Circle Geese and Mariner’s Compass Using Two Different Variegated ThreadsI was asked for examples of designs that do well with variegated threads. That inquiry inspired this post.

Generally, any Quiltering (quilting), Redwork, or Bluework designs work well with variegated threads as shown above with the Circle Geese around the Mariner’s Compass. It’s when you get into satin stitches and solid fills that variegated threads become problematic, as these bad girls show their unpredictability.

Summer’s Gold Quiltering Designs came out beautifully with this orange => yellow variegated thread. If you’re into quilting (or quiltering as I’ve come to think of it when using an embroidery machine), the variegated thread can add a new dimension to your project.

Some variegated threads do okay with satin stitches as shown below. However, most variegated threads  stripe when used with satin stitches. I got lucky with this dark to light green variegated used to stitch the leaves. The rule of thumb in using variegated with stain stitches is test sew, before committing to your project. I know that sound pretty straight forward but I have a rainbow of Post-its littering my sewing room to remind me of that very thing.

I used variegated green in all of the Monogram Potpourri designs but because the leaves are so small it worked out perfectly in creating the illusion of varying light upon my leaves.

Although this Hardanger Squared design has a lot of satin stitches it did well with this particular multi-colored variegated, principally because the colors in the thread has short segments, allowing for a higher rate color turnover through satin stitch sequences.

Using the same variegated thread for the satin stitches, as shown above, this Illusions design below looks good – interesting even – but at the cost of losing some of it’s illusionary effect. As a consequence, I’ve put it in my What If pile, with a note to try sewing it with an ombre thread, just to see how how the thread shading affects the illusionary effects of the design

These two designs are from our Nutz N Boltz collection and these all look great with variegated threads

 

As you can see, variegated threads are a mystery as to how they will turn out when going from one design to another. That’s why is is important to test sew them in various  stitch forms to see how they are going to show up when sewn onto your particular project. That’s where my Thread Sampler Designs come in.

My Thread Sampler Designs  will simplify your variegated thread life.  They are for hoop sizes 4 inch to 8×11 inches. These are easy to sew reference sheets for yourself of your variegated thread stash. They will help you determine which threads best fit your project before sewing it. It takes a lot of the guess work out. You’ll be glad you went through the exercise making Thread Samplers.

Simplify your Variegated Thread life

Learn more about the Thread Sampler Designs

To purchase Thread Sampler Designs Only $1.49 for all hoop sizes

If you’ve come up with a project and thread combination that knocks your socks off, I hope you’ll share.