embroidery threads colors choice

How to determine which thread color to use in your embroidery designs

    Many of you have noted that all thread appears different when the embroidery design is stitched than it did on the cone. This is due to the way the light reflects on the sewn thread and the background or fabric color.

    It's often very hard to determine which thread color to use. To encourage you to experiment with the thread that you have, and to open the door for you to try other thread colors, brands and content, I have created simple squares that you can use to stitch test samples. They are not large and will not take long to sew out.

    They are all the same fill, but I have incorporated the three main stitch angles that are usually found in most embroidery designs. When you stitch these you will gain a greater understanding of the effects of angles on how a single thread color can appear to be 3 different colors! Learning this will enable you to choose the correct thread color, or shade of thread color with more confidence.

    The color choice design files are in most formats including ART.

- 01 color choice file is a single layer fill with underlayment.
- 02 color choice file is for use in determining which colors to use if the design has shading.

    Although the density of the shading may be different than the actual design you are testing for, you will better see how many shade differences you would like for the final choice.

    I hope that you will use these often! You will find them especially helpful when you would like to change the thread colors of a design without having to stitch the entire design out.

    Be sure to keep your stitch outs for future reference - be sure to mark the thread/s you used to stitch the samples!

We're always here to help make your embroidery experience more enjoyable.    

Happy Stitching from Sandy, at Thread Artist Embroidery Designs!  Copyright 2000

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