Reading through the section on threads and needles in Helen Parrott's 'Mark-Making' and the article in the latest Quilter by Sheena Norquay on seed stitching, I've been having an audit of what I've got!The hand threads I like to use best are cotton perle no 8 (or equivalent - House of Embroidery 'Mystique' is a favourite) . I untangled 2 large plastic boxes worth and divided into 4 boxes instead.
I've blogged before about the Gutterman silk buttonhole threads my mum bought in the 70's, a treasure which is a joy to use.
I have several biscuit tins, it started with cotton quilting threads and then I've recently discovered Wonderfil 12wt cotton , plain and variegated - a very well behaved thread with a tight twist and slight sheen . It reminded me a bit of a thinner version of DMC cotton a broder which I also like to use. I have quite a few white and cream threads (including sashiko) which I mainly use to dye my own indigo threads.
My mum was a very keen embroiderer and hoarder. Threads I inherited range from fine linen to thick 'Perlita' with Anchor soft embroidery and cotton perle 5 along the way. These I mainly use for zig-zagged couched edging to Journal Quilts
I sold/ gave away the goldwork and wool tapestry threads but held onto the stranded cotton which I thought might come in handy one day. The requirements list for the Dorothy Caldwell workshop include stranded cotton in black and white. At last, their day has come! Apart from I don't have those colours...... Just like justifying fabric stashes, it seems you never have exactly what you need , however large your collection.
