Hand Embroidery Thread Guide: Floss, Perle, and Sashiko

1. Six-strand embroidery floss

Six-strand floss, also sold as stranded cotton or mouliné, is the thread most people picture when they think of embroidery. It's six fine strands loosely twisted together, and you pull them apart to stitch with as many as the design needs. DMC sells its six-strand floss in 8-meter (8.7-yard) skeins of 100% long-staple cotton, mercerized twice for sheen. Anchor Stranded Cotton, now part of DMC, is also sold in 8-meter skeins of extra-long staple cotton, double mercerized. COSMO, from Lecien in Kyoto, and Olympus both make a Japanese No. 25 six-strand floss. Aurifil winds a divisible 6-strand cotton floss on a wooden spool (18 yards) in its 270 cotton colors, so it matches its sewing thread.

How to separate floss

DMC says you won't usually stitch with all six strands, so separating them is the first step. Its method: cut a length of no more than about 18 inches (roughly fingertip to elbow), hold it loosely, and pull out one strand at a time, straight up, so the rest don't tangle. Then lay the strands you need back together. DMC also suggests cutting the end at a 45-degree angle to make threading easier.

How many strands to use

DMC's advice is to follow the pattern: most designs say which thread to use and how many strands. When a pattern doesn't say, these are common starting points, not maker rules:

• 1 strand: very fine outlines, lettering, and tiny detail.
• 2 strands: cross-stitch on 14-count Aida, backstitch outlines, and redwork on quilt blocks.
• 3 strands: most surface embroidery stitches on quilting cotton, where you want the line to show.
• 4 to 6 strands: bold fills and textured stitches such as French knots.

More strands make a thicker, bolder line, and they need a needle with a bigger eye. Stitch a few inches on scrap fabric first if you're unsure. A few strands of floss can also stand in for perle in big-stitch quilting, though perle and 12wt cotton are the more common choices.

2. Perle cotton and big-stitch quilting

Perle cotton (also spelled pearl cotton, or coton perlé) is a single twisted thread with a soft sheen. You don't separate it: DMC says perle is designed to be used straight from the ball or skein. Instead of choosing a strand count, you choose a size. DMC makes sizes 3, 5, 8 and 12, with #3 the thickest and #12 the finest. The numbers run the same direction as thread weights: the higher the number, the finer the thread.

Presencia Perle Finca is 100% long-staple Egyptian cotton, mercerized, with colors its US distributor lists as colorfast, bleachfast and shrinkfast (five colors are colorfast but not bleachfast). Presencia's range runs from size 3 to size 16. Valdani makes hand-dyed perle in sizes 5, 8 and 12 and suggests uses for each: size 12 for finer definition, including sashiko and hand quilting; size 8 for big stitch, hand quilting and wool appliqué; and size 5 for heavy decorative stitching.

Which size for big-stitch quilting

Big-stitch quilting uses long hand stitches that are meant to be seen, often in a contrasting color. #8 perle is the common choice, and #5 gives a bolder line if your fabric and batting let the needle through easily. #12 suits quilters who want the stitch pattern to read more quietly. Aurifil's 12wt cotton is another option: Aurifil calls it its "go-to for big stitch hand quilting." For a full list of machine and hand quilting threads, see the best thread for quilting, by task.

3. Sashiko thread

Sashiko is Japanese running-stitch embroidery, traditionally white thread on indigo cloth, and it's popular with quilters for visible mending and big-stitch work. Sashiko thread is 100% cotton with a matte finish, made of several fine plies twisted together. You stitch with it as it comes, the way you would perle, rather than pulling it apart like floss. Its thickness is often compared to #8 perle, though perle has more sheen.

Two Japanese makers describe their threads this way:

• Olympus sells a standard 100% cotton sashiko thread in skeins of about 20 meters, a thin version in skeins of about 80 meters, and a thick version it describes as 8 strands with a soft twist.
• Daruma, the thread brand of Yokota in Osaka, makes a thin sashiko thread twisted from 4 plies, which it calls its most standard thickness and suitable for both small and large patterns. Its thick thread is twisted from 6 plies and recommended for large patterns where each stitch should stand out. Both come on cards, which makes it easy to cut the length you want.

