Embroidery Floss & Thread Skeins

Embroidery floss is six loose strands twisted together, and that is the whole point of it: you split it down to one, two or three strands depending on how fine you want the line. A full-weight stem stitch and a single-strand facial detail come off the same skein.

How many colours do you actually need?

More than you think, and sooner than you think. The colour sets here run 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 pieces, and the honest guidance is:

  • 50 pieces — enough for one project at a time if you already know your palette.
  • 100 to 150 — the range most people settle at. Enough near-shades to blend a gradient without mail-ordering mid-project.
  • 200 to 250 — for anyone stitching from printed patterns that call out specific colours, or working several pieces at once.

There is also a 6-pack of embroidery thread skeins if you only need to top up, and the same thread works as friendship bracelet thread and as cross stitch thread — it is the same six-strand cotton either way.

Why does floss tangle, and what stops it?

Loose skeins tangle because nothing holds the cut end. Wind each colour onto a bobbin, write the number on the card, and the problem disappears for good. An embroidery floss organizer here does exactly that: a boxed set with numbered bobbins, or a bobbin kit with replaceable number cards and a built-in needle holder, or numbered boards running 01 to 111.

Skeins or a wound set?

A skein of embroidery floss is cheaper per metre and comes as the manufacturer wound it. A wound-and-numbered set costs more, but you can find a colour in seconds two years later. If you finish one piece a year, buy skeins. If you have three going at once, buy an embroidery floss bobbin set and thank yourself later.

One thing worth knowing

Cut lengths of about 45 cm. Longer than that and the thread frays from being dragged through the fabric a few hundred times before you reach the end of it.

Starting from scratch? The embroidery kits arrive with thread already matched to the design. For hoops, needles and the rest, see embroidery supplies.