Sunday, September 13, 2009
i need your opinion
I hope you can help me. I am planning on releasing a design in February and I have to design and stitch it. Which its just an idea so far but I do not stitch very much with silk. I usually use DMC to keep projects more affordable and I do love their shading. But this project must be silk, so here goes. What silk should I use?. Many people use Needlepoint Silk, some use Au Ver A Soie. Is there something else that people like? Or if not which one of these do you like better. I just need some opinions to set me in the right direction. Thanks for your input and I hope the design will be a surprise. Maybe I can give hints along the way but February is a way off. donna
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About Me
- Donna
- Hi everyone, my name is Donna. I just love stitching of all sorts, I also love antique, and book stores. I am married and I have 2 children, and 3 grandchildren :). My Christian faith is the foundation of my life, and has sustained me through the ups and downs of this journey. Keep spreading kindness so you can change the world. So glad you stopped by, leave me a message and I will stop by and visit you.
Nantucket Village Series #1-5
Stitch An Inch Winter
Stitch An Inch Fall
Stitch An Inch Spring
Stitch An Inch Sumer Pack #1
Stitch An Inch Summer Pack #2
Tidal Rivers 1, 2, 3
I do like both of the silks you mentioned, but another that is gorgeous and very affordable is Vikki Clayton's silks - http://hand-dyedfibers.com. Carrie's Creations also makes a very affordable silk which I have not used, but I've heard it's very nice.
ReplyDeleteI was going to suggest Vikki Clayton also! I've used them and love them. I also, have not tried Carrie's silk floss yet, but it's an even more affordable option than Vikki's.
ReplyDeleteWhy are you asking me? ROFLOL...I'm allergic to silk so I can't use it.
ReplyDeleteMy own opinion is please design it with a DMC option for those of us that are silk handicapped.
Another voice for Vikki Clayton's silks. Love them, they are smooth and much more colorfast than others I have tried.
ReplyDeleteI think I might be here a bit a strange bee in the hive. Personally I think silks are highly overrated and I don't use solid colored silk but replace these with DMC. I only use variegated silks - simply because there are some gorgeous colors of these out there...like Gloriana or Thread Gatherer.
ReplyDeleteBut since you need to use silks, why don't you simply look at the color charts of the silks and decide which ones has the most colors of your liking in their repertoire?
I have had to make a decision to quit buying designs that are charted for silk. I just cannot justify the cost. Stitching is my hobby and my enjoyment but I cannot allow it to become a major financial outlay.
ReplyDeletePlease include a DMC conversion no matter what you choose.
ReplyDeleteMore designers seem to be using Needlepoint Silk so that would be my choice. A stitcher would be more likely to have some NPI in her stash than Au Ver A Soie.
Vikki Clayton is more affordable, but non-internet stitcher are unlikely to know who to purchase from her.
I like the Needlepoint Silks, if I have to use silks. I am with everyone else.. Please also have where we can stitch it in DMC. Silks do cost alot. I priced some the other day for The Planation Sampler.. I am going with DMC. To pricey....
ReplyDeleteI have never used the 2 mentioned but have used the Crescent Colours Belle Soie. When I last purchased it was $5.50 for a 5 yd skein-12 strands. I don't know if this is available everywhere in lns or online. But please do include a conversion to DMC as I like others use this more than silks. I do use hand-dyed cottons like Weeks and Gentle Arts and like them very much. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't care for Needlepoint Silk..it doesn't lay right IMO. I love Belle Soie, but CC...also Threadgatherer. Au Ver A Soie is nice too.
ReplyDeleteMeagan =)
I just stitched a project using Carries Silk and it was wonderful to work with.
ReplyDeleteI've used Needlepoint Silk, Au Ver a Soie, Crescent COlors, Caron Waterlilies, Hand Dyed Fibers and Thread Gatherer. I love using silk b/c the threads are so soft, a tactile thrill while I stitch. I love Needlepoint Silks. The only silk I *don't* like is Hand Dyed Fibers (Vikki Clayton), b/c they feel thin and cheap. Her premium silk might be better, I don't know.
ReplyDeleteI love silks, haven't tried so many but really like Vikki Clayton's
ReplyDeleteI use silks rarely because they leave my hands so dry but when I do use them, I love Belle Soie by Crescent Colours. It is the softest and stitching with it is a breeze. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteTanya
Donna ~
ReplyDeleteI have used both of the silks you mentioned. I prefer either Dinky Dyes ~ love these, or Vikki Clayton's silks. Hers are very affordable, and they stitch up beautifully.
I do not like NPI silks I don't like the way they look after you stitch with them and they seem to fray.
I like Thread Gathers Silk 'N Colors and Gloriana but at $7.00 and $7.30 a piece it is just too expensive for what you get.
Hope this helps.
I love your designs by the way, they are so I don't know different and appeal to me so much. I love your trees. Such a different take on a tree. I am going to get Summer Cove I really like it.