COSMO also makes a cotton sashiko thread, Hidamari. Sashiko needles are long so you can load several stitches at once. Olympus sells sets in lengths from 42.9 mm to 65 mm, plus a 48 mm needle with a big eye.

4. Hand quilting thread

Traditional hand quilting, the small running stitch through all three layers, uses a different thread from big-stitch. It's usually cotton with a glazed (waxed or starched) coating. YLI says the coating adds strength, cuts lint and helps prevent knots, and it calls 40wt cotton the usual choice for hand quilting. Gütermann's hand quilting thread is a waxed, mercerized cotton, and Coats & Clark makes a glacé-finish Dual Duty Plus Hand Quilting thread. Weeks Dye Works sells a hand-dyed 40wt cotton sewing thread that it describes as good for hand quilting or machine stitching. It isn't sold as glazed, so it's an option if you want one thread for both.

Keep glazed thread out of your sewing machine. Superior Threads says the coating can clog a machine's tension discs, and both YLI and Gütermann label their hand quilting threads for hand use only. YLI suggests working with lengths of about 18 to 24 inches to limit tangling, and notes that hand quilting thread doesn't have to be cotton.

English paper piecing and hand appliqué

Fine hand sewing, such as English paper piecing (EPP) and needle-turn appliqué, goes the other way: a thin thread that disappears into the seam. 50wt and 80wt cotton are common picks. For Aurifil's 80wt, Aurifil suggests lengths no longer than 14 to 16 inches and names a Tulip Hiroshima #10 as its preferred hand needle.

5. Wool and silk threads

Wool

Wool thread gives a soft, raised line and is the usual choice for crewel work and for stitching wool appliqué. It comes in several forms:

• Appletons makes two traditional wools, dyed and spun in Yorkshire: a finer 2-ply crewel wool for detailed embroidery and a thicker 4-ply tapestry wool for bolder work and needlepoint.
• Valdani's wool thread is 100% Australian merino, hand-dyed, and meant for wool appliqué, crewel work and crochet.
• Aurifil Wool 12wt and WonderFil Ellana 12wt are both 50% wool and 50% acrylic. Aurifil lists hand embroidery and cross-stitch among its uses. WonderFil lists hand appliqué and wool-on-wool appliqué, and it suggests a #7 embroidery or #24 chenille hand needle.
• The Gentle Art makes Simply Wool, a single-ply wool thread.

Wool needs a needle with a large eye: chenille on fabric, tapestry on canvas.

Silk

Silk is chosen for its sheen and for how smoothly it passes through fabric. The Thread Gatherer's Silk N Colors is all silk, hand-dyed, and sold in 5-yard skeins that can be separated down to 12 plies. Valdani makes a six-strand silk floss that separates like cotton floss and a twisted, non-divisible perle silk. Silk costs more than cotton, so quilters tend to save it for small embroidered details rather than stitching a whole quilt.

6. Hand-dyed and variegated threads

Hand-dyed threads change color along their length, which gives embroidery and big-stitch quilting a shaded, antique look. That variation is intended, and so are small differences between batches:

• Weeks Dye Works hand-dyes all of its products at its facility in Garner, North Carolina, including floss, pearl cotton in sizes 3, 5, 8 and 12, and crewel wool. It says hand dyeing can cause slight color variations.
• The Gentle Art over-dyes its Sampler Threads and Simply Shaker six-strand cottons, and says there are slight variations within each dye lot.
• Valdani hand-dyes its threads in its own studios in Romania and describes them as colorfast.

Washing hand-dyed thread

Makers give different advice here, so check the label. The Gentle Art says its threads are colorfast but that some surface dye may remain. It suggests rinsing Sampler Threads and Simply Shaker in hot water before stitching, blotting them on a white towel, and repeating until no dye comes off; a finished piece can then be gently washed. Weeks Dye Works says most of its thread is colorfast but recommends not washing the finished project, because a little excess dye may stay in the fibers. For a quilt that will be washed, test a stitched sample first.

It's also common practice to buy enough of a hand-dyed color for the whole project at once.

