Four Things I Learned Using Metallic Thread

Four Things I Learned Using Metallic Thread

I was in the craft store, picking up some thread from a project, when my young son's eye was caught by some shiny thread hanging on a hook. 

"Mom!" he said. "Use this one!"  I couldn't tell him no, so I went ahead and bought the skein of DMC Light Effects metallic thread in his hand and promised I'd find a way to work it in. 

Sure enough, I started a Christmas ornament as part of my #ornamental2020SAL, and I found the perfect opportunity. I get why he was attracted to that shiny thread--it is so pretty. But I also was hesitant as a #newbie stitcher after reading about people's struggles with this pretty accessory. This blog is to share the four things I learned while stitching with metallic thread. 

1. You have to be ready to take your time. 

Metallic thread is tricky in the best of circumstances. I used DMC Light Effects Golden Dawn (#E135), which comes with six strands in the skein. I decided to use 2 threads for my piece. Separating the threads was messy, but I learned that the slower you pulled them apart, the better the outcome. 

That slowing down was a key learning in general when using this floss. As I was stitching, it kept getting hung up and twisted every 2-3 stitches. I took the same approach and slowed down, and things went much better. As long as you have patience, you'll have less headache in the end. But if you're like me, you may find yourself getting bored in the process. 

2. You have to be okay with a little messiness. 

It didn't take long for me to notice that there is no such thing as a perfect stitch with metallic thread. Also, while I don't spend a lot of time worrying about the back of a piece....this one bothers me. It's a mess. I am going to have to take this into account when I finish it as an ornament. 

3. You have to be okay with a little waste. 

I tend to be a bit miserly with my thread--squeezing in a few more stitches even when I know I should tie it off. I don't know why I'm like this; I haven't run out ever during a project, but there it is. It took me a few lengths of threads to figure this out, but I couldn't use the thread to the end like I do with regular DMC. As soon as I noticed it fraying even a little, I cut it off and started anew. I am making myself feel better by thinking about how pretty the extra lengths of threads will look like in my ORT bottle. 

4. You have to be creative when you thread it. 

Speaking of patience... I almost lost my mind trying to thread this floss, especially when if it accidentally fell of the needle while stitching. As soon as you start stitching with it, it starts to fray. This makes it very difficult to thread. Near the end of my piece, I figured out that you could either cut the fray off the end (see # 3 above!) or fold the floss over like the picture below. 

While stitching with metallic thread does take more patience, I am really happy with the final product. I will definitely use this thread in the future--but you can be sure I'll keep it as limited within a piece as possible. I can't imagine doing a full piece this way--even though I think it would be beautiful, I just don't have the patience.