How to Paint with Thread: The Complete Guide

Looking to bring your hand embroidery to life? Why not learn how to paint with thread? This technique, also called silk shading, creates lifelike pictures on fabric using a needle and thread. In this article you’ll learn how to paint with thread, look at the required materials, and go through step-by-step instructions on the technique.

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What is Thread Painting?

Thread painting is a type of realistic embroidery that involves creating a picture on fabric using a needle and thread. Same as with other types of hand embroidery you first start by tracing the pattern onto the fabric, then fill it with embroidery stitches while using the original image as a reference.

This technique is also known as needle painting, silk shading, or long and short shading, and they all refer to the same method. The main stitch used is the long and short stitch, which typically involves using one strand of cotton or silk thread.

Using long and short stitches allows for the creation of subtle color blends within an area, resulting in a realistic, “painted” finish and beautiful shading that the technique is known for.

While a few additional stitches may be necessary to mimic specific areas of the picture and make it look more lifelike, the long and short stitch is the primary stitch used in thread painting.

Tools and Supplies

Before you jump into your needle painting project, it’s important to make sure you have all the necessary tools and materials.

This technique requires precise stitching and color blending to create a lifelike image, so having the right supplies is crucial.

So let’s dive in and see what tools and materials you’ll need, what are the best needles for this type of hand embroidery, best suitable fabrics, embroidery hoops and other tools that will make a real difference in the final outcome.

TOOLS AND MATERIALS YOU’LL NEED

Fabrics – linen, cotton, silk
Threads – stranded cotton, silk thread, polyester sewing thread
Hoops and frames – super grip hoops
Needles – sharps needles
Scissors
Magnifying light
Tools for choosing colors

1. Best Fabrics for Needle Painting

When it comes to needle painting embroidery, nothing beats pure natural fibers like 100% linen, cotton, or silk.

These fabrics are great because they are tightly woven, which allows for precise stitch placement. Additionally, they have very little stretch, which prevents any distortion when mounted in the hoop.

So, for the best results, stick to natural fibers with a tight weave and minimal stretch:

Linen. Personally, I prefer to use linen for needle painting. When selecting linen for this technique, look for a high thread count, medium weight, and a tightly woven, smooth texture. Avoid using linens with a loose weave, or linens meant for dressmaking, as they are not suitable for needle painting.
Cotton. Cotton is another great choice for your needle painting project, just be sure to use pure cotton without any stretch. A high-quality cotton muslin is a great option, particularly those used for quilting. Look for at least 200 thread count with an even weave across the weft and warp to prevent distortion in the hoop. Other options are calico or a medium-weight poplin with a close weave.
Silk. Natural silk dupion is another excellent option for needle painting. Look for a medium-weight, 100% pure silk fabric without any synthetic fibers.

NOTE: If you opt for a lightweight, loose weave fabric that isn’t sturdy enough to support the stitching, you’ll have to use a backing fabric. A fine cotton muslin fabric works well as a backing for this purpose.

2. Threads

When it comes to needle painting, DMC or Anchor stranded cotton and Au Ver A Soie or Soie d’Alger silks are some of the most commonly used and most recommended brands of thread.

Stranded cotton

The two most frequently used brands of stranded cotton are DMC or Anchor. These brands offer a vast array of different shades and are perfect for needle painting.

Cotton thread is an excellent choice as it is easy to use, double-mercerized for exceptional sheen, durable, colorfast, washable, and light-resistant.

The thread consists of six strands, which can be easily separated. Typically, you will use only one strand for your embroidery, unless the pattern requires otherwise.

Silk thread

Silk thread, although pricier than standard stranded cotton, is the preferred option for needle painting endeavors due to its opulent and velvety texture. Soie d’Alger is an excellent brand of silk thread, composed of seven easily separable strands.

Despite one strand of Soie d’Alger being slightly thicker than regular cotton thread, silk thread is not consistently colorfast, necessitating the use of dry cleaning when required.

Polyester sewing thread

For outlining in needle painting, one strand of stranded cotton is usually enough, but sometimes it can be too thick. In such cases, you may need a more delicate outline for specific areas.

If necessary, you can split one strand of polyester sewing cotton into two and use one of these very fine threads for outlining.

3. Hoops and Frames

Super Grip Hoops and Elbesse Hoops

When painting with thread you’ll need to keep your fabric taut and prevent puckering. I prefer using the super grip hoops from Susan Bates, the blue one in the image above. You can easily purchase these hoops online or at a needlework store near you.

