Products

4-months Installment Payment with Shipping - USA ($54.61/month)

4- months Installment Payment with Shipping - Canada ($58.39/month)

4-months Installment Payment with Shipping - Rest of World ($61.83/month)

The ninth session of the Frostings Box (What is the Frostings Club??) a lovely box containing 38 threads suitable for embroidery of caskets and stumpwork as well as finishing fun ornaments.  There are both wonderful gold threads and beautiful new silk-based threads in this box.  This box has some delightful items you will have never known existed.

I am running out of my original printed boxes and printing costs have run so high that I am changing the box type to keep the Frostings Box lower cost for buyers.  It will still be magnetically closed and now will hold all the threads.  The first 110 buyers will get the original box and the rest will have the new box.

Frostings boxes purchased on installment payments will be shipped after the last payment.  Those paid in full will have a earlier shipment date to keep ahead of the dreaded Christmas shipping period.

This Frostings Box is a way to get new threads manufactured or imported that weren't part of the original slate for the Cabinet of Curiosities and Stumpwork Courses.  During the 17th century, the embroiderer had a variety of threads that is unequaled today.  This has one shipment.  The boxes will be shipped via first class mail for all regions. 

Of the threads in this box, many are limited to one manufacturing run for others, with leftover threads from the manufacturing run to be sold after the Frostings Box is delivered.  The threads are provided in 'useful' quantities, such as what would be sold retail and are not samples.  That means that a specialized gimp would be 2 meters, a trim would be between 18" and 1 yard, and so on.  The length was chosen to allow use in multiple places in your work according to the envisioned uses in 17th century embroideries.

The seventh session of the Frostings Club (What is the Frostings Club??) a lovely box containing 27 threads suitable for embroidery of caskets and stumpwork as well as other 17th century embroidery.  There are both wonderful gold threads and beautiful new silk threads in this box.  This box has some delightful items you will have never known existed.

This club is a way to get new threads manufactured or imported that weren't part of the original slate for the Cabinet of Curiosities and Stumpwork Courses.  During the 17th century, the embroiderer had a variety of threads that is unequaled today.  This has one shipment.  The boxes will be shipped via first class mail for all regions.

Of the threads in this box, many are limited to one manufacturing run for others, with leftover threads from the manufacturing run to be sold after the Frostings Box is delivered.  The threads are provided in 'useful' quantities, such as what would be sold retail and are not samples.  That means that a specialized gimp would be 2 meters, a trim would be between 18" and 1 yard, and so on.  The length was chosen to allow use in multiple places in your work according to the envisioned uses in 17th century embroideries.

There are 250 boxes to sell with 27 items out of 28 materials.   Three materials came in under the quantity ordered for manufacture.  I will randomly choose two of the three for your box.

Shopping for someone else but not sure what to give them? Give them the gift of choice with a Thistle Threads Gift Card.

Gift cards are delivered by email and contain instructions to redeem them at checkout. Our gift cards have no additional processing fees.

I found several twisted cords on a recent visit to Benton and Johnson.  They are packaged in either 18" for edging ornaments or 1 meter lengths for larger projects.  

Gilt Bright 3 Ply Gimp (18")

Gilt 4 Ply Bright Gimp (18")

Gilt Medium Peak Gimp 3 Ply Twist (1 meter) which is a more matt look

Silver Plated Medium Grecian (1 meter) is a fine grecian twist with the contrast of bright and matt plies.

Gilt Fine Grecian Twist- Gilt twisted cord for edging projects, 1 yard.

This metal thread trims are tiny and were used extensively on 17th century stumpwork and up to today on Eastern European folk costume.  The gilt version is petite and close to the size used on 17th century stumpwork to edge costume on figures emulating metallic lace of the period.  The silver version is slightly larger and can still be used that way but opens up all kinds of other ideas to decorate embroidery.  

The gilt version is about 3/16" wide and the silver version is 1/4" wide

This is a metal thread that I have been searching for forever!  The machine to make it is intense and apparently only one company still has it (and it broke while making my large batch - I hope it can be fixed)

These real metal threads are my current favorites for working 17th century metal stitches such as the plaited braid, reverse chain, ceylon, ladder and the like. These threads were reproduced to work the plaited braid for the Plimoth Jacket Project. 

These threads should be used with a Japanese needle as it will both keep the thread from shreading in the needle and will open a nice hole in your linen to pull the thread through. The #9/10 Japanese needle works well for the #4 Smooth Passing.

Size: Each tube has 18 meters on a spool

The color names go from dark to light for individual spools

The following colors are now inactive by the manufacturer:  Celestyne, Beaver, Isabella, Sea Water.  That means no stock of silk to produce and no plans to produce.

New!  I was able to buy a pair of these about ten years ago and they have been my FAVORITE metal thread scissors of all time.  The blades are small and they are the size of normal embroidery scissors.  We have tried again and again to track them down.  And we have!!  They are from Italy and so I won't be able to get anymore of these for many months I assume.  I have 95 pairs right now.

They have fine groves in the edges of the blade which is the best way to hold a piece of metal before cutting it and I have used them non-stop for 10 years for cutting silk purls, doing gold work, etc.

Have you wanted to design or modify your own historic-looking samplers?  Perhaps you want to make a family genealogy sampler in a particular style?  Have an over the top 17th century band sampler in your head?  Maybe you love the monochromatic Quaker, Vierlande or French samplers and want to design your own.  Have a needle book idea you wanted to design?  This 4-month online course will teach the fundamentals of how to design using source material.

The course will start on January 1st, 2025 with user names and passwords to the Thistle Threads online course site emailed in the morning.  Each lesson will be released on the 1st of the month for download.  At the end of the course, any video content will be provided as a private YouTube playlist for future reference.

Full pay by button above or if interested in installment payments by Paypal click blue link:

4-months Sampler Design Course ($75/month) 

The course includes:

• Lectures in both pdf and video formats covering the theory of design, how to choose motifs, layout samplers, identify common design mistakes, balance motifs by color and weight.  
• How to choose a theme for your sampler and use constraints when designing to help you make decisions and avoid decision paralysis
• A method to use cut and pasting of motifs on base graph paper to design if using a computer isn't your forte. 
• Over 100 pdf pages of motifs from historic samplers of the following genres and organized into themes: American, English (1600-1900), Quaker, French, Scottish, German, Dutch, and a smattering of Spanish/Mexican and Scandinavian motifs.  The majority of motifs are from samplers in private collection and were selected to be representative and of enough variety to allow for design creativity.
• The electronic files in both .chart and .oxs format for all the motifs with video based directions on how to import them into MacStitch (Mac), WinStitch (Windows) or MobiStitch (iPad) software by Ursa Software so you can build new samplers using them.  These software platforms can be purchased separately directly from Ursa Software if desired (<$50)
• Examples from my own design work will be used to show how the designs were arrived at from themes, constraints, color work, mistakes, etc.  
• Use of several Pinterest boards which give extensive examples showing (1) layouts types using historic samplers (2) samplers from the same teacher with ones that weren't designed well and those that improved upon them fixing problems (3) examples of good and bad use of whitespace, weighting and color balance
• A series of design challenges, starting small with monochromatic small samplers and building to a non-rectangular shape/3-dimensional shapes to practice each of the principals separately.  These can be uploaded to the NING student site for discussion with the teacher/students to help get over problem areas if desired.
• How to layout the sampler to fit into spaces and produce the graph to fit after being stitched.  One of the design challenges will be to produce a mini-sampler for an unusual shape.
• How to choose and balance color for your sampler
• Choosing stitches.  The motifs are primarily cross stitch to simplify computer charting but we will go over how to recognize which alphabets/motifs can be changed to satin stitch, eyelet, four sided stitch, etc and how to balance the visual weight change as well as fill 17th century bands with unusual stitches.  Stitches will not be taught but appropriate reference material will be cited.

Fat 1/2 yard cuts (36" x 59") of 53 count Sycamore Seed Pod Linen.  

I custom designed this linen to match the color of 17th century linens used for stitching whitework and band samplers.  It is a soft aged linen color with a fine hand and high count.  It can be used for both embroidery and counted work over 2 or 3 threads (historic for 17th century).  

We had 300 yards of this linen made, so there will be a limited supply after removing my course needs.  If you love stitching samplers on high thread count linen, you will want this in your stash.

Both in stock

Sold by the meter, this 6 mm tape is woven with natural silk on the selvages and silver threads and strip down the middle.  An accurate reproduction of the tapes used to edge interior drawers, it can also be used for pulls and other 17th century reproduction projects.  

Available in silver and gold to allow you to match the tapes you use on the exterior of the casket.

A flat casket or short flat casket will require 1 meter.  

The double casket and flat casket with doors will need 4 meters.

The Harmony Casket needs 5 meters

There is a limited supply of these custom materials and they are reserved for students of Thistle Threads.

This is now discontinued

The Door Escutcheon is approximately 3" wide x 1" high and is placed over a Type 1 Lid Lock. The escutcheon comes with three tinned pins to attach it to the casket. This escutcheon is used in two places on a Double Casket and one on a Flat Topped Casket. It is cast in brass and tinned afterwards. 

Note: These are available to purchase if you are building your own casket. If you are purchasing one from Thistle Threads, all hardware is included.

The Large Lid Hinge is approximately 2" long x 3/4" wide and is used to attach large lids to the casket body. Both the Flat Topped Casket and the Double Casket uses two large lid hinges each. Each large lid hinge comes with ten tinned screws to attach it to the casket. Each hinge is three separate castings and is assembled by hand in England.  You will need two hinges for each lid.  These hinges are also used to attach the mirror easel to the back if desired.

Note: These are available to purchase if you are building your own casket. If you are purchasing one from Thistle Threads, all hardware is included. 

Christmas Baubles stitchers - the Gold Bullion/Silver Check Cord No 6 can be substituted for the Gold Bullion/Check No. 9.  It is the same size and looks wonderful.

I have added many plates that found at Benton and Johnson on my recent trip.  They are in limited quantity. 

Others are the extra plates and trims from the Frostings Box 6 and 7.  The plates are gilt and are embossed with patterns or wrapped with a gold thread.  They can be couched down or couched and folded over a felt or paper shape.  

The gilt or silver trims are perfect to use to edge ornaments! Made from bullions or checks wrapped around a wire, they can hold a shape and be couched as a trim or outline.  They are wonderful around the outside of a Christmas ornament.

While I was in France last year, I visited a gold thread weaver and was able to procure a few reels of really lovely gilt ribbon to use for edging caskets.  They are shown against the reproduction gilt woven tape for comparison.  

One is bright gold with a lovely textured stripe and the second is a mix of an aqua silk that matches our blues and gilt in a grape pattern.  I have seen this particular tape used as a later conservation-added edge for caskets.

These two linens were included in Frostings 5.  The first is a Linen Batiste in Fichu White cut in a Fat Quarter (16.75" x 18").  It is a high count transparent linen that can be used for shadow work, an heirloom lace edged or monogramed handkerchief for a wedding.

The second linen, in Caster Sugar color, is thicker and is 53/63 count and also excellent for embroidery.  Both are really fine ecclesiastical type linens.  This linen is cut in a fat eighth, 18" x 29.5".

I am EXCITED to  announce that we have been able  to reproduce both the 40ct Old White Linen and the 20 ct  Montrose Linen with another historic weaver!  They have new names but are interchangeable as they were made to match.

Currently I am offering three hard-to-find high quality ground fabrics for use in making 17th century caskets and mirror frames.

40 ct Restoration Linen = Old White 40 Count Linen

This ground fabric is a nice 40 count linen that is equally good for embroidering upon as well as doing counted work. Great as a ground for stumpwork mirrors and caskets as you can switch between the techniques.

This is a new weaving and the size is different from the old as well as new pricing.  

The piece being offered is a full yard (71" x 36") which is large enough for a full casket with some left over for stumpwork stitch trials.  

24 ct Rain Barrel Linen = Montrose 1750 Linen 

This is a natural linen that is tightly woven. Tightly woven linen is important so that the glue that will be used to attach the embroidery to the box doesn't weep through to the front of the embroidery.  Rain Barrel Linen is approximately 24-count linen. It is sold in 1 yard pieces (71" x 36"). This linen is appropriate for caskets worked in tent stitch, queen stitch and other counted techniques. Because of the tight weave, the entire ground does not have to be covered.  It is the base of the Five Seasons Casket such that the graphs fit the sides of the cabinet.

Sunflower Seed 30 ct Linen

This linen is the same natural color as the Montrose linen but is 30 count and a similar hand.  It is the new substitution for the now sold out Montrose linen (but a different count - so no graphs I have will work).  But it will make a wonderful ground for anyone who wants to trace a design and work it counted.  It is sold in 1 yard pieces (72" x 36"). 

Martha's Rose is a 3" diameter ornament worked with Soie Paris.  The instructions are downloadable as part of the mini-course offered through my teaching platform for $15.  The course called "Martha Edlin - Her Life and Embroidery" has a video presentation on her biography based on my original research, a video on her embroideries, and this set of project instructions.  An additional video on how to handle filament silks is included.  

The mini-course can be watched as many times as you want for 31-days from date of purchase (Of course, extra time will be added for any technical snafus) and the instructions for the ornament are downloadable to keep.  $5 of each course registration is a donation to the Textile Department at the V&A.  The images are licensed for a specific number of spots.

This optional kit includes: Foxtail Millet 45ct Linen, needle, six colors of soie paris, a piece of pink silk for the backing, silk facette gimp and silk lacet for the ornament edging.  The maker will have to provide matt board and batting for the finishing.

A note - my teaching platform and shop each have different user/passwords as they are hosted by different companies.

Once you order the course, I will follow up with an email with your user/password to the teaching site and instructions on how to access the course.  NOTE:  the email goes to the email you use for your Thistle Threads shopify account and is from the shopify system.  Almost always I get the email sent to you within 8 hours and most likely within 1 hour.  So please look at that email inbox (Spouse?  Old yahoo email?  Former employer email?  Yes, most reasons you don't get the user/passwords are this.  Email me the next day if you don't get it right away).  

This 2.5-3 mm strip is a passementerie 'thread' used to create all kinds of interesting textures. In stumpwork it is used to make garlands around circles or ovals which frame a vignette.  Short lengths can be folded over and couched down to make 'leaves' of the garland.

They can also be folded and sewn together to make tassels or edgings for small ornaments.  

Sold in 1 meter lengths in afghan gold, gold, silver, red and green metallic

Family register samplers became popular on the East Coast during the last part of the 18th century into the early 19th century.  Ittenerant painters traveled up and down the coast, drawing family trees for hire.  One artist had his paintings replicated in needlework by a unknown school in the Middlesex region of Massachusetts.  The majority of the known samplers of this style were made by girls from Lexington or Watertown.

This needlework nibble is in support of the new tree samplers acquired in 2014 by the Lexington Historical Society that are in need of conservation.  $5 of each kit sale will go to the conservation effort.

The kit contains the finishing materials including check silk, ultra suede, ribbons, and doctors cloth.  A limited number have the mother-of-pearl buttons or you can use your own.

The instructions for the sampler are not in the kit but are available online.

If you want installment payments:

12-months - $91.88/month USA (includes shipping)

12-months $93.71/month Canada (includes shipping)

12-months $95.38/month Rest of World (includes shipping)

This is a finishing kit for a mirror with doors.  The back is burgundy velvet, the hardware is brass and the edging papers/woven tape is gold.  

Does not include:  Microspatula, brush, plastic card and 1/2 yard reemay.  These are reusable tools you might have from other casket finishing.  1 piece marbled paper - your choice, I can give resources

The written (with photos) instructions for finishing are found in the Cabinet of Curiosities - Stumpwork course or included as a download when purchasing a mirror frame.

The finishing kit includes:

1/2 yd burgundy silk velvet

6 small lid hinges in brass

4 Edging papers in cream with gold

3 Cream paper

1 Wheat paste

2 Drawer Pulls

8 meters gold Woven Tape (will be send in second pkg)

1 meter gold interior casket tape

1 yard silk ribbon in red

1 Piece pink silk for doors

These threads are left over from kitting and may be useful to someone designing their own projects.  They are sold at a 20% discount.

6 months ($59.58/month) Tin Inkwells - USA shipping

6-months ($59.58/month) Brass Inkwells - USA shipping

6-months ($60/month) Tin Inkwells - Canada shipping

6-months ($60/month) Brass Inkwells - Canada shipping

6-months ($60.63/month) Tin Inkwells - Rest of World shipping

6-months ($60.63/month) Brass Inkwells - Rest of World shipping

An inkwell and pounce pot pair made to fit in the small writing tray inside the lid of the double casket or flat casket with doors.  The pair is available either in brass or tin-coated brass to match the hardware of your casket.  

Unfortunately, there is no spot in the flat casket or short flat casket for these.  

This is a new linen that came out of the reproduction of the Old White Linen I had been using.  The story - we sent instructions and a sample of the Old White Linen and Montrose Linen to an Italian company to try to reproduce.  While their first try at the Montrose was correct, they mistakenly thought we wanted a 40-count linen that was even weave and with holes you could see - not the 40-count embroidery linen we were asking them to make.  It arrived after the sample meter was woven and I had to reject it as a substitute for the Old White (the second try was the new Restoration Linen).  BUT....

This is an amazing linen for counted work - 40-count with holes you can see.  So we decided to order a batch to be made of it for counted samplers or those with whitework!  

I am selling it in fat half sizes - 36" x 35"

A selection of stiff purls and lizardine, used for outlining as well as different checks and purls (also known as bullions) in gilt.  

All are 1 yard boxes unless noted.  Gilt Bright Check Purl #7, Gilt Special Diamond Check, Silver Bullion #2 and No7 Wire Check Silver Plated are at least 18 inches long.

The Gilt Plate Sampler 2 contains four yards of gilt and silver plated plate in the 11S size. There is one yard each of gilt and silver plated 11S plate as well as one yard each of this size crenelated.

The Zig Zag Trims are available in a combination box with a meter length of a gold tone and silver tone metal trim. These are antique french trims which replicate the same trim found in the grotto ponds on stumpwork pieces in England. The trim can be used to edge dresses, replicate water, or anything else you can think of. The trims are copper and brass based and will tarnish over a long period of time, like the originals. The width of the trim is 2 mm, the metal is 0.75 mm wide, and the peak to peak width of the undulation is 3 mm. It can be couched down with TIRE Silk Threads Size 50.

The textured silver zig zag trim is in a box with two yards of the trim. This is an antique french trim which has been run through a textured roller to facet the surface. The surface provides a sparkle like little diamonds which would be very useful for water, fountain sprays, grottos and dress trims in stumpwork.

This is now discontinued

It took two years to reproduce the four lock types seen on embroidered caskets of the 17th century and with these four lock types any casket configuration can be made. Sometimes reproductions just have to look the part, but these have to work.  X-rays of caskets were used as well as working with historic blacksmiths and then finally a historic brass company to make working versions. 

The locks which require keys will all work with the same key. The others use either a push button or push lever to operate. The corresponding hasp will be included in a lock order.  These are on offer for anyone making a case themselves. They are included and installed for any caskets purchased from Thistle Threads. 

Lock 1: This is a lid lock and two are needed for a double casket, one for a flat top casket. It is operated by a key.
Lock 2: This door lock is for the right door of a double casket. It's bar slides with the turn of the key in the escutcheon and unlocks the doors.
Lock 3: This door lock is for the left door of a double casket. The bar is finger operated and unhooks the door from a hasp located between the drawers. It keeps the doors from bowing open when closed.
Lock 4: This panel lock is installed in the double casket under under a removable tray divider. The lock is operated by a button that allows the removable panel to be slid out to reveal three drawers (and more).

A Flat Casket requires 1- Lock 1.  A Double Casket requires 2-Lock 1 and one of each of the others.  A Flat Casket with Doors requires one lock of each type.

Seed pearls are often found strung as necklaces for women. A cut one inch length of seed pearls is included in the seed pearl vial as well as any single pearls that fell off the length. If you intend to use the pearls as a necklace, you might carefully lay the length in place and couch it down and then hide the ends, removing any excess pearls. Seed pearls are notoriously hard to fit a needle in, therefore the string they arrived on was kept intact. If you need to restring, heavily wax a thread and try to feed it through the hole without a needle. 

1" piece of seed pearl strand with loose pearls in bag

This 3 mm strip is a passementerie 'thread' used to create all kinds of interesting textures. In stumpwork it is used to make garlands around circles or ovals which frame a vignette.  Short lengths can be folded over and couched down to make 'leaves' of the garland.

They can also be folded and sewn together to make tassels or edgings for small ornaments.  

Sold in 1 meter lengths

The COC colors made in Silk Cartisane are 0072, 741, F15, 2533, 199, 2126, 5025.  

New colors made are:  2112, 2114, 2124 235 (old 2916) and 945 as well as gold and silver metallic

A thick (~1 mm diameter) wavy silk gimp with a wire inside that allows it to be used to edge areas in stumpwork and be used for edgings of needlework items. The thread was used original in passementary (tassels) to give a unique texture.  Available in many Au Ver a Soie colors.  2 meters in the package.  

Four colors are new and were not in the Frostings 3 box:  945 (red), 2214 (Olive), 2216 (Dk. Olive) and Noir (Black).

5If you want a clean end when cutting, use a small dab of rice paste glue on the area you will cut and let dry.  Then cut through the glued area.  

In the example picture, the silk facette gimp is used as the cream outline and the loops.