Embroidery floss primer, part 2: cotton

When you hear "embroidery floss," this stuff is probably what comes to mind. Cotton embroidery floss is "the original," the six-strand stuff you probably used in elementary school or Boy/Girl Scouts. So, of course, I have the most to say about the cotton floss.

First, the pros. Its most obvious attraction: it's widely available...to say the least! Whether it's Wal-Mart or Michael's Arts and Crafts, you can always find cotton embroidery floss. There are even generic brands! And it has the widest color range of all the flosses, too. It's six strands (duh), which makes it incredibly versatile. And, of course,it's absolutely the cheapest thing you could hope for, so you can experiment to your heart's content! Oh, and it's colorfast and washable, so the colors won't bleed if it gets damp (like from errant glue).

Now for the downside: basic embroidery floss does have a slight sheen, but it's awfully dull for most modern tastes. We're so used to that shimmer and shine—especially us women! Sure, a matte finish (like the linen floss) can be nice, but (in my opinion) the cotton floss is just too shiny for the natural look. I still use it, of course, but I find myself passing it by more and more often.

Plus, the cotton floss makes terrible tassels: all the strands clump together, for a very ungraceful look. When it comes to tassels, I always pass up the cotton and go for the rayon or metallic.

When do I choose cotton floss? I have found that it works quite well for stitching pamphlets and for oriental stab binding. I have also used it for long stitch and buttonhole. It can be a very economical option for these–and quite beautiful, too, if used correctly. (For long stitch and buttonhole, it's usually much better than rayon, and worlds better than metallic!)

Speaking of rayon, I'll tackle it next. I just have to find a bit of free time...

Xandria

An embroidery floss primer, part 1

I know I can't be the only one who's always looking for an alternative binding material. Linen thread is dependable and traditional, but it's so expensive, and the color range is limited. And most colors have to be purchased in bulk, which isn't so great when you just need it for one book!

So, of course, I tried embroidery floss first thing. It's easy to find, it's cheap, and there are millions of colors available. (Well, more like hundreds, but still…) It really is a natural choice.

But working with embroidery floss isn't always so straighforward. For one thing, it isn't tightly twisted, so it can be difficult to work with. (Of course, needle artists need it to be loosely twisted, so they can seperate the strands.) This is one of the reasons I don't use it for traditionally stitched books. It just isn't as strong, for one; tightly twisting fibers adds strength. Plus, it snags; not only is this inconvenient, but by the time you finish sewing, it looks a bit "wooly!" And it doesn't wax easily, either, so no help there.

When I was a Girl Scout, there were a few brands of embroidery floss (mainly DMC and J&P Coats), but only one type: the traditional cotton floss. (There were a lot fewer colors, too…) There were pearl cotton and wool threads for crewel and the like, but just the one type of floss. Now, there are so many choices! DMC alone makes cotton, rayon, metallic, and–their newest!–linen flosses! There's even "fluorescent" floss!

I haven't tried the linen or or fluorescent flosses yet, but I've used the others extensively. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. I'll cover these in separate posts, and add linen once I've given it a spin. (I actually bought some last month, but I haven't had the right project to test it yet.)

Xandria