Mouline Etoile

[Roland]

Has anyone actually seen this new DMC thread? Does it look like it would stitch up like normal floss? I want sparkle that doesn’t make me swear.

[mauveme]

That is gorgeous. If there is a majority of cotton fibres I would give it a go. Where did you get it from? I definitely would try a skein. If it didn’t work I could still use the rest for making cord. So no wasted thread.

[Squirrel]

That certainly looks interesting Roland. It will be interesting to see how it is to work with.

[Roland]

I saw a post on Facebook and started looking. Michaels here does not carry it, but I’m hoping they will. Even on-line stores that have it listed don’t seem to be actually selling it yet.

[Nicola Main]

Lakeside Needlecraft have them in stock. Full set in a collectors tin and individually. I was at Meg's Attic in Banchory last Saturday and she had them for sale. I picked one up and if I remember correctly it seemed quite thick and a little sparkly but not over the top. I was tempted but would probably never use them so decided not to buy.

[Mabel Figworthy]

I've only seen online pictures of it, but I'm a bit worried about the texture - it doesn't look very smooth even on the skein, so I'd be worried about how it would behave in the needle. I'd definitely start with one skein to try, not the whole collector's box!

[Roland]

I definitely don’t want to buy an entire tin without knowing how it will stitch up.

[rcperryls]

That looks really interesting and I can't wait to find out what the first brave soul thinks when she or he tries it. I love sparkle but subtle sparkle usually. Most of the time when a design calls for Kreinik or any metallic thread, I pair it with a strand of similar color regular floss to tone it down.

I agree with Mabel that the floss looks thicker and the texture seems kind of rough. Will be interesting to see what new designs include it in the chart.

Carole

[Podolyanka]

If I were 20 years younger, I would experiment with it. As it is- will sit down in a corner here and see how others cope with these threads.

Happy stitching!

[karen4bells]

I ordered 8 different skeins of these from a seller on facebook last week and should have them by the end of this week--bit pricey at $1.99 each but it's not like they will be used too often. From the info that I've read from other stitchers, it's best to use them in shorter lengths but they do seem to like them and the few photos I have seen of projects that used them look pretty nice

[mauveme]

Looking forward to see how it works up.

[Roland]

I contacted Mary Maxim and they will be selling it soon.

[mauveme]

I contacted Mary Maxim and they will be selling it soon.

Oh that’s brilliant. That’s wherever I have been buying floss now. Thank you Roland

[Mabel Figworthy]

I ordered 8 different skeins

Looking forward to seeing what they'll look like in a project, and hearing your opinion on how easy (or not...) they are to work with!

[Squirrel]

I will alert you when Amanda Gregory posts on FB her opinion of the threads. She was hoping to start using them any day now.

Having said the above and posted it I then went onto FB and the 1st post I see is from Amanda Gregory Cross Stitch Designs and she has designed a beaut snowman - it is a freebee and available on her web site - using the Etoile threads and gives a clear explanation of hwo she found them to work with.

[Mabel Figworthy]

I also saw a post on the Mary Corbet FB groupwhere someone had used it - it looks very pretty, though a bit different from ordinary stranded cotton (besides the sparkle, I mean). She hasn't said yet how easy it was to work with.

[Roland]

I will alert you when Amanda Gregory posts on FB her opinion of the threads. She was hoping to start using them any day now.

Having said the above and posted it I then went onto FB and the 1st post I see is from Amanda Gregory Cross Stitch Designs and she has designed a beaut snowman - it is a freebee and available on her web site - using the Etoile threads and gives a clear explanation of hwo she found them to work with.

Thank you. I looked her up to read the post.

[Amanda G]

I think Sally may have already shared a link to my review of using these new threads but I've copied and pasted it below if it's of any help. I'm not keen on using metallic threads as I find they tangle and split but these new Etoile ones were much easier to use.
There are photos on my original blog posting too.


I've had fun playing around with the DMC Etoile threads and come up with a sparkly snowman design that I have added as a free chart on my blogspot
http://amandas-designs.blogspot.com/" target="_blank

My first design was a bindweed bookmark but this one didn't work as well when stitched. I used a dark beige Aida that was too dull and used CBlanc Etoile for the white flowers. I found the CBlanc on it's own shows as a little too much like grey and needs the plain white DMC thread (3865 winter white) to show it off better. So with this in mind, I then designed the snowman ( or rather re-worked him from a previous freebie!) using some CBlanc Etoile but also some plain white thread. This has worked much better.
My photos don't do him justice as the sparkle doesn't show up that well but that is my poor photography skills! He does have a sparkly waistcoat, hatband and some sparkly snow.
I've shown my bindweed stitching here too. I'm glad I stitched that one first as it has shown me that the CBlanc is better stitched alongside plain white thread.
The sparkly Etoile were easy to use, exactly the same as using the standard threads to sew with.

[mauveme]

Thank you for your critique. Will definitely try those out.

[Squirrel]

Thanks for posting this Amanda. Not sure if I want to try them or not. Will give it some serious thought once all the Christmas stitching is done and on their way.