Silk Lame Braid: The Movie

Needlepoint.com's latest video covers Rainbow Gallery's Silk Lame Braid, which comes in four sizes/widths.

https://needlepoint.com/blogs/needlepoint-know-how/thread-talks-working-with-silk-lame-braid

This is a wonderful thread (not meant to be stranded although if you really need size 18 and all you have is 13, you can pull out some filaments to make the thread smaller) so if you haven't tried it, you should.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright February 11, 2023 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

DMC's Mouline Etoile: A Review

DMC's Etoile and DMC's Cotton Floss

Recently my local Michael's (a large craft store chain with a branch only 45 minutes from me) starting stocking DMC's newest thread which is called Mouline Etoile.  This is a six ply cotton/polymide-metallic blend.  You can see the end as it comes from the skein above.  The medium dark red is Etoile in DMC's red C816.  The tan is DMC's regular cotton floss in tan 3864.  Etoile is divisible into six plies, all of which have a colored metallic woven in.  The metallic color varies according to the color of the base thread.  The blue has a blue metallic, the red has red metallic, etc.  I understand that the Etoile colors are matches to the regular DMC colors, so if you have regular DMC cotton floss red 816 in your stash, you can see the medium dark red used in my Etoile C816.
https://www.dmc.com/us/mouline-etoile-embroidery-thread-9005736.html

If you look carefully at the above photo, you'll see the metallic red sparkle.  If you compare the red thread to the tan, you can see that Etoile is slightly fatter than regular cotton floss. It is almost like it is fluffier, even when you ply the Etoile.   It feels different when you handle it.  I am doing tent stitches on 18 count canvas with three plies of my red Etoile.  I would probably use three plies of the tan cotton floss as well on this canvas for tent stitches.  I think the coverage using 3 plies of each thread would be about the same but I haven't actually tested this yet.

The closest thread to Etoile in my opinion is Rainbow Gallery's Silk Lame Braid although it is a single strand instead of being made to be plyable like Etoile.  (But I'm talking texture here, not comparing flosses.)  It also has the metallic woven into each of the plies.  Silk Lame Braid comes 10 yards to a card while Etoile and regular cotton floss from DMC has 8 meters in each skein which works out to about 8.75 yards.  I think Etoile has more sparkle than Silk Lame Braid, which is more subtle.

Etoile costs $1.95 per skein and regular DMC cotton floss costs $0.56 a skein, so you can see Etoile costs over twice as much as DMC's regular floss.  Silk Lame Braid costs $3.45 if you buy the Petite version, which I normally do.  (The 13 and 18 count Silk Lame Braid are nearly $4 if I remember correctly.) All the prices are before tax is added in and based on my local pricing.  Your cost may vary, depending on where you live and whether you are able to score coupons or sales.  By the way, don't buy Etoile on Amazon.  It costs from $6.44 to $6.95 per skein there!

What do I think about Etoile?  Well, I still like Silk Lame Braid better, despite the expense.  It comes in many more colors.  I am not wild about the lighter shades of Etoile, either.  The Blanc and Ecru both look grayed out or dirty.  The dark and light grays are simply dark and light gray, without the metallic silver showing up much.  I didn't like the yellows and tans.  But the blues and purples are very pretty and I liked the red shades.  I haven't seen all the colors.  My local Michael's did not have the pink, for example, which greatly disappointed me.  (I love pink!)  If you are going to pick only one color, go for one of the darker blues for a night sky.  That will be gorgeous!  But if you need plenty of shades for your project, use Silk Lame Braid instead.

I've never had the metallic part of Silk Lame Braid unwind completely, either, which has happened once with the Etoile.  (I've used about half my red skein to date.)  Etoile plies easily but as you recombine your plies in the needle and stitch with them, it stitches much like regular DMC cotton floss.  However, the end of the plies in the needle eye get thinner with the wear.  It's probably better to use shorter lengths of Etoile to help minimize both of these things.  I try to stick to less than 18 inches when I cut a length of Etoile.

