Vineyard Jewels – Thread Review

Vineyard’s first metallic thread, Vineyard Jewels, made its debut at the Dallas Needlepoint Market in September. It will be arriving in shops in the second half of December or in early January. The 100% polyester thread comes wound on small cards in packages of 8 yards.

If you are wondering about the fiber content, most metallic threads are polyester. It’s an all-metallic thread that comes in 40 colors. The colors are in the range of the color wheel, i.e. ROYGBIV. According to the manufacturer, Wiltex, they read as ” one single and shiny color.” The size is slightly thicker than #8 Kreinik, which means it could easily be doubled for larger mesh canvas. I found it stitched beautifully on 18 mesh.

I got a card of violet, Purple Quartz, to try and used it in the Painted Pony snowman pictured above. The thread was soft coming off the card and only had gentle bends. I did not need to straighten it. I used it for the Tent Stitch stripes in the background. It was very easy to stitch and did not kink or knot as metallics often do.

The effect is very sparkly, but with lots of color. I used other metallics in the piece, Rainbow Gallery’s Crest d’Oro and Nordic Gold, Vineyard Jewels has more shine than either of these.

I have some reservations about the “solid” look of these threads.Seen up close, there is clearly a tweeded effect because silver and violet are equal in the thread, above. Seen at an angle or from more of a distance, the effect is a single color, but slightly varied. It’s a pleasing effect that gives the stitches great depth.

My favorite thing about this thread are the bright colors. Metallic threads that are colorful, bright, and shiny have been lacking for needlepointers. When we wanted that combination we have had to compromise on some aspect of this. Vineyard Jewels is a lively, easy-to-use thread that ticks all these boxes.