Sampler Thread™
Working with our Threads

Working with overdyed floss is a fun experience. We developed our SAMPLER THREADS^TM and SIMPLY SHAKER^TM threads especially to give new pieces an aged appearance. The thread colors are muted; the color variations per strand are subtle.

To work, unhook the skein and pull out one length. Cut this length in half, strip the floss strands needed, and you are ready to stitch.

Because these threads are hand-dyed in small amounts, there may be color and shade variations from dye lot to dye lot. We want our threads to evoke a "mood" rather than a static, assembly line look. We have named our threads with "moods" in mind — Evergreen, for example, can be like a blue spruce or Cape Cod scrub pine — each has different shading but are still an evergreen. Please keep these changes in mind when you work with our threads.

Part of the excitement of working with SAMPLER THREADS^TM and SIMPLY SHAKER^TM is that no two stitched pieces will look the same. Each finished piece is an original.

Experimenting with overdyed floss is exciting. Sometimes just one overdyed color can add depth and variety to a piece. In many cases an entire piece looks terrific worked exclusively with overdyed threads. With overdyed threads, you need not worry about constantly changing thread colors in your needle; one strand of our floss takes the place of several individual thread colors.

Since our threads have such subtle color changes, it is possible to cross stitch the Danish method (working a row of half crosses out in one direction, then working the top half of the cross stitches on the return trip). Working an area in this method will give a more mottled appearance. For a "clearer" look, work by crossing each stitch as you go. This second method will tend to leave the thread color variations in a more striped or patched look.

For plants, we recommend working your stitches in vertical rather than horizontal rows. This makes the plant or tree trunk look like it is growing up as nature intended.

We had a number of telephone calls from stitchers who would like a conversion chart for our SAMPLER THREADS^TM and SIMPLY SHAKER^TM to DMC/ANCHOR. It is impossible to make thread colors cover the 300-400 colors from the big companies. Also, since our SAMPLER THREADS^TM and
SIMPLY SHAKER^TM thread colors are not perfectly static, it is difficult to say "exactly" which will correspond with what at any given time.

We can suggest a few guidelines, however.

·         First, our thread works best in simple designs. A large area filled with an overdyed thread really shows off the thread's subtle variation. Folk art, primitive, or antique designs look terrific!

·         Second, another trick we suggest is to "horde" skeins of
SAMPLER THREADS^TM and SIMPLY SHAKER^TM in different dye lots. When one has a big pile, or even leftover strands from previous projects, one can use the different dye lots in the same piece and thusly expand their range of colors or shades within a single piece.
 

Our threads are available in both 5 and 10-yard skeins. A skein of DMC or ANCHOR is about 8 yards. For those of you wishing to stitch with our threads but are unsure of how much to buy, here are a few tips.