Which silk threads?

A voice out of the past calls for help!

I'm getting back into needlework mode, and I have in mind a silk on
linen project. In the past I've used Soie d'Alger but I've been told
they have delivery problems so I'm considering Kreinik's Silk Mori.
I'd welcome opinions on this thread, and also advice on the number of
strands to use on 28-count Belfast so I don't order more than I really
need.

And, of course, if you have recommendations for something other than
Mori, I'd welcome those, too.

It's all over now, but I've had a bummer of a year -- two hip
replacements followed by month-long stays in rehab, a gall bladder
removal, and several lesser hospitalizations -- so I've done precious
little stitching for quite a while.

Thanks, ladies.

Felice

Silk Mori is a lovely silk. You might also think about Madeira silk
threads, which are shinier. Either will give you nice results.

Dianne

On 9/15/2011 3:59 PM, Felice wrote:
A voice out of the past calls for help!

I'm getting back into needlework mode, and I have in mind a silk on
linen project. In the past I've used Soie d'Alger but I've been told
they have delivery problems so I'm considering Kreinik's Silk Mori.
I'd welcome opinions on this thread, and also advice on the number of
strands to use on 28-count Belfast so I don't order more than I really
need.

And, of course, if you have recommendations for something other than
Mori, I'd welcome those, too.

It's all over now, but I've had a bummer of a year -- two hip
replacements followed by month-long stays in rehab, a gall bladder
removal, and several lesser hospitalizations -- so I've done precious
little stitching for quite a while.

Thanks, ladies.

Felice

My favourite silk is made by Rainbow Gallery -- I think they call it
Splendor. I have been working on a NP project and haven't been near my
silks in months -- LOL. The Splendor is very nice to work with, has a
lovely sheen, comes in a bazillion colours, it reasonably priced and is
a 12 strand floss -- not five like so many others. I have lots of other
silk fibers but I always go to the Splendor first.
On 28 count, I would use a minimum of 2 strands for light coverage
and 3 strands for denser coverage. I very rarely us 3 strands unless a
chart calls for it as I prefer lighter coverage. Keep us posted on
what you finally use, OK?

PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ (RCTQ Queen of Kitties)
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about
their whiskers!
Visit my Photo albums at http://community.webshots.com/user/tiamary



On 9/15/2011 1:59 PM, Felice wrote:
A voice out of the past calls for help!

I'm getting back into needlework mode, and I have in mind a silk on
linen project. In the past I've used Soie d'Alger but I've been told
they have delivery problems so I'm considering Kreinik's Silk Mori.
I'd welcome opinions on this thread, and also advice on the number of
strands to use on 28-count Belfast so I don't order more than I really
need.

And, of course, if you have recommendations for something other than
Mori, I'd welcome those, too.

It's all over now, but I've had a bummer of a year -- two hip
replacements followed by month-long stays in rehab, a gall bladder
removal, and several lesser hospitalizations -- so I've done precious
little stitching for quite a while.

Thanks, ladies.

Felice

"Dianne Lewandowski" wrote in message

Silk Mori is a lovely silk. You might also think about Madeira silk
threads, which are shinier. Either will give you nice results.

Dianne

That's very helpful, Dianne, since I don't think shiny is called for
in this case -- it's the Heritage Stitchcraft version of the Mayflower
and I think a more muted look will be appropriate.

Felice

"Tia Mary" wrote in message

My favourite silk is made by Rainbow Gallery -- I think they call
it
Splendor. I have been working on a NP project and haven't been near
my silks in months -- LOL. The Splendor is very nice to work with,
has a lovely sheen, comes in a bazillion colours, it reasonably
priced and is a 12 strand floss -- not five like so many others. I
have lots of other silk fibers but I always go to the Splendor
first.
On 28 count, I would use a minimum of 2 strands for light
coverage
and 3 strands for denser coverage. I very rarely us 3 strands
unless
a chart calls for it as I prefer lighter coverage. Keep us posted
on
what you finally use, OK?

PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ (RCTQ Queen of Kitties)

Thanks, Tia Mary! I'll have to look into Splendor, particular since
the color matches between the designated DMC and the Mori silks are
not as exact as I would like. Good to hear, too, that 2 strands on 28
would work -- that's my preference, too -- especially on a Pearl Gray
fabric.