This is a great thread if you are on a budget, don't need many shades, or don't have a thread emporium close to you since DMC is carried so many places.  But I'm going to mostly use Silk Lame Braid since I need the variety of colors and shades available from Rainbow Gallery.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright Decemer 5, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

I've Been Enticed

Entice in Many Colors

Have you tried Rainbow Gallery's new Entice yet?  Entice is a rayon thread with a bit of matching metallic woven into the strand.  Here are the available colors.  The photo above doesn't have them all, just the first set that Rainbow Gallery kindly sent me for review.  Note there are many shades of gold, blue, green, and purple plus several reds and pinks as well as black and white and cream.
http://www.rainbowgallery.com/detail.cfm?id=1347

I don't really like rayon threads much so I am not that experienced with them.  Therefore I enlisted Pat Miller of the Needleart Nut blog to help me with this review.  My first thought was how does Entice differ from Twinkle and Silk Lame Braid?  Pat's used Twinkle, a similar rayon-metallic thread from Gone Stitching.  She says Twinkle has only one strand of sparkle so that the metallic isn't always on top when you are stitching.  There are 37 colors of Twinkle and only 23 of Entice right now.  (I'm writing this in July 2015.)  Twinkle doesn't unravel much at the cut end (Entice does that Big Time) , the metallic doesn't unwind, and Twinkle is about the same diameter as size 8 perle cotton.  I think Entice is a bit fatter, sort of larger than size 8 perle but smaller than size 5 perle cotton.  Twinkle has good coverage on 18 count and isn't hard to pull through the holes.  It doesn't snag on dry hands either.
http://www.gonestitching.net/new/index.php/supplies/threads/twinkle-threads.html

Close Up of Pat's Fiery Brazil

Pat says that Twinkle has less metallic than Entice does.  She used both on one of Leigh Designs' Jungle Heat pieces and loaned me a photograph that shows both of them.  The green stems and caps are Entice and the black leaves are in Twinkle. Pat says Twinkle does twinkle in the light but Entice is more generally shiny.  By the way, the bits of light pink flower petal in the upper left are Silk Lame Braid so you can see all three threads in Pat's photograph.  Here's a larger version from the Leigh Designs' website.
http://www.leighdesigns.com/Mdl6303.html

Speaking of Silk Lame Braid, it is similar to Entice when it comes to the bits of metallic but the rayon of Entice is shinier than the silk in Silk Lame Braid.  Of course Silk Lame Braid comes in three sizes and Entice only one.  Entice is a bit fat for 18 count but if you use Silk Lame Braid you can choose a size. I imagine you can pull out a strand from both threads to make it smaller but I don't like to do that personally as the thread becomes unruly in my hands. (Other people do this successfully.  I am just clumsy I think.)   I discovered on 13 count Entice works very well, with little snagging and less unraveling at the cut end.  On 18 count I had more trouble with the unraveling.  I've not used my Thread Zapper to burn the end to see if that helps the fraying as mine died and I just replaced it, but if you use a large needle (size 18 or 20 are best) and short lengths, the fraying and unraveling of Entice as you work with it is minimized.  It's perfect for 13 count, though a larger needle helps here, too.

When it comes to sparkle, Entice looks like a softer version of Kreinik metallic.  On the sparkle spectrum, Kreinik has the most bling, Entice is next, with Twinkle and Silk Lame Braid bringing up the rear with a slight edge to Twinkle as the rayon is a little shinier than the silk in Silk Lame Braid (although there is more metallic showing in Silk Lame Braid).

I like Entice although I like it better for 13 count than 18 count.  I don't have any experience with Twinkle but hopefully Pat's experience and photographs will help you choose between these threads and Silk Lame Braid and Kreinik so you can find just the right amount of sparkle for your next project.

Many thanks to Pat Miller for her help with this review!  Do visit Pat's blog for more stitching fun!
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 14, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

I'm Glowing UPDATED

Turn off the light!

Actually I'm not the one glowing--it is my threads. Rainbow Gallery has outdone itself with new colors of glow-in-the-dark threads.  There are all sorts of colors and Petite Treasure Braid and Silk Lame Braid also have white glowing threads.  Fun!

We really are lucky to be stitching right now.

