeoff depending on what look you're going for and how much effort you want to put in.

[u/EKBstitcher]

I decide based on desired texture and how much time I want to take.

Fewer strands take more time to cover a space, but smooth textures are easier to do with fewer strands. Highly textured work requires more strands or thicker threads.

If I want individual stitches to be well defined then it's time for single strands of thicker thread (normally pearl cotton). If I can't get thicker thread in my preferred colors then I will have my floss strands twisted together so they don't spread and obscure the stitch definition.

If I want to use multiple strands and have my stitches blend together, then I need to separate and recombine my strands so that they can spread out.

I sometimes use more than one color of floss in my needle when stitching with multiple strands. This allows the stitches blend together better when moving from one color to another.

[u/mi55imo]

What I don't understand is why all floss comes as 6 strands. If most people are using 3 or less why don't they make 3 strand floss? Depending on color and quality of the floss it can be a pain separating things out. I somehow got myself into a mess last night and ended up only getting 3 strands out of the 6 because after an hour of trying to untangle I just gave up.

[u/paperconservation101 → u/mi55imo]

Some things call for a 6 strand. If I'm doing a particular look like a textured background I use 6.

[u/herfjoter]

I usually just use 1 because I like a finer weave and usually do smaller projects. If I want something to look bulky, I'll add more strands. I find it looks better somehow if you always separate the strands and then if you want multiple, put them back together after you've already taken them apart