We’ve taken a couple more tiny steps in expanding our curated needlework supplies – especially with some new embroidery thread collections and a new hoop.
I call these supplies “curated” because they’re the tools and threads that I specially select, that I think are worthwhile to have available, that I use for many projects on Needle ‘n Thread, and that people ask me about. You see, stocking certain threads helps answer the difficult question of “Where can I get this?! when I write about my projects. That is the One Question I answer the most frequently. If I stock the threads, you can easily find them. And that’s the goal.
It pretty much boils down to this: I use them, I love them, and so I carry them.
Today, I’ll introduce you to full sets of floche and to a whitework / cutwork sample thread pack, and I’ll show you a new hoop we’re carrying.
Let’s just start on the Big End of things, shall we?
For a few years, we have stocked color collections of cotton floche. These are themed groups of colors that allow you to experience floche within a particular “frame” of colors, and that help you to build a collection of floche slowly by picking up new color collections now and then.
Out of the many color collections we offer, there are only three colors of the entire range that are repeated once throughout the collections. This happened because the color collections are also used on certain projects, and so we ended up having to include those repeated colors so that people could follow a project with all the colors, without having to purchase another whole color collection.
Over the years, folks have asked why we don’t just carry the complete set.
I’ve mused over that question. One of the reasons was the whole storage space difficulty. The other was the time involved to prepare complete sets. The other difficulty is the supply chain (it’s really hard to order every single color in any particular thread collection all at the same time, and have them all available from the supplier at that time).
It took a while to get all those glorious colors in and prepped, but we decided it would be worth the proverbial leap to carry the whole set of floche for those who wish to invest in all 93 colors in one go.
These are not complete hanks of floche. These are 1/3 hanks (50 yards) in twists that we prepare here in the studio.
The smaller twists make owning the whole set – or any group of colors – a much more affordable proposition!
The complete set of floche comes nicely boxed, with a little savings involved in purchasing the whole set. You end up saving about $9 on the set, or the equivalent of three colors for free.
You can find the complete sets of floche listed here, with all the other color collections that are now in stock as well. Use the drop-down menu at the end of the description to select the color collections you want. If a color collection (or the complete collection) is not listed, it has sold out. We will do our best to get that in again as quickly as possible.
And Then – there’s Whitework!
We’ve also recently put together a small package of coton a broder in four weights: #16, 20, 25, and 30 (16 being the heaviest and 30 being the finest), for those who wish to sample this beautiful thread that is ideal for all manner of whitework embroidery, for cutwork, for monogramming, and for ecclesiastical embroidery on linen.
The set allows you to experiment with the different weights to see which ones will work best for your projects.
Coton a Broder is the thread that Elisabetta Sforza uses in her book The ABC of Padded Stitch (which I’ve reviewed here and is available here) – and it is no wonder why. It really does work up into the most beautiful padded satin stitch!
Coton a broder is also the same thread I used on the voided monogram project pictured above, which you can read about here. I used different weights on that project, to add to the texture and intensity of the white embroidery.
You’ll find the Whitework Sample Collection Set available here. Use the dropdown menu at the end of the listing to select the sample. We will be expanding our coton a broder selection in the future, but at this time, for whitework and monogramming and more, this is a great sample set!
And a Thick Hoop
While we’re at it, I might as well mention a new size of hoop we’ve added to our hoop-ish offerings!
We’re now carrying a 7.5″ hoop (it’s a 7″ window of exposed fabric area inside the hoop) the is 5/8″ deep. This is a thicker hoop – over 1/2″ thick – that is excellent for general embroidery purposes. It’s especially nice for holding heavier weight fabrics (medium to heavy weight – like twills, lower count linens, medium weight cottons, flour sack towels, and more).
Like all our hoops, it’s made out of smooth hard wood with heavy duty brass hardware.
I particularly like this size hoop because I find it easier to hold. I like the 7.5″ manageable size – small enough that I can easily get my fingers to the center of the stitching area while holding the hoop, but a little larger to accommodate more design.
It’s also a great hoop for use in any kind of clamp system for floor or tabletop stands. I use it with my Potoky stand and with my Needlework System 4 stand.
In the photo above, you can see the difference between the thin hoops and thick hoops.
Because it is a thicker hoop, the cotton twill take that accompanies is 1/2″ wide.
If you’re not familiar with why it’s good practice to bind the inner ring of wooden embroidery hoops, you can read about it here. You can find a tutorial on how to bind the inner ring of an embroidery hoop here.
All of our hoops are accompanied by high quality white cotton twill tape in the appropriate width, for binding the inner ring of the hoop.
Investing in good quality wooden hoops is like investing in any good tool. If you take care of it, it’ll last forever!
It’s All Here…
You can find all of these new goodies in the shop here on Needle ‘n Thread. Please use the drop-down menus at the end of the product descriptions to make your selections.
As is always the case, if you order multiple products from the shop, we do combine shipping and refund any notable excess shipping charges, once we work out the most sensible and reliable way to send you your package.
Hope you’re week’s off to a jolly, colorful start!
PS – They Arrived!
Shhhhh! We’ll talk about it more later, but I’m too excited not to mention that the kit threads arrived for Garden Swirl! Wooohooo! Stay tuned for the announcement of that kit launch and the beginning of the Stitch Snippet stitch-along!
Is Coton a Broder the same as the DMC Flower Thread of the past is? I use the Flower Thread I received to do my Temari embroidery. It works quite well for this.
I so appreciate how you keep us informed on the threads available. Thank You.
Hi, Mary,
Technically, it’s not the same thread. Flower Thread is traditionally a matte thread (no sheen). It’s similar to it, yes. In some countries, though, I have seen needlework designers call them the same thread, and I have heard from some that “flower thread” sold in their country has a sheen. Still, if you purchase “Danish flower thread” (the traditional stuff – look up “Haandarbejdets Fremme Danish Flower Thread” today, for an available brand), you’ll find that it is not mercerized (no sheen), it is slightly less even in twist throughout a strand than DMC coton a broder, and it has a slightly fuzzier / softer look to it. DMC’s flower thread did not have a sheen.
So looking forward to Garden Swirl.
Hello, when I click on the link to the floche the price under the title says $24 but when I go to add it to my cart the price jumps to $36. Which is the correct price?
Each grouping of thread is priced differently, depending on the number of skeins in the group. Shopping cart systems display one price as the “starts at” price, because they can’t display all the prices for everything in that category, when there are multiple items in a listing. Here, the lowest price will be the grouping that has the fewest skeins. So, a group of floche without only 8 skeins is going to be priced differently from a group of floche with 12 skeins, etc. If you look at the product description, you’ll see how many colors are in each color grouping. Hope that helps!