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Wednesday, September 17, 2014

The Silk Road






The lustre and wonderful smoothness of silk thread is amazing. Last week I mentioned I was waiting on the arrival of some silk threads with a view to hand quilting Peaceful Night. Silk seemed to be the perfect choice, being a natural thread yet also having a shimmering effect. My first order of silk threads came all the way from Superior Threads in the US. The Quilter's Silks (above) are a  beautiful, soft 16wt thread and although they come in 36 colours, this seems rather limited once you try to colour match. The White, Grey Stone and Black should work perfectly with Peaceful Night.




I chose just one card of Buttonhole Silk, also a 16 wt but twisted a little more tightly (above left) and a spool of Superior's Kimono Silk which is a 100wt thread (above right and in the photo with the Quilter's Silks). Each of these 100% silk threads are made in Japan and feel absolutely wonderful.




A few days after ordering from Superior Threads I stumbled upon some Gutermann Buttonhole Twist silks (R 753) in a 12 wt on eBay - in Australia. I was delighted to scoop up a variety of colours at a reasonable cost, giving me the opportunity to colour match to my EPP stars. These are also 100% silk but have been made in several different countries. I'm not sure if these are still available for purchase in Australia but did manage to find a retailer in the US ( NO international shipping) and another US retailer who ships internationally and stocks Gutermann R 753 in 400m cobs only (very good value).






Yesterday I finished stitching the edge sections to Peaceful Night, spurred on by looking at all my beautiful, new, shiny silk threads! I can hardly wait to baste this quilt and begin the fun of hand quilting with these sumptuous silks.




These beautiful natural threads look and feel wonderfully luxurious. Lines from Beatrix Potter's Tailor of Gloucester run through my mind. Silk has indeed been recognised as a luxury thread for centuries, indeed thousands of years! I think there will be much more silk in my sewing future!


Superior Threads generously provided me with a gift certificate at the perfect time to assist my purchase of something new and special from their extensive range of threads, needles and notions. 

Sharing at WIP Wednesday.

30 comments:

  1. Your quilt top is gorgeous, and those threads are so pretty! Glad you were able to find some good ones nearby.

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  2. And then to think that the silk road in earlier times was the way how silk went from china to europe around 1200 on camelback and now its coming back the other way. Funny.

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  3. Looking gorgeous and the colors and sheen of the silk are beautiful!

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  4. stunning quilt…your silk colours are to die for

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  5. Blank, soft and delikat.
    Fantastic colours- green and blue together - so nice!

    Hugs
    JetteMajken

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  6. It's looking beautiful, and I love the colours you've chosen for the hand quilting. I'll be interested to see how you decide to quilt it.

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  7. Dear Karen

    What a beautiful post! And the oh-so-elegant threads. I can just imagine your excitement.

    Peaceful NIght looks beautiful - very soothing! I had never thought of the difficulty of matching colours but just assumed there would always be lots of thread available for every occasion.

    I had read your post very slowly as I admired the threads and then the quilt, and it was funny because I had started to imagine a tailor who was ill and a cat and some mice. Such fun to read to the very bottom and discover you also had been remembering the Tailor of Gloucester.

    Wishing you much joy with your silk stitching.

    Love

    Margaret

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  8. what sheen they have? Do you couch them or will they go through the top machine discs? Leeanna at not afraid of color lapaylor.blogspot.com

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  9. Are there any mice there to help you quilt when you are not looking? Though I suppose using those lovely threads, you will have the best fun and won't need any such assistance. Your quilt is gorgeous, Karen. Happy quilting!

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  10. The silk threads are beautiful and the colours charming. The quilt is looking good.

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  11. I never thought about silk thread for quilting. Your pieced quilt is perfect. Mine is not so sharp.

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  12. oh so beautiful. I have never heard of silk threads for quilting before - I can't wait to see how it is going to look - amazing I'm sure!

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  13. I just love the look and feel of these threads, and Peaceful Night is simply magnificent, Karen.

    Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

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  14. It's lovely to hear these wonderful descriptions of silk threads. I'll look forward to hearing your reviews after quilting with them. You always take such beautiful photos.

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  15. Gorgeous . . . I can't wait to see the finished quilting.

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  16. It's so beautiful Karen, I love the colors.
    Have a wonderful weekend and the best wishes for you and your family.

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  17. Brilliant colors of this silk threads and a beautiful quilt.
    Greetings, Anne-Marie

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  18. I love the quilt pattern you used for this one. I am currently working on a quilt in a similar color scheme!

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  19. Love the colors, the textures.. a lot of friends are making blankets for the baby, since I'm not so crafty.. can't wait to see the results!

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  20. LOVE your quilt! I have never quilted with silk thread before. What an awesome idea!

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  21. Those threads are beautiful, I love how thick they are and they will certainly highlight all those beautiful fabrics you put together. As always I look forward to seeing more of this quilt.

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  22. Hi Karen,
    what a wonderful Artwork and what a patient. Gorgoeus !
    Best regards, Synnöve

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  23. Beautiful is your Quilt and the photos!
    Greetings...

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  24. Stunning colors and they are a perfect match to the colors of your quilt top!

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