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How Much Embroidery Floss Should You Use?

May 28, 2024 by Sarah White

One of the most common questions I hear from people who are new to cross stitch and other kinds of embroidery is how many strands of embroidery floss should you use on a project?

I learned by using two strands, and some projects will tell you if they want more coverage such as can be produced by using more strands, but I tend to default to two strands.

Sometimes you will want more or less coverage, or depending on the kind of work you’re doing you might want more of fewer strands. Working subtle back stitch details, for example, you might choose to use fewer strands than you did on the main colorwork of the project. If you’re stitching a full-coverage project, you might want to use more strands to ensure none of the fabric shows through.

This is kind of just a long way of saying “it depends,” but if you want to get a little more specific, Crewel Ghoul has some advice on their website about how many strands to use when.

There’s even a quiz on the page you can take describing what kind of embroidery you are doing, how big the project is and how you’d like the stitches to look, which then advises how many strands you should use.

I told it I was doing a medium sized cross stitch project and wanted fluffy looking stitches, and it advised using two or three strands, so I guess my instinct is pretty good on that.

If you want to see one example of how different numbers of strands play in a project, check out my post on French knots, which has samples using different numbers of strands and different numbers of twists in the knot. It really does make a difference and you’ll probably find you have a preference that you’ll default to as well.

I’d love to know if you “always” use the same number of strands and how many you do.

[Photo: Crewel Ghoul]

How to Make French Knots

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Designer Spotlight: Flossy Fox Shop

If you like your cross stitch designs full of color and with a bit of an 8-bit video game feel, you’ll want to check out Flossy Fox Shop. This Etsy seller based in Washington state specializes in fantasy creatures, cozy witch scenes, magic and myths, as well as other designs that are sure to delight. 

I know that shop category “cozy witch scenes” caught my attention, so let’s take a look. It’s mostly sampler style designs with lots of little elements, and some are specifically parts of the house like a cozy with kitchen or library. The one shown here is called Bats and Bells, Tea and Spells, and it includes a table in front of a window with plenty of fun creatures like a fox, crow, dragon and cat. 

On the wall there are swords and an axe, and maybe also some drying herbs and a teapot. The design is 82 by 77 stitches and uses 22 colors. On 14 count fabric it comes out to 5.9 by 5.5 inches, or almost 15 by 14 cm. 

The largest category is myths and magic, which includes cryptids, dragons, mermaids, kitsune and other fanciful creatures. Another large group is animals and nature, which is heavy on cats and corgis, as well as foxes.

There’s also a handful of cute bookmarks, some Christmas designs, and a few cute video game inspired designs. They also have a few stitchalongs if that’s something you enjoy. 

These projects are colorful, cute and whimsical, and look like they would be a lot of fun to stitch if you like this style. 

The shop also includes some cute needle minders and washi tape in a similar style if you want to coordinate your stitching. 

Check out all the cuteness at Flossy Fox Shop, and if you stitch up one of their patterns I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Flossy Fox Shop]

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