I'm doing pillows for my two grands, with the Mayflower in the center
and the border including the names of their direct ancestors back to
the Mayflower. With luck, I hope to have them done by Thanksgiving.
Hah!

Felice

On 9/15/11 7:44 PM, Felice wrote:

I'm doing pillows for my two grands, with the Mayflower in the center
and the border including the names of their direct ancestors back to
the Mayflower. With luck, I hope to have them done by Thanksgiving.
Hah!

What a fun idea :-) I found out helping with some research
for one child's history assignment last year that we may not be
connected to the Mayflower (though it remains a possibility), but
looks like we qualify for Ark and Dove (not sure yet about passage
on the Ark and Dove, but descended from Lord Baltimore) and Filles
du Roi (from Francoise Boivin). I'm not sure I'll ever have the
motivation to assemble all the formal documentation, however!

Best wishes,
Ericka

"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message

On 9/15/11 7:44 PM, Felice wrote:

I'm doing pillows for my two grands, with the Mayflower in the
center
and the border including the names of their direct ancestors back
to
the Mayflower. With luck, I hope to have them done by Thanksgiving.
Hah!

What a fun idea :-) I found out helping with some research
for one child's history assignment last year that we may not be
connected to the Mayflower (though it remains a possibility), but
looks like we qualify for Ark and Dove (not sure yet about passage
on the Ark and Dove, but descended from Lord Baltimore) and Filles
du Roi (from Francoise Boivin). I'm not sure I'll ever have the
motivation to assemble all the formal documentation, however!

Best wishes,
Ericka

Oh, DO IT! It can be tedious but you will derive great satisfaction
when you've gathered all the necessaries. Les Filles du Roi sounds so
exotic!

Felice

On 9/15/11 6:42 PM, in article , "Tia Mary"
wrote:

My favourite silk is made by Rainbow Gallery -- I think they call it
Splendor. I have been working on a NP project and haven't been near my
silks in months -- LOL. The Splendor is very nice to work with, has a
lovely sheen, comes in a bazillion colours, it reasonably priced and is
a 12 strand floss -- not five like so many others. I have lots of other
silk fibers but I always go to the Splendor first.

I'm echoing Mary. I really like Splendor quite a bit, there's a great range
of colors, and the price is reasonable. The 12 strands are packaged as 3
bundles of 4 strands, so you ply out one of the groups of 4, and then strip
out the single strands you'll use. Splendor seems to be a slightly heavier
silk than some of the others, and people doing canvas work love it. Just
enough of a difference. After Splendor, in the solids I'm almost as partial
to Soie Cristal from Caron.

I also like Needlepoint Inc silk, many sampler stitchers use this working on
linen. I don't like it as much for canvas, it's just slightly thinner and on
canvas 18 ct or 24 ct congress it makes a difference. I did a large piece
on congress using NI, and had to vary between 2 and 3 strands depending on
the color - the darker colors tend to thin more - something to do with the
dyeing as it was explained to me (but of course I could be wrong).
On 28 count, I would use a minimum of 2 strands for light coverage
and 3 strands for denser coverage. I very rarely us 3 strands unless a
chart calls for it as I prefer lighter coverage. Keep us posted on
what you finally use, OK?

I tend to like full coverage, so will generally use 3 strands on 28 count, 2
on 32. But, in the last few years I've gotten in the habit of doing a
little test section in the corner to make a decision. And then it also may
vary with the particular stitch.

The Silk Mori is nice thread. The Au Ver a Soie people made some changes to
their processing a few years back, wanting it to be more colorfast. It's
still the 7 strand situation, but I (not alone in this) find it to be kind
of easily fuzzed. Having just spent some time working on a piece done
entirely in beige AVAS & gold metallics, I'm not inclined to say it's a
favorite.

Even though you didn't ask, I'll tell you that for hand-dyed/over-dyed or
painted, I really like Gloriana, Waterlilies, tne new Planet Earth stuff,
and am currently using some Pure Palette stranded silk. It's very subtly
over-dyed. I do also have a fair amount of Silk'n'Colors, love the colors,
but I think in hand the silk feels quite dry, almost crunchy.

Anyhow - my favorite standard is probably the Splendor - plus, it's easy to
work with it off the cards ;^)

BTW - sorry to hear you've had such a tumultous health time, and glad you're
back with us, and stitching!

