Needlepoint Threads 101

Everything you need to know before buying thread

Understanding Thread Materials

Cotton
Decorative/Sparkle
Silk
Silk + Wool
Wool

Cotton Thread

The most affordable thread option
Durable and great for areas that don’t need a lot of thread (or to DIY your own cording)
No need to worry about dye lots/consistent color

DMC Pearl Cotton

(Size 5)

Easy to find in stores, great for beginners. Best for 18 mesh.

Shop Size 5
DMC Pearl Cotton

(Size 3)

Easy to find in stores, great for any canvas, nearly indestructible. Best for 10-13 mesh.

Shop Size 3

Decorative/Sparkle Thread

A fun addition to any canvas that needs added texture like a sparkle background, a velvet bow, or metallic text
Great for adding extra texture and dimensions to your piece, No need to worry about dye lots

Neon Rays+

Neon Rays+ is ideal for 13 to 18 mesh. It's the perfect thread to add a big sparkle in your needlepoint.

Shop Neon Rays
Silk Lame Plus

Silk Lamé Plus is ideal for 13 to 18 mesh. It's the perfect thread to add a more muted sparkle in your needlepoint.

Shop Lame Plus
Fyre Werks

Fyre Werks is ideal for 13 to 18 mesh. It's the perfect thread for a little sparkle in your needlepoint.

Shop Fyre Werks
Very Velvet

Petite

Very Velvet Petite is best for 18 mesh. Durable, high coverage, smooth stitches.

Shop Very Velvet Petite
Very Velvet

Regular

Very Velvet is best for 13 mesh. Durable, high coverage, smooth stitches.

Shop Very Velvet
Capri

Capri 18 is ideal for 14 to 18 mesh. It's the ideal thread to create a matte finish, providing a nice contrast to shinier threads.

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Reflections

A blend of silk and nylon which offers a hint of sparkle on a 10 yard card. Best suited for 18 mesh.

Shop Reflections
Fuzzy Stuff

Fuzzy with a shiny glint. The shiny hairs do not overpower the rest of the yarn, they just add a nice hint of sparkle. Recommended to use 2 strands on 13 mesh and 1 strand on 18 mesh.

Shop Fuzzy Stuff
River Silk Ribbon

Hand-dyed woven 100% silk ribbon. Durable and resists shredding and fraying. It is best used on 13 and 18 mesh.

Shop River Silks
Straw Silk

Can be used on both 13 or 18 mesh. 100% silk that adds fun texture if stitched as is or can be smoothed out for a silky look!

Shop Straw Silk
Silk Lamé Braid

Silk Lamé Braid is ideal for 16 to 18 mesh. It's the perfect thread for a little sparkle in your needlepoint.

Shop Silk Lamé Braid
Wisper

Wisper is a very fine thread which is great for furry subjects. Recommended to use 2 strands for 18 count and 3 strands for 13/14 count.

Shop Wisper
ThreadworX

ThreadworX threads are a great way to easily add something special to your stitching. Best suited for 18 mesh.

Shop ThreadworX
Sundance Beads

Sundance Beads are a great way to add detail and sparkle to your canvas. Size 11 is best suited for 13 mesh and size 14 is best suited for 18 mesh.

Silk Thread

Slightly more luscious, a go-to among stitchers and used in most PL kits
A very smooth stitch
Vibrant colors and a silky sheen on the canvas

Pepper Pot

Mainly used for 18 mesh (though some people do like stitching with it on 13 mesh!), variety of colors, great coverage.

Shop Pepper Pot
Planet Earth Silk

Krista’s favorite for 13 mesh projects, great coverage, silky sheen on canvas. Available in 28.8 yard skeins and Penny Linn's exclusive 10 yard cards.

Shop Planet Earth
Vineyard Silk

A go-to for 18 mesh, beautiful colors, silky smooth stitch, a stitchers favorite. Now available in 15 yard "On the Go" cards as well as their signature 30 yard skeins.

Shop Vineyard Silk

Silk + Wool Thread

A nice option for longtime use (slightly more durable than silk on its own)
Perfect for backgrounds or projects that will see a lot of wear
Vibrant colors and a smooth stitch

Silk & Ivory

A fan favorite for 13 mesh, the most amazing colors, an easy stitch, silky coverage.

Shop Silk & Ivory
Milan

Milan is one of the newest thread lines from Planet Earth Fibers and is luscious, has excellent coverage, and a soft sheen. Best for 13 mesh.

Shop Milan
Essentials

Vibrant colors. Available in both 10 yard cards and 30 yard skeins. Best for 18 mesh.

Shop Essentials

Wool Thread

Durable for high touch/wear pieces like belts and keychains
Stretchy thread allows the stitcher to control the coverage they want. More muted color

Vineyard Silk Wool

Can be used on 13 (lighter coverage) or 18 mesh (higher coverage), durable, great for high-wear pieces, more muted in color.

Shop Vineyard Silk Wool
Planet Earth Wool

100% Merino Wool that has an excellent color range, great coverage and is extremely durable. Best for 13 mesh.

Shop Planet Earth Wool
Appletons

An extremely affordable and durable wool from Britain. Available in 10 meter skeins and best suited for 10-13 mesh.

Shop Appletons

What is Mesh Size?

Mesh size refers to the number of holes per inch on your canvas. A 13 Mesh canvas has larger holes, will be quicker to stitch, and will require a thicker thread. An 18 Mesh canvas has smaller holes and a more detailed design, requiring thinner threads.

Common Thread Questions, Answered

This is one of the major mysteries in needlepoint. Some people use their fist to measure a skein, others their thumb to measure small areas. Truthfully, the best thing to do is to over-buy and not worry about running out of thread. The more you stitch, the more you will learn how you use up skeins.

If you’ve already started to stitch, pay attention to dye lots – especially for large areas like backgrounds. If the design area is small or broken up, you don’t need to worry as much.

Feel free to mix and match! Sometimes we like to just pull from our stash, other times we like different tones of colors from different thread lines. The world is your oyster!

YES! We do this all the time and love color swapping. Just make sure your thread is full-coverage.

For high-use items, cotton or wool are the best options. We love stitching belts in cotton, and bag straps in wool.