How to Stitch Glass

Even though there are new “transparent” threads out there, stitching glass poses a problem for many stitchers. Today we’ll look at several options, when you might use them and when you should not.

The samples are all pictured above. I turned this Patty Paints canvas into a window with panes using white pearl cotton. I stitched the glass candidates in the different panes.

Nordic Gold

The top three panes on the left are stitched in T Stitch using white (ND4) Nordic Gold. This has been my preferred method for stitching glass.

The thread is sparkly like glass and is transparent enough when stitched to allow most things to be seen through it. This is good when you are stitching shop windows where you want to see what’s on display. On dark colors, however, it can be seen more clearly.

This thread is pretty easy to use. It’s thin enough to give nice coverage on 18 mesh, but it can also be used on 13 mesh. Best of all, it is very affordable. A card has 25 yards on it and costs well under $3.

Use: All around great thread for windows, bottles, and glass of any kind.

Easter Grass Braid

Kreinik makes two forms of their “color” Easter Grass. This one is braided, like the other metallics, with thin strands of Easter Grass. This makes it easier to control than the flat strips of Easter Grass. In an earlier post I reviewed this thread and showed how the transparency differed between the two products.

Here I used a more open stitch, T Stitch, and a very thin braid (#4) for glass. It’s the first three panes on the bottom left.

As you can see it’s similar to Nordic Gold but a little thinner. It is also more sparkly.

There is one quality to it that can be a problem, it has a greenish tinge. The green is a characteristic of Mylar and can often be found in threads that include it. As you can see (click for a larger picture) this is fine when it is stitched over green but can be problematic when stitched over other colors.

Use: As glass on 18 mesh when area is primarily green.

Jap Threads

Jap threads have their name because they are constructed like a thread used in Japanese embroidery. They have a core thread that is then wrapped in thin ribbons of metallic paper. Kreinik makes Jap threads in seeral colors and sizes. In addition they make their regular sizes in several of the Jap thread colors, you can tell this because the numbers have J after them.

I used Jap #5 in white for the fourth pane in the upper row. It is about half the width of Kreinik #4. It is more difficult to use than both Kreinik #4 and Nordic Gold. That’s because the paper tends to make the thread fold rather than bend. The resulting stitched area has a rough quality to feel but not to see.

It has less sparkle than all the other threads except the floss. This can be a nice option in some cases.

Use: Not good for glass except over white and very light colors.

Easter Grass Blending Filament

This is the thinnest width of Easter Grass. It is stitched in the fourth pane on the bottom row in T Stitch. on light colors it disappears, leaving only occasional sparkles. On medium colors it is nearly invisible. On dark colors it’s more sparkle than anything else.

This could make it a good candidate for glass except it is difficult to use. The thread has lots of static electricity so it tends to fly out of the needle. Thread on the spool comes undone easily if not firmly secured. It’s also very slippery so it must be secured very firmly on the back of the canvas before stitching.

Because it’s so transparent it can be hard to see when you are stitching. Make sure you are keeping track where you leave off when stitching.

Use: Great glass with a slight green tendency, but difficult to use.

Water n’Ice

This ribbon was one of the first threads marketed to stitch glass. It is a thin ribbon and looks best in longer stitches, such as the Hungarian used here. It isn’t really transparent, more translucent. You can see through it but details are softened.

An irritating quality of this thread is that the tail ravels. Lessen this by using short stitching lengths and a Thread Zapper.

Because you’ll see the stitches when you use this thread consider it when you want texture in your glass. Then pick your stitch to match the texture you want.

Use: Great for translucent or textured glass.

Easter Grass Braid Ribbon

The fifth pane on the bottom row used Easter Grass Braid ribbon. This is the same multi-stranded thread as in the first three panels in this row, but woven to be flat instead of round. As you can see it is very sparkly and not transparent. It is not suitable for glass.

There is another version of Easter Grass Ribbon that is just wider strips of Mylar than the Blending Filament used above. Although I did not use it here, it can be used for glass because it is transparent. It is very stiff, however and tends to create sharp folded points. I find it difficult to use. Like the other Mylar threads, it has a distinct green cast.

Use: Do not use Easter Grass BRAID Ribbon for glass. Easter Glass Ribbon can be used but it is difficult to do so.

Gray Floss

The only non-metallic the right pane in the upper row is stitched using gray floss. The bottom third used two strands, while the rest used one. Two strands interferes too much with the view; it should only be used to stitch windows in daytime where you are outside looking in and where the window is just a blank shape.

Thin your thread to a single strand and it could be used to stitch glass from the inside, but only if your area is not detailed. Stitching over the upper part of the tree here, you can see details are lost because of the thread.

Use: Use two strands for the outside of windows in daylight. Use one strand for windows when metallic is not wanted.

Yellow Metallic

The right pane on the bottom use a light yellow Kreinik, 9100, in #8 to stitch the window. As you can see it is way too obvious to be used to stitch windows looking out from the outside. Make it night and be on the outside looking in where the window is just a yellow shape and the effect is magic. The windows are effectively lit, but do not stand out.

Use #8 on 18 mesh and #12 on 13 mesh for windows.

Use: Use for lit windows from outside.