Since I first saw Gilt Sylke Twist thread on Mary Corbet’s Needle’nThread, I’ve wanted to use it on one of my own projects. It’s so beautiful and sparkly. I hadn’t embroidered for years and wasn’t quite ready to use such precious thread. Now that I’ve been stitching for a while and feel more confident, I’m ready to use this lovely thread, with it’s special needle doing a stitch I’ve not done before.
The thread is Gilt Sylke Twist, the needle is a #7 Japanese Needle and the stitch is detached buttonhole. I’ll be stitching the rose on the Trevilian’s Cap project next week; one rose, anyway.
Gily Sylke Twist is flat silk thread wrapped with gilt wire. It was used extensively in the Plimoth Jacket. You can read more about it here, on Thistle Threads web site. Here is a direct link to the tutorial she mentions in her article. Thistle Thread’s Gilt Sylke Twist Tutorial.
The needle comes from the Japanese Embroidery Center. You can order them online if you live in the USA and can order if you live overseas but must contact them. These needles are hand made with a smooth, rounder hole for the needle than the ones we normally use for embroidery. They are teeny, tiny needles.
From left to right in the photo above you see 3 crewel needles, #5, #7 and #15 and then the #7 Japanese needle. They are lying on a block of needle felt, which is where I’ll be keeping these little treasures so they’re safe.
The smooth, round, hand made hole in the needle means that the gold wire which is wrapped around the silk thread won’t catch as often so your stitching will go more easily (hopefully!). Above you can see easily the difference is the shape of the holes.
Thistle Threads has a wonderful PDF on how to work detatched buttonhole stitch. And of course, Mary Corbet has a fabulous video that I’ll be playing over and over as I learn this stitch.
Next week we have a week of vacation from school. I know, I know…it’s only been three and a half weeks since we returned from Christmas holidays! It’s ski week for Berlin schools and even though I don’t go skiing, I’m really looking forward to having time to catch up on all my projects and learn this new technique!
Have you learned any new stitches lately? What resources are your favorites?
I’m looking forward to learning to use the Gilt Sylke Twist as well!
I hope you like the thread, it’s a bit tricky to work with, but produces such lovely results. I used it in one of the Needlework Nibbles that Tricia sells.
I haven’t learned anything new lately, just trying to get better at the stitches I barely know. But my favorite is fly stitch!
Hi Kathy!
I’m currently learning Trellis Stitch for the Thistle Threads cap class. Amusingly enough, I broke a good needle in half today doing it! I still need to practice and Tricia gave me some good hints on what to do to fix it.
On the Gilt Sylke thread, I have a few tips for you, as we’re also using that on the cap. I’m not trained in Japanese embroidery and evidently this is something that people who are trained do automatically. The thread has a tendency to kink and also shred (the gold will pull down as you’re embroidering).
First tip is, pay attention what side you’re taking the thread off the spool. If it shreds one way, thread it from the other direction. Second, don’t use more than 12″ at a time. Most importantly though, as you’re pulling the thread under the backstitching, twist the needle a bit, kind of in a turning motion. Kind of roll it under a bit. Then, as you pull it through, twist it a bit more, maybe another half a turn. For some reason, that adjusts for the natural twisting in the thread and keeps it from kinking as much (and also helps with the shredding problem).
I don’t have it perfected 100% yet, but it’s helped me a great deal figuring this stuff out. I really wanted to share it since many of us are not trained to do this. I absolutely love working with the Japanese needles! Be patient until you figure out what works for you. I ended up making a small pincushion to practice the GST with – I tried working on the main piece and ripped it out and went into practice mode.
Hope this helps!
Mary Beth Martin
Houston, TX
I have just learnt bullion knots, and having done my petal in the first section of long and short. The second and third colours are being shaded with bullion knots. I think it gives a nice effect.
I’m learning the cretan stitch! 2012 TAST! I have never done this stitch and for some reason I’m struggling with it. I too need to do a bit on a doodle cloth before putting it on my sampler!
I’ve never done japanese embroidery or used their needles. The suggestions already made make a lot of sense. I will refer back to them when ready to try to use the gylt.
The gylt looks yummy and someday I will use it on a very special project, yet to be acquired. I’m watching your project with great interest.
Have recently mastered two new stitches – bullion knot (roses) which I’m really proud of since I had avoided trying this stitch for a long time, and cretan stitch (TAST 2012). And thanks so much for the links on how to do the detached buttonhole stitch! Enjoy your week of stitching…
I have been playing around with Spanish feather stitch. I can do it OK but I would like to be able to do the stitches close together to make a braid-like stitch and so far it has eluded my attempts to tame it.
The Japanese needles are very interesting, I think I shall have to bow to my curiosity levels and buy some.
Good luck with your project Kathy, I know nothing about Gylt Twist, sorry.