Originally posted 2009-01-01 18:14:54. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
BELLALUSSO
This new 100% Merino wool is distributed by Fleur de Paris and is a wonderful replacement
for Medici. I think it’s made in Italy and is a lovely soft, crewel weight wool.
I stitched in both Basketweave and Double Cross on 18 mesh canvas using two strands.
The process made me remember why I love to use wool. It slides through the canvas so
easily, the stitches are so rich and thick, and the end result is so smooth.
In short, I loved this thread. Currently it is available in 46 colors in either a 45 yard skein
or 350 yard hanks. While there aren’t lots of colors, the range is good, with most families
having three shades in them. I really like using wool for fur and hair and Bellalusso has
seven shades of brown and tan, which is very welcome.
This is a great thread and I can’t wait to use it in a project.
PLANET EARTH FIBERS
This company makes four silk threads. Two threads, silk and six-strand silk, can be used
for embroidery. The two others have sequins or beads added to the silk, so they can only
be used as couched threads.
Silk is a single strand silk, similar in width to Vineyard Silks Classic. It will work on either
14 or 18 mesh for decorative stitches. For Tent Stitches, most people can use it on either
mesh, but some stitchers may find it too thick for 18 mesh. It is also very soft.
Silk has a strong directional light which means that stitches slanting in different directions
look like different shades of the same color. This makes it a great thread for many
stitches.
Six-strand silk is pliable and four strands work well on 18 mesh. It stitched beautifully.
Although you can use it like any stranded silk, the look is slightly different. Each strand is
more tightly twisted, so the effect is almost as if you are stitching with extremely fine silk
perle. And like silk perles, such as Grandeur, the effect is slightly matte. I really enjoyed
using this thread.
You can check out their color cards on their website at
http://www.planetearthfiber.com/cpg/. Silk comes in 125 colors, while six-strand silk is
available in 107 colors. All colors available in the six-strand are also available in silk and
seven of these colors are also available in a six-strand variegated version.
Currently the threads are found mostly at knitting and quilting shops, but they will be
showing at TNNA in January, so they might be coming to a needlework shop near you. If
they do, try them out, they are great thread.
NEWS & NOTES
Some new thread news. There are many new (at least to me) colors of Vineyard Silks. These
include: a series of pale yellows (french vanilla, crème brulée, custard), some peachy
pinks (strawberry ice, tea rose, Nantucket red, and claret), a family of tans (sahara, oak
bluff, partridge), three roses (pink pearl, veil, hot pink), three dusty roses (zephyr, dusty
orchid, tulipwood),and three single colors (buttercream, mojito, pale blue).
There are also new colors from brown paper packages, four lovely natural grays, dolphin,
mouse, elephant, and seal. They are simply lovely and four more colors are expected
within a month. If you don’t spend tons of time thinking about color, you probably don’t
realize there are three types of grays. Natural, or true grays, are simply combinations of
black and white. Like those colors, they don’t have a temperature and will work with any
other colors. Warm grays have a slight amount of yellow in them. You may not notice it but
you will if you put them near a cool color of any kind. Cool grays have a bit of blue or
green in them. The grays already available from brown paper packages are cool grays.
Because of TNNA, many companies will be bringing out new threads and colors for the
show in the middle of January. You will hear all about them in the TNNA round-up issue
with impressions of the show from my friend Sondra Dyer.
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