7. Needles for hand work

The needle has to open a hole big enough for the thread to pass without fraying, and its point has to suit the material. These are the main types, as the needle makers describe them:

• Embroidery (crewel): sharp, with a longer eye than a standard sharp so it's easier to thread with several strands of floss. DMC sizes run from 1 to 10, and a smaller number is a larger needle. DMC says its embroidery needles suit stranded floss, perle cotton and coton à broder.
• Chenille: the same length and thickness as a tapestry needle, but with a sharp point. DMC describes it as a cross between tapestry and embroidery needles, useful for thicker threads, fine yarns and ribbon on fabric that has to be pierced, which makes it a fit for heavier perle and wool.
• Tapestry (cross-stitch): a large eye and a blunt point that slips between the threads of canvas or Aida without splitting them. John James says the eye takes tapestry wool or six-stranded cotton easily.
• Betweens (quilting): short needles designed for quilters. John James says the short length lets you stitch faster than with an ordinary sewing needle.
• Milliners (straw): like a sharp but longer, and used for decorative stitching and pleating.
• Sashiko: long needles for loading many running stitches at once (see section 3).

Chenille and tapestry sizes run the other way from embroidery sizes: a higher number is a finer needle. If thread frays or is hard to pull through, move to a needle with a bigger eye. For machine needles, see our thread and needle chart.

Hand threads at a glance

A starting point, not a rule. Thickness varies between brands, so stitch a sample first.

FAQ

Related guides

• Thread Weights Explained — what wt, Tex and 50/3 mean on a label.
• The Best Thread for Quilting, by Task — a fiber, weight and needle for each quilting job.
• Thread and Needle Chart — which needle size and type suits each thread.
• Thread Myths — common beliefs about thread, checked against the facts.
• Thread brands on QuiltMap — every thread maker in our directory.

Sources

1. DMC, Six-Strand Embroidery Floss: dmc.com/US/en/products/mouline-special
2. DMC, "How to Use Stranded Embroidery Floss": dmc.com/US/en/technique-embroidery-use-stranded-thread
3. DMC, "How to Use Pearl Cotton": dmc.com/US/en/technique-embroidery-use-pearl-cotton
4. DMC, Embroidery Needles: dmc.com/SE/en-GB/products/embroidery-needles
5. DMC, Chenille Needles: dmc.com/US/en/products/chenille-needles
6. Anchor, Stranded Cotton Mouliné: anchorcrafts.com/products/anchor-stranded-cotton-mouline
7. Aurifil, Thread FAQ: aurifil.com/aurifil-thread-faq
8. Aurifil, Cotton Floss: aurifil.com/aurifil-products/aurifil-cotton-floss
9. Aurifil, Wool 12wt: aurifil.com/aurifil-products/aurifil-wool
10. Colonial Needle, Presencia Finca Perle: colonialneedle.com/pages/presencia-finca-perle
11. Valdani, Products: valdani.com/products
12. Olympus, Sashiko Thread: olympus-thread.com/en/lineup/sashiko/42/
13. Olympus, Sashiko Thread (Thin): olympus-thread.com/en/lineup/sashiko/41/
14. Olympus, Sashiko Thread (Thick): olympus-thread.com/en/lineup/sashiko/44/
15. Olympus, Sashiko Needle: olympus-thread.com/en/lineup/sashiko/46/
16. Daruma (Yokota), Sashiko Thread, thin: daruma-ito.co.jp/products/01-2400.php
17. Daruma (Yokota), Sashiko Thread, thick: daruma-ito.co.jp/products/01-2410.php
18. YLI Threads, Hand Quilting Thread: ylithreads.com/collections/hand-quilting-thread
19. Gütermann creativ, Hand Quilting Thread: consumer.guetermann.com/en/products/quilting/
20. Superior Threads, "Thread Characteristics": superiorthreads.com/education/thread-characteristics
21. Appletons, "Our Wool": appletons.org.uk/our-wool/
22. WonderFil, Ellana: wonderfil.ca/ellana
23. The Thread Gatherer, Silk N Colors: threadgatherer.com/collections/silk-n-colors
24. Weeks Dye Works, Sewing Thread: weeksdyeworks.com/products/product-category/sewing-thread
25. Weeks Dye Works, FAQ: weeksdyeworks.com/faq
26. The Gentle Art, Care: thegentleart.com/care/
27. John James Needles, Needle Guide (PDF): jjneedles.com Needle Guide