Redwork with Cotton Thread

If you have done much redwork with your embroidery machine, you probably already love it - the designs sew out quickly and have a lovely vintage feel.

While I do most of my embroidery with Mettler Polysheen, I have found a new love for doing redwork with Mettler Silk Finish cotton thread in 60 weight. This beautiful thread has a very soft sheen and gives a more handmade look to my project.

This design was stitched using Mettler Silk Finish 60 weight thread using designs from Embroidery Design Studio.

 Mettler Silk Finish is mercerized for strength, so I didn't have any problems stitching my design even at high speed.

At first I worried about the design holding up in the wash - red cotton thread on white fabric seemed like asking for a pink project! Then I learned that Mettler Silk Finish is colorfast - it is dyed with a special process that keeps the thread from bleeding. Here is my same design after being washed, dried, and ironed:

Here's a handy tip for you - before turning your redwork design into a quilt or pillow, check the back of your project for any little red thread tails - these tail ends can show through your white fabric and are next to impossible to remove once your project is stitched together!