Like most of you I’m stitching from my stash, and I decided to use some of my Mandarin Floss collection for a new project (sorry, can’t show the project).
Mandarin Floss is a stranded thread made from bamboo fibers, distributed by Rainbow Gallery. Some of you may already be familiar with it, but this is my first time stitching with this thread. As you can see there are some nummy colors!
I’m stitching this project with just two colors:
As you can see, it’s a 6-strand floss, 20 yards on the cards, which should be ample for the project I’m stitching.
When I first took it off the card to strand I thought it might not cover well. The thread looks thinner than regular cotton floss.
In this picture, the upper thread is the entire thread, and the lower shows 4 strands separated and ready for the needle. They seem to stand apart pretty well, which means they should lay pretty easily.
To separate I tapped the cut end of the thread. The picture is a bit blurry but you can see how the thread separates.
Rainbow Gallery recommends 4 strands for 18 ct. canvas, so I thought I’d start with that. It seemed a bit much, but as you can see it covers the canvas well.
Here I’ve combined the Brighton stitches with upright cross in Kreinik #8 5760. I’m pleased with the coverage.
So, you may have undiscovered treasures in your stash as well. I bought the entire collection of Mandarin Floss when it was introduced, but have never had opportunity to use it in a project until now. I’m pleased with it and will probably use it more!
Happy stitching!