I bought Nantucket Sampler before I went to Washington D. C. to see my son in July. We went to the Hamptons and I took your piece to the beach to stitch on it that one day we were there. I felt it was the one to do somehow ~ to stitch that particular piece on the beach.
Take care and God Bless ~
Lenna
I love using silk floss (could you tell by my moniker???). Eterna is a good silk and a good buy. I have also used and liked Hand-dyed Fibers (VIkki Clayon) - also affordable, and Au Ver a Soie. I prefer silk over cotton as I think it is easier to work with than cotton. But a conversion to DMC is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteAnother vote here for Vikki Clayton as her silks are so affordable.
ReplyDeleteI also like Caron Waterlilies, Gloriana and Belle Soie, but these three are so much more expensive.
I don't stitch with silks first of all because I cannot find them where I live in France and secondly the prices, and thirdly the effect. Not my cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteJust give me regular DMC or Anchor floss. : )
Alice
My vote is purely selfish and it's for NPI. So many designers use NPI it just makes things simpler.
ReplyDeleteThanks for asking for our input. I am sure we will all love your design no matter what thread you choose.
I like to stitch with Gloriana, it is a bit pricey though!
ReplyDeleteI prefer Threadgatherer, Belle Soie, and Caron Waterlilies. I know some people find them expensive, but they are all 12-ply and you get a lot of thread for the money. I think if people stopped to calculate how much money they are spending per stitching strand, they'd find that floss is the cheapest part of stitching.
ReplyDeleteI love Vikki Clayton's silks -- very afforadable and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMy vote is Crescent Colours' Belle Soie. While I have used NPI and Dinky Dyes (which I also love), the Belle Soie is my absolute favorite. It's like stitching with butter. Yes, it is expensive at $6.50, but you get 5 one yard skeins that are tweleve ply. If you are like me and stitch on high counts, a card full goes a long way and may even encompass two different projects. I'll even convert other flosses to Belle Soie. However, I do agree with a DMC conversion since there are many that can not afford silks.
ReplyDeleteVikki Clayton (http://hand-dyedfibers.com/oscnuked/) has a fantastic line of silks. She's got every color and then some, plus they are very affordable and nice to stitch with. She's also wonderful to work with. :D
ReplyDeleteI love Vikkie Clayton silks - I have been converting everything I stitch to those. They are beautiful, really nice to use and the price is right!
ReplyDeleteI have stitched with all except the Vikki Clayton silks. I would choose the Belle Soie by Crescent Colours but I like the idea the other lady had about looking at the color cards to determine which to choose. Your colors are very vibrant and lively; some silks can look washed out and dull on white linen, like there is a patina over the entire project. I agree you should enclose a DMC conversion with your chart for the option.
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for Belle Soie silks for solid colors. Dinky Dyes and Thread Gatherer for overdyed/variegated colors.
ReplyDeleteI'll also add a plea to include a DMC reference for each color. If nothing else, it will allow the stitcher to convert to the silks of his/her choice :)
I would go with Needlepoint Silks, Au Ver a Soie, or Vicki Clayton. I really don't like Belle Soie - too soft and hard to use. It also splits and you have to use a short length to keep if from fuzzing. I am doing a monochromatic sampler in Belle Soie. I absolutely love the design, but hate the thread. I haven't picked it up in a year or more, because I just can't face that floss! -- Cindy
ReplyDeleteVikki Clayton silks are inexpensive, and lots of stitchers use them. Crescent Colours silks are generally in the shops and therefore easy to get, Dinky-Dyes are very nice to stitch with, Gloriana is my personal favorite. Not much help, am I?
ReplyDeleteLet me add to the Vikki Clayton HDF silk endorsement. Her silk is great & very afforable. It stitches up beautifully & does none of the fuzzing that threads such as Threadgatherer & Belle Soie does. They are also colorfast & she has all DMC colors available plus some beautifully varigated ones. I hardly stitch with anything else.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love using Crescent Colours and their Belle Soie silks are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteJust my 2 cents! : )
It depends on whether you want solid or overdyed colors. NPI are the most widely available and are solid colors like DMC. Caron has solid color line of silks which are very nice. Au Ver a Soie doesn't appear to be as available as NPI but are available in smaller skeins.
ReplyDeleteThe others that are mentioned are overdyed. Dinky Dyes and Carries silk are the most reasonably priced.
I would go by color and what you want the design to look like. We'll either buy what you suggest or change the colors! I'm stitching a Sampler Cove using Vikkie Clayton. Not my favorite silk, but the colors are perfect and I couldn't find any better substitutes.
Here's another Vikki Clayton Hand Dyed Fibers silk vote from me. I think I own almost every color made for the last 5 years. Joan in NJ
ReplyDeleteMy favorite silks are Vikki Clayton and Caron Waterlilies. I also like Dinky Dyes. .
ReplyDelete