NOTE: To avoid leaving marks on your fabric, I recommended you to bind your hoop and create a cover for it before starting your hand embroidery project. However, if you don’t want to bind the hoop, you can also use stretcher bars or even an artist’s canvas frame from an art shop with the canvas removed.

4. Best Needles for Needle Painting

The best needles for the needle painting technique are Sharps needles. They are smaller than regular embroidery needles, have a short shaft, and a round eye, which makes them easier to control and create smaller stitches.

They are available in various sizes ranging from 2 to 12, with the larger numbers indicating smaller needles.

You should use sharps sizes:

Sharps Needle Sizes 10-11: for one strand of thread
Sharps Needle Sizes 9-10: for two strands of thread

These needles can sometimes be difficult to thread, if you’re struggling you can use a needle threader or use an embroidery needle with a larger eye size 9-11.

Embroidery needles size 9-11 come in handy when you need to use more than one strand of thread for various elements in your needle painting project.

A few good brands of needles you can use are Bohin, John James, or Clover.

5. Scissors

To complete your needle painting project, you’ll need a pair of small sharp embroidery scissors. Any high-quality embroidery scissors should do the job.

6. Magnifying Light

For needle painting projects a magnifying light is really one of the most important tools.

In order to prevent eye strain when stitching, you need a combination of two things: good light and magnification. And this is exactly what a magnifying light does: it magnifies the area of your stitching and provides a good white light that mimics the natural light.

For example in my two projects below, the Realistic Butterfly and the Daisies pattern, it would have been virtually impossible for me to see the fine stitches and create a detailed and seamless color blending without using a magnifying lamp.

If you need a helping hand in choosing the right magnifying lamp for your projects, check out this article:

Best magnifying lamps for hand embroidery

7. Tools for Choosing Colors

Another crucial aspect of this type of hand embroidery is the color choices. If you ask me, this is the most important aspect to think about before starting to paint with thread.

The technique itself can be easily learned, but what really brings to life and impacts your final outcome is the colors you choose for your needle painting projects.

These are the three most important tools I use when choosing colors for my needle painting embroideries.

Colour Confident book – this book is like the wholy grail of colors when it comes to this technique
DMC Color Card with real thread – this is an essential tool for any embroiderer’s toolbox
Color wheel – an essential tool for matching and creating beautiful color palettes while easily learning the color theory.

Preparing the Fabric and Hoop

Preparing Your Fabric

To prepare the fabric for embroidery, there are several steps you should follow before starting your project.

Wash and iron. To remove your fabric creases and pre-shrink it, wash and iron it before stitching. If you’re using silk do not wash the fabric, instead just press lightly with iron without using the steam function.
Line up the grain. Lining up the grain of a fabric involves ensuring that the lengthwise and crosswise threads of the fabric are perpendicular to each other. To do this, pull a thread on two sides at right angles to ensure that it is on the straight grain.
Prevent fraying. To prevent fraying I usually use pinking shears when I cut my fabric. You can also use masking tape, fray-stop or just machine sew the edges of the fabric.

Binding the Hoop

Binding or preparing the hoop is a technique used to protect your fabric from damage while stitching. To bind the inner hoop, you can use strips of fabric and secure the end with fabric glue to prevent unraveling.

To avoid hoop marks on your embroidery fabric, you can create a hoop cover too. Cut a piece of fabric and make a small hole in the center. Place your embroidery fabric over the inner hoop and then put the scrap fabric on top. Center the design in the hoop and cut away the excess fabric to reveal your design.

How to Bind an Embroidery Hoop

Transferring the Pattern

To transfer a design outline manually follow this simple method:

Print your pattern or if you don’t have access to a printer trace the outline onto a piece of tracing paper
Place the outline onto a lightbox or on a window and secure it with masking tape
Place your fabric centrally on top of this and again tape in place
Trace over the lines with a washable tracing pen, a fine tip pigment liner (0.05 or 0.1) or even an HB pencil.

Stitches for Needle Painting

1. Long and Short Stitch

Long and short stitch is the main embroidery stitch used in this type of embroidery.

Long and short stitch is the technique of working rows of stitches that blend into each other, creating a smooth transition of color. This shading effect is achieved by gradually changing the colors through the rows.

Long and short stitches can be used to fill different shapes to create gorgeous colour gradients. As a result, selecting the appropriate colors is even more crucial when working this stitch.

2. Split Stitch

Split stitch is used in needle painting embroidery in two ways. You can use it to outline the edge of the shape under the long and short stitch, or you can use it as a filling.

Split Stitch for Outlines

In some cases, it may be necessary to use an outline to define the edge of a shape before working the long and short stitch.

