High Cotton is a new five-strand cotton thread from The Point of It All Designs. It’s simply wonderful. Unlike floss it is almost matte and is very strong. Like many matte cottons it is also soft in the hand, something I really like.
It comes 18 yards in a skein with 135 colors currently (more on the way). The colors I have are bright but with a wonderful soft vintage look that, I think, makes them fit with more designs than more acid contemporary colors. The color names, which appear on the tags are great and include such intriguing names as Peaches & Herb, Flying Monkey, and Princess Phone. With names like these I can hardly wait to see the colors!
The manufacturer says they are strong enough to use for stitching rugs, but I chose to stitch this Jody Designs ornament instead. The red and yellow are both High Cotton, while the black is Pebbly Perle. I found the finish on High Cotton to be similar to that on Pebbly Perle, almost matte, but High Cotton is smooth, like floss, not bumpy like perle. I also liked the nice contrast between High Cotton and the metallic on the top. I can easily see this, with the generous skein size, becoming on of my go to background threads.
The original background was painted lime green and, as you can see, two strands covered well. Two strands are recommended for 18 mesh and four for 13 mesh. The colors I have are solid.
I’ve added a second project, this Inchie (1″ square needlepoint) to give you an idea of the colors and texture. The white is Nordic Gold and the orange is Impressions. The other colors are High Cotton.
This is one of the best threads I’ve tried all year, go out and get some, you’ll love it too.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Do you know where I can purchase high cotton?
I believe this thread is no longer made. You could contact the manufacturer to see if there are stores that still have stock.
Keep stitching,
Janet
Hi Janet,
Love your beautiful stitched canvases!
I have just purchased a stitch guide for the Charley Harper Rainforest Birds canvas. The stitch guide recommends using Hyla’s High Cotton in the color Relish, #147, to stitch the background in the Leaf Pattern. Since this fiber is no longer manufactured, can you recommend a good substitute?
Thanks,
Linda
It’s really going to depend on finding a good color match. I would look at Soy Luster first. If there wasn’t a good color there, try Elegance or Grandeur. If you can’t find a color in those, you’ll probably have to go with floss.
Keep stitching,
Janet