Gilt Sylke Twist Available to the Public!

For those of you eager to try some embroidery with the new Gilt Sylke Twist thread that will be distributed by Access Commodities in the near (hopefully) future, you’ll be happy to know that you can order some limited colors right now. I’ve been pursuing the thread around the country, but now the definitive word is out!

Tricia Wilson-Nguyen announced on The Embroiderers’ Story of Plimoth Plantation that she will be selling some surplus GST. The colors available are red, pink, cream, light blue, and green (Redde, Carnacion, Bisse, Graie Blewe, and Grene). If you want some of this thread now, then it would be a good idea to order it through Tricia. It’s $25 for 35 meters, and $5 of each is donated to the Plimoth Plantation jacket project.

However, if you can hold on to your hat a bit, Access Commodities will be distributing as soon as they have a quantity in to distribute (they’re saying six-ish weeks or more, from what I have heard, and which is also explained on the announcement).

Well, I heard the thread hit the “open market” about a week and a half ago. Access Commodities sent “sample” packages of it to different needlework shops around the country that would be carrying it. From what I understand, six shops got a little bit. One shop owner told me that she received two spools each of four colors, and that they could now take orders from customers. She also explained that the threads would be somewhat slow in coming, as the process is time-consuming, and the thread is made by one person (well, assembled – the gold is placed on the silk core). If you’ve been following the Plimoth Plantation story, then you already know a bit about how the thread is made.

Another shop owner explained that Access Commodities has it in, but that the shops are taking orders for it and ordering what they “pre-sell.” This, I don’t think, is entirely accurate. I’m under the impression that AC only has some colors in, and very few spools of those colors (from two other shopkeepers).

As far as prices go, it looks as if some shops will be selling the GST for $20 / spool while others are selling it for $22 / spool.

I don’t know if the thread will only be sold by “certain” needlework shops – I don’t know much about the way needlework shops work, but I would guess that if a shop carries products distributed by Access Commodities (the Au Ver a Soie line, certain embroidery hoops, Trebizond, and so forth), then the shop can probably special order the thread for you, even if they don’t carry it in their regular retail stock.

Do check out the post on The Embroiderers’ Story if you’re interested in ordering some now. I’d actually be really interested to know (just out of sheer curiosity about the way these things work!) how many people are planning to, or have already, ordered!