UPDATE:  Kreinik has added a section about its glow-in-the-dark threads to their website in 2024.

https://www.kreinik.com/store/shop-needlework/glow-in-the-dark-threads/how-to-use-glow-in-the-dark-threads

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

New and Fun

This morning I have a round-up of new or fun items I've seen while cruising the World Wide Web each morning.  Randi's stocking some fascinating new frame weight canvases for her shop.   Never heard of frame weights?  Randi explains why a stitcher might want one in their stitching nest very well. The second link is to Randi's shop website, in case you have more questions or want to order.
http://twisinc.blogspot.com/2013/03/more-new-canvases.html

http://www.twisinc.com

I've never seen a Hanukkah pillow before.  What a great idea!
http://ridgewoodneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2013/03/ruth-is-all-set-for-hanukkah-with-this.html

Threadaholic alert!  Vicky's posted great photos of the new colors of thread from Rainbow Gallery.  There's Silk Lame Braid, Petite Silk Lame Braid, Fyre Werks, and Neon Rays Plus (including their new glow in the dark orange).
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/new-threads-from-rainbow-gallery/

I've never seen earmuff canvases before.  The finishing is superb!  Of course you can make a double sided ornament if you don't want earmuff style finishing, but this is a very different and fun way to make up ornaments.
http://astheneedleturns.com/mini-earmuffs/

By the way, the earmuff canvases are from Linda Lahm Designs.  Don't miss Rudolph in earmuffs!
http://www.whatsthepoint.biz/lindasearmuffpics.htm

On a slightly different topic, Orna Willis is proudly showing off finished projects from her students.  I have to say, things look great!  Nothing makes you see a charted piece with fresh eyes than seeing it stitched, often in different colors from the original.
http://ornadesign.blogspot.com/2013/03/bursting-with-pride.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

A Treat for the Eyes: New Threads

Vicky has posted photographs of many of the new threads that came out in Baltimore.   They are mouth-watering!
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/09/26/one-can-never-ever-have-too-many-threads/

By the way, here are the new DMC overdyed floss and perle cottons.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2012/09/new-dmc-color-variations.html

And here are the new Wisper colors again, which happen to match Robin's cat perfectly.
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2012/10/new-wisper-colors-from-rainbow-gallery.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Wonderful New Things

I've collected a lot of random links this week, but all of them are about new things.  Needle Works shows off colors of the new skinny size of Silk Lame Braid,  as well as canvas of the month models and new firecracker ornaments that'll be for sale during ANG's Seminar.
http://www.stitchinginthetexashillcountry.com/the_needle_works/2011/08/petite-silk-lame.html

I've just heard about a new metallic available in Europe and Australia called butterfly thread.  Look under Au Papillon for the link to a color card.
http://www.thethreadstudio.com/catalogue/hand/hand11.htm

BeStitched has some great new tasseled scissors.
http://bestitchedneedlepoint.com/news-and-updates/magnificent-scissors/

Rittenhouse is coming out with new accessory kits.  Stitch your own earrings!
http://rittenhouseneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2011/08/needlework-accessory-kits.html

And finally Vicky has found cute snap trays that hold your tools when you work, then are easy to unsnap to store them flat until needed again.
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/08/23/a-new-stitching-toy-or-two/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Trims for a Golden Rabbit

I've finished the Golden Rabbit's underskirt area and I think it looks nice. The Silk Lame Braid adds a subtle sparkle to the underskirt without overwhelming it with metallic. I want the overskirt (that has Kreinik metallic thread) to be primary and the underskirt secondary, so I needed to control the accent thread that pairs with the same Gloriana overdyed silk in both areas.

When it comes to using Silk Lame Braid, it seems to eventually unwind itself and the metallic parts can escape the needle's eye. This wasn't a big problem but I'd use a shorter-than-normal length of this thread to help minimize the jailbreaks. I think this is a nice thread for subtle sparkle or for areas where a metallic thread might catch on the silks you already have in place. Used alone it might make awesome white snow or a navy velvet sky as well.

I decided to start on the trimmed edge of the over- and under-skirt next. The overskirt's trim border is 6 threads wide while the underskirt's is 4 threads wide. In the original model, Kandace Merric tent stitches the sides in metallic and I stuck to that, using my 002V copper/gold Kreinik. The rest of the pattern is done in cotton floss and perle cottons in a pattern that looks like flowers and leaves. The flowers have a French knot center. I will use my beads in the flower centers instead of French knots but I am not sure what threads I will use where for the last three stitches. Stay tuned! I'll pick up the Basketweave Marathon and get more of that knocked out while I ponder thread choices.

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow