Tatting With Metallic Threads
The perfect tatting thread is smooth and tightly twisted.
Unfortunately, there is no metallic thread made just for tatting, so it is important to understand the difference between the metallic threads available. Most metallic threads are made for hand or machine sewing, or knitting and crochet. All available metallic threads offer different problems for tatters. The most readily available is Kreinik Blending Filament. This comes in either a smooth, flat, or bumpy round. Both are somewhat stretchy. This is also true for Sulky, which is a flat machine metallic thread. The flat varieties are the easiest for first time users. Another type of widely available metallic thread are Coats and Clark Machine Metallic and Coats and Clark Glitz. The C&C machine metallic thread is a bumpy, wiry type of thread. Madeira metallic is a bumpy type of thread, but, it is more pliable then the Coats and Clark, and, it is also thicker. YPL has several metallic threads that are also bumpy and pliable. DMC gives you Fil Argent and Fil Argent mi-fin. The former is a bumpy wiry thread thicker than the
blending filament. The latter is smooth and has a nasty habit of kinking on itself, and, creating little lumps that will not be drawn through your stitches. There are several very thick metallic threads and cotton with metallic threads. The very thick metallic threads are meant for knitting.While they can be tatted, you will end up with a rather giant product. The cotton and metallic combinations such as
Knit-Cro-Sheen look rather patchy when tatted. The effect isn't as attractive as adding a strand of blending filament to your tatting thread. All of the metallic threads( except for Maderia and YPL ) must
be worked with another thread. Use either a cotton thread of your choice or, for a very fine finished effect, a strand or two of sewing thread. To do your first project I suggest that you purchase a spool
of blending filament.For a shiny effect, choose the flat blending filament. Or, for a more subtle effect, use the bumpy filament.Wind your shuttle with your tatting thread and start your pattern. When you come to your first chain simply lay the blending filament across the chain thread and make the chain. You do not have to knot the two threads together; the metallic will not come undone. After you have tatted your next ring you can go back and trim the end off, even with the starting chain. The metallic thread will not fray and leave little thread tufts. Pull up your finished chain, with and even tension. Remember that the blending filament has more give then the cotton thread, but is also more fragile. Choose a pattern that has a last round with lots of picots, and make the picots larger then normal. The metallic thread will gleam and catch the light. I prefer to match the metallic threads with my tatting thread; white with silver and ecru with gold. I find that colored metallic threads with white thread give
a tweedy effect, that isn't as attractive as matching the threads. The match needn't be exact either. One snowflake and you will be hooked on metallic thread.
Tools
I find that I need a larger crochet hook to draw the double thread though the picot. I usually move down to a ten or a nine, depending on how thick my tatting cotton is. Nothing is more frustrating than having to do a joining over and over because your hook didn't catch all the threads the first time. There is a new double bobbin shuttle available from Beggar's Lace that is ideal for tatting double threads.
But any shuttle that does not have super tight points will do I, prefer an older, well used shuttle with an easy action. The metallic thread will become worn as it is wound and unwound doing rings and chains. I usually keep my ball and metallic spool in a zip lock bag; it's not very classy, but it works. Don't put your work in progress in the bag, or all those nice picots will catch the loose thread and you
will have to separate the two before you start working again. I put the work in progress and the shuttle in a second bag. Bee's wax is helpful to tame those wiry types of metallic threads; simply run the thread through the wax. After your project is finished you can soak the tatting in some hot water to melt the wax away.
I find that a shuttle without a hook is easier to use as the hook seems to snag the metallic thread; this is a personal preference of course. Beggar's Lace now carries a shuttle with a double bobbin which is ideal for tatting with double threads. Sebalace has an inexpensive plastic shuttle that has double posts, that also work well with double threads. Whatever your shuttle choice, the points should not be so tight as to cause wearing of the metallic thread. Knot the tatting thread and the metallic thread together, then knot the joined threads to your shuttle. To maintain the correct tension try putting both threads in a plastic bag and lay them on the floor. Walk your shuttle over the threads to wind the shuttle, rather then winding the thread around the shuttle. Check as you are winding the shuttle to see that both threads are together. If your tatting thread is on one side of the post and your metallic on the other, you may find as you unwind the shuttle that you have more of one thread then the other. Drop the shuttle often to take as much twist out of it as you can.After winding the shuttle put it aside for at least overnight. This is very important, as the two threads need time to relax together. The metallic threads are much more tightly wound on their spools then the tatting thread. You can see this as the metallic thread unwinds; it forms tight little curls. In fact, all metallic threads are hyperactive and need the calming presence of some other thread to work correctly.
To facilitate my work, I usually wind a large shuttle, like a Tatsy with my threads and put it aside for a few days. I then wind my working shuttle off of this. The benefit of this is that I have a large amount of thread ready to use. Since I am using a second shuttle for my ball thread there is less chance of the threads tangling together. If my working shuttle starts to run low I can switch shuttles. This helps in keeping knots to a minimum. The second shuttle also means that the chain thread will also be easier to work with. While the chain thread is not as critical as the shuttle thread, it is still more pleasant to work with the relaxed thread. If you prefer not to work with two shuttles, you might like to try this method of keeping the threads together. Thread the two thread though a bead. Slide the bead down the threads, then wind your shuttle. Leave the bead on the ball thread. As you work the bead will keep the ball threads together.You will find that the blending filament will relax quicker then the machine metallic sewing threads. The machine type metallic threads need a few days to become pliable. This wait is worthwhile, as it makes the threads easier to work with. In working with the double threads you need to maintain an even tension. If you normally tat very tightly you will need to make an effort to relax your tension. Undo any mistakes carefully, making sure you loosen both threads. Count your stitches as you go. It is sometimes difficult to see the individual stitches. You may need to exaggerate your hand movements to get the stitch to form. Try to form your stitch higher up on the
thread. Another problem you may encounter is passing the thread though the two threads instead of around both threads. This usually happens when your hands are tired and your tension has lessened, or, your shuttle may need to be unwound. You may find it easier to work patterns that do not have very large rings. It can be difficult to pull a very large ring closed if you have tatted it tightly with metallic thread. Close rings as usual,pulling the threads evenly and firmly. To prevent breakage of the fragile metallic thread do not yank on the threads. After closing the ring, jiggle it up and down on each side and pull the shuttle thread again. This last step assures that the ring is completely closed. It also gives the stitches a chance to be more firmly seated next to each other. Try making your joining picots a little larger then usual. In fact, larger picots in the whole design give the metallic threads a chance to catch the light.Even if you are an experienced tatter you should do your first double thread work with a simple pattern that you have worked before. Patterns used for metallic thread work should be simple. What will be envisioned in the finished work will be the interplay of light on the metallic thread. Save complex patterns for working in plain thread; otherwise all your hard work will be quite lost in the glitter of the metallic thread. Split rings can be worked in metallic thread. Care should be taken in working the second half of the split ring that you go over the threads and not through them. Node or zig - zag tatting can also be use effectively with metallic threads.
Tatting With More Then One Metallic Thread
For most tatters, adding a strand of silver thread to their snowflakes is enough. We will now examine tatting with more than one metallic thread. It is even more important to wind the shuttle and let the threads relax when using multiple metallic threads.For your first try I would suggest employing a strand of size 80 tatting cotton and two strands of blending filament. Try gold and silver. In the finished motif you will hardly see the tatting thread at all. After you are comfortable with this you may wish to try matching your metallic thread with the sewing thread. Coats and Clark has a large selection of metallic sewing threads. Unlike the blending filamnts this thread has little flecks of intense color. Matching two of these metallic threads with a strand of sewing thread you have produced a new thread that has a deep, inner glow. It can be quite effect in making jewelry, holiday motifs, or in my case, dragons. The work will be quite stiff and rather scratchy. Rather than a collar
think of a circle of motifs sewn down on the the neck edge of a sweater. Two strands of metallic sewing thread and strand of sewing thread work up to about a size 20 tatting thread. To see what color a particular set of threads will produce, wrap the thread around your finger a few times. This will give you an approximate idea of the shade when the threads are worked up. Tat samples in a simple motif using various thread combinations for future reference.
Metallic Threads
This is a list of metallic threads I have used in the past. It is by no means a complete list of the metallic threads available. I keep finding more and more of them. Unless noted they should be tatted with another thread for best results.
*Coats & Clark is by far the easiest to find. Carried in most craft and sewing stores.
*Coats & Clark Metallic Sewing Thread
Comes in 10 different colors. This is a bumpy wiry type
thread which must be added to another thread to tat.
*Coats & Clark Glitz - I think this must be a new metallic. It is the flat shiny type. I didn't care for tatting with it. To much stretch. And even added to another thread it kept
trying to undo itself.
*Kreninik Metallic - Comes in Blending filament (finest),Cable and Cord. Is either bumpy or smooth flat. The blending filament is to to tat alone.
*DMC Metallic Fil Mi-Fin - A thicker smooth thread, kinks back on itself, use with care.
*DMC Fil a Broder or Embroidery thread - A thicker bumpy thread. Can be tatted alone with great care.
*Dritz Metallic Thread - A smooth fine thread. The gold is rather brassy.
*Ultra Metallic - A fine smooth thread, I have only found it at Wal-marts. I believe it only comes in gold and silver. Both are pleasant colors.
*Maderia Metallic - I have only used the type that is bumpy, works up about the same as the Kreninik cable. But Maderia comes in other sizes and a large choice of colors.
*Sulky Metallic - Fine metallic threads. Comes in flat and shiny or smooth with a soft glow. The smooth is finer then regular sewing thread. Comes in a large variety of colors. The smooth type comes in colors not often done in metallic
thread like peach and soft rose. The metallic threads
also match Sulky's regular sewing threads. Can be added to
a double or single strand of the sewing thread for a delicate
shadeing of colors.
*YLI Metallic - I have only worked with the thicker thread. It can be tatted alone. The thick thread is the bumpy type but soft in the hand. Comes in a wide variety of colors and sizes.
Searching for the elusive metallic thread is half the fun of tatting it. A good place to look is stores that specialize in sewing machines. My local Bernina dealer is the only local outlet for YLI thread. Quilting shops, cross stitch shops and the like often carry different types of thread, then the fabric shops. A local quilt store carries Gutterman silk sewing thread, which I combine with a strand of Sulky
smooth metallic to tat flowers.
@suzann welker