Ellice

On 9/15/2011 1:59 PM, Felice wrote:
A voice out of the past calls for help!

I'm getting back into needlework mode, and I have in mind a silk on
linen project. In the past I've used Soie d'Alger but I've been told
they have delivery problems so I'm considering Kreinik's Silk Mori.
I'd welcome opinions on this thread, and also advice on the number of
strands to use on 28-count Belfast so I don't order more than I really
need.

And, of course, if you have recommendations for something other than
Mori, I'd welcome those, too.

It's all over now, but I've had a bummer of a year -- two hip
replacements followed by month-long stays in rehab, a gall bladder
removal, and several lesser hospitalizations -- so I've done precious
little stitching for quite a while.

Thanks, ladies.

Felice

On 9/15/11 9:09 PM, Felice wrote:
"Ericka wrote in message


What a fun idea :-) I found out helping with some research
for one child's history assignment last year that we may not be
connected to the Mayflower (though it remains a possibility), but
looks like we qualify for Ark and Dove (not sure yet about passage
on the Ark and Dove, but descended from Lord Baltimore) and Filles
du Roi (from Francoise Boivin). I'm not sure I'll ever have the
motivation to assemble all the formal documentation, however!


Oh, DO IT! It can be tedious but you will derive great satisfaction
when you've gathered all the necessaries. Les Filles du Roi sounds so
exotic!

It does, doesn't it! For those who don't know the history,
it's somewhat less glamorous than it seems, however :-) Back in
the colonial days in France, there were a bunch of men (mostly
soldiers and farmers/trappers) and not very many women. So,
Louis XIV sent about 770 women to Canada between 1663 and 1673
to marry and help settle the colony there. The king paid for their
passage and (for some) a small dowry. Many were orphans, and many
were very young. We know Francoise Boivin was a fille du roi and
a direct ancestor thanks to the work someone has done on my husband's
patrilineal line. There are probably other filles du roi lurking
in the tree as well, but I don't know about them.

Right now, there's no way I have the time to gather all
the proper documentation, but perhaps someday I'll be able to!
At least I've laid out the information I have so that someone
else might be able to pick up where I've left off. I'm pretty
confident that the links in the chain are valid. I was lucky
and some people had done some excellent research on the key lines
that went back to colonial times in the US (my side of the family)
and Canada (husband's side of the family). My perception was always
that family came from the midwest and west coast, and it's true
that the more recent immigrants largely came straight to the midwest
(and some moved rapidly to the west). We live in Virginia, so
those branches seemed very far away. When I found that some of
them came right back to Virginia and Maryland, and that
there were graves and other landmarks nearby, it was almost
disconcerting to think they were living right here! One ancestor
owned a lot of the land that is currently Georgetown :-) Honestly,
until we started hunting for this school assignment, I didn't know
that we had any ancestors on my side who were here anywhere near
colonial times. Six of my great-grandparents were immigrants,
but apparently the other two had deep roots here. At any rate,
I find the whole thing way too interesting and can fritter away
hours chasing leads...which is a Bad Thing when the to do list
is already way too long!

Best wishes,
Ericka

On 9/15/2011 9:09 PM, Felice wrote:
"Ericka wrote in message

On 9/15/11 7:44 PM, Felice wrote:

I'm doing pillows for my two grands, with the Mayflower in the
center
and the border including the names of their direct ancestors back
to
the Mayflower. With luck, I hope to have them done by Thanksgiving.
Hah!

What a fun idea :-) I found out helping with some research
for one child's history assignment last year that we may not be
connected to the Mayflower (though it remains a possibility), but
looks like we qualify for Ark and Dove (not sure yet about passage
on the Ark and Dove, but descended from Lord Baltimore) and Filles
du Roi (from Francoise Boivin). I'm not sure I'll ever have the
motivation to assemble all the formal documentation, however!

Best wishes,
Ericka

Oh, DO IT! It can be tedious but you will derive great satisfaction
when you've gathered all the necessaries. Les Filles du Roi sounds so
exotic!

Felice


I have done the genealogy for my mothers side of the family. One of the
ancestresses is Francoise DeCharmenil was sent to Quebec as one of the
King's Daughters "Fille Du Roi". These women were sent during their
child-bearing years to help populate "New France"/Quebec, with a dowry
from the King,because there were so few women in place at the time. So a
Fluer de Lys would be appropriate.

Bobbie V.