Have you ever wondered if there was some magical secret when it came to working with metallic floss? Well there is… Ok sort of.
What is Metallic Thread?
It is what it’s called, simple as that. It is a piece of hand embroidery, or needlework floss (thread) that is shiny and metallic colored. But also very slick, and frays very easily. Metallic thread can be separated into 6 separate strands like your regular cotton floss, and each of those 6 pieces are made up of even thinner pieces of thread, which is the reason why it pulls apart, or frays, so easily and makes it very delicate. You do NOT want to pull a single strand apart more, it isn’t suppose to be pulled apart.
Pictured below are examples of DMC Metallic Embroidery Floss, I have them wrapped around plastic bobbins. The bobbins are a very common accessory people use to rewrap their floss, which they store in plastic containers that are similar looking to beading containers; rectangular, short and contain plastic separators that you can usually take out to create how much space you want per section. However the metallic floss comes packaged like the picture on the bottom left corner. It comes in what we in the needlework craft call a skien. It is packaged very similar to a regular 6 strand cotton floss, however it is one long plastic piece that holds the floss together, instead of 2 smaller pieces.
Disclaimer!!
Now, I don’t claim to have THE secret unicorn of metallic thread work, but I do have some very useful tips to help with that stingy, slick, pull apart easy thread we all love the look of but hate to work with. Before I reveal my top secret tips. I want to mention a few things first.
1. These tips are not the only good practices to keep in mind when using metallic threads, there are many practices you can use.
2. They are also useful while working with satin floss as well, because they are very similar thread types.
3. They are good practices to implement in your everyday embroidering. As some of these tips will help with good habits to produce consistent, clean embroidery work.
My 5 Biggest Tips To Using Metallic Thread, for Hand Embroidery
Tip #1: Use Shorter Pieces
One of the biggest mistakes people make while embroidering with metallic thread, is they cut off a regular length piece of thread as if they were using whatever type of thread they usually work with, usually about 1- 1 1/2 arms length and most commonly, cotton. With metallic thread you want to use shorter pieces, about 12-14in. or 30-35cm is a pretty good length. Why you may think? I will explain more in Tip #4 (:
Tip #2: Use Less Strands of Thread
Using 3 strands or less while working with metallic threads, I have found, helps with controlling my thread better along with helping it to not fray, knot up, get caught or pull apart as easy.
Some of you may still be confused on the difference between a regular piece of floss and a strand.
Strand: 1 out of 6 pieces/strands that makes up 1 whole piece of floss. Piece of Floss: consists of 3 paired pieces of strands that are twisted together to create an entire 6-stranded piece of floss that you unwind from your skein (or the whole piece you measure out from your bobbing/skien before embroidering with it)
Tip #3: Condition Your Thread Before Using
I condition all of my thread before using it, no matter what kind it is. I use a 100% beeswax (pictured below), its less than $3 at Walmart or any grocery store in the hair products aisle, it lasts a really long time, hardly has any smell to it, if any at all, and it’s super simple to apply. You can find my Tips Video on How To Use Beeswax for Conditioning Embroidery Thread, Here.
You can find this brand at Walmart for $2 by following the link.
Tip #4: Tie Off End Of Thread/ Keep Other End Trimmed
Now, a lot of people don’t like to tie the end part of their thread for several reasons, I personally tie a knot. I always suggest tying a knot when working with metallic threads however, you can cut it after embroidering a few stitches if you’d like, it doesn’t cause your thread to twist, and you can still get it to lay flat. So don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! You are in control of your floss, not the other way around, you just have to learn how to work with it, which takes time but is completely doable.
The other part to this tip is making sure you keep the non-tied end of your thread trimmed. As you pull your thread through your fabric over and over it will start to pull apart and fray. It kind of looks like it’s fluffing. Keeping those frayed parts trimmed helps the thread from continuing to pull apart down the strand, which if you don’t do anything you will then turn out to have uneven strands toward the end before having to secure and grab a new piece. Using shorter pieces also helps with keep this under control. I don’t know why, it is just something I have found out over the years. I think it’s because it has something to do with not tangling your floss piece up, reduced knotting and less chance of it tugging on something if you need to set your work down to do other things or are storing it away for the night.
Tip #5: Use Both Hands While Embroidering
This tip is one I highly recommend doing whenever you are hand embroidering, not just working with metallic floss. Have both of your hands free to use while hand embroidering makes it much easier to stitch certain stitches that don’t necessarily require bing hands, but they are a lot easier to stitch with both hands, like French knots for example. It’s also nice to have both hands available so you can keep your stitches the same, instead of some loose, some tight. I always use my free hand to hold/pull on the thread about 3 inches or 10 cm from the fabric. That way I can manipulate the thread in whatever direction I need it, and keep a consistent amount of tightness to all my stitches.
It‘s easiest to achieve this by using an embroidery hoop stand, which you can find as cheap as $20 on amazon. Or if you cannot purchase a stand, I hold my hoop up against my ribs right below the breast when I need to use both of my hands. You can also use the thumb of the hand that is holding the hoop to secure your thread up against the fabric. Just make sure you keep your fabric drum tight.
Final Thoughts
Working with metallic floss is so fun and it really is so beautiful. I hope that you will try a few of these tips no matter the type of embroidery floss you are working with. If you do end up trying a few of these tips, comment how it worked! Whether they helped or didn’t, let me know! Like I mentioned, I use these practices daily while hand embroidering and I have had success as well as seen improvements in my work.
My next blog will be posted soon! So don’t forget to subscribe to my website, or check out any of my social medias! I post free tutorials, tips and designs to try out! Until next time lovelies.
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