This can be particularly useful when you are stitching a flower with petals that lie one on top of the other.

In order to create more depth, you will also outline the shapes after you finished filling them with long and short stitch.

You can easily see the difference between the images above, there’s a clear difference between the outlined and not outlined version.

Split Stitch as a Filling

When the shape is too small for long and short stitch, you can use the split stitch as a filling, same as the dark-red stems in the image above.

3. Satin Stitch

Satin stitch is another great option for filling shapes. It comes in handy when the shape is too small for long and short stitch or if the shape to be filled needs a smooth filling.

4. Padded Satin Stitch

In some needle painting projects you might want to create other raised elements. The padded satin stitch is a great choice to create raised shapes on top of the fabric.

Outline the shape with split stitch, so that it will define the shape. Fill the shape with split stitch or straight stitches across the shape.

If using straight stitches for the padding you can add two or three layers of padding for satin stitch.

SPLIT STITCH PADDING FOR THE SATIN STITCH

Stitch the satin stitch on top of this padding and over the split stitch outline.

NOTE: Other stitches such as French knots, bullion stitch, padded long and short stitch, or other stitches specific to the pattern may be required for your needle painting project.

Choosing the Colors for Long and Short Stitch

As I mentioned before, choosing the right colors for your needle painting project can make or break an entire project.

It’s the gradual color transition that creates the appearance of smoothness in your work. When the different shades are blended correctly, they will merge into each other and create gorgeous colour gradients.

The two most important factors when choosing the different shades for long and short stitch are:

Right color shades. For a seamless shading effect, it is important to use similar tones when selecting colors. While you can adjust the contrast, make sure you’re using threads from the same or similar color families.
Good balance of light to dark shades. Obtaining the correct balance in shading is crucial for achieving visually appealing needlework. A helpful tip to achieve balance is to fill about two-thirds of the shape with light and medium tones and the remaining one-third with darker tones. The example below demonstrates this concept.

There are many methods, both online and offline, for choosing the right color palette for an embroidery project. Explore these articles for guidance on crafting beautiful stitch palettes for your projects:

Order of Work

In needle painting projects the order of work matters. Why?

Because we want to create realistic embroideries that mimic real life. Thus, the elements will be stitched as they lay in real life.

The shapes in the background will be stitched first, then gradually stitch the elements in the foreground.

Here’s an example of the order of work in my Floral alphabet pattern.

As you notice in the diagram, the stems, buds, and leaves are sitting at the back of the letter. Then comes the letter and on top of all, we have the flower.

This is exactly how we’ll stitch them. We’ll first stitch the stems, buds, and leaves. Then the letter and at the last step, we’ll be stitching the flower.

Let’s have a look at the exact steps for needle painting the flower.

Step 1. Outline the shape with split stitch

Since I wanted the petals to be slightly raised on top of the fabric, I first outlined the shape with split stitch. You can use one strand of thread but, or if the shape is larger, you can use two strands for the outlining.

Step 2. Stitch a first row of long and short stitches

I started my shading with the lightest color, by creating a first row of staggered long and short stitches. I usually stitch from light to dark shades when needle painting botanical subjects.

Make sure the long and short stitches go over the split stitch outline. This will create the raised effect.

Step 3. Stitch a second row of long and short stitches

The transition to the darkest shade will be made gradually by stitching a second row of staggered long and short stitches using a medium shade of the same color family red.

Step 4. Stitch a third row of long and short stitches

Then a third row of long and short stitches using an even darker shade of red.

Step 5. Stitch a fourth row using the darkest shade of red

Lastly, I stitched the last row using the darkest shade of red. Notice how the balance between light and dark shades is as we said earlier – 1/3 proportion.

The ratio of light and dark tones in your stitching will vary depending on the element you are working with. Typically, the petals in the background will be darker in shade.

You can see it in the image above, where the darker petals are the ones that are partially covered by the petals in the foreground.

Step 6. Adding details

Once you finish filling the shapes with long and short stitches, it’s time to add a few details to increase contrast and make it pop up a bit more.

This step will be different for each project and type of subject.

For botanical neelepaintings sometimes you might need to add another outline in a darker shade around some or all petals. This will make them stand out and not blend into each other.

In other cases, for example in pet portraits when you’re needlepainting a fluffy pet, you might not want to add outlines around your subject. This would only ruin the entire furry effect.

So this step really depends a lot on the subject and the specific elements you’re stitching.

You can also use all sorts of other stitches to add dimension and texture, such as french knots and bullion knots.

In this particular project, I added a few French knots to give the whole flower some extra texture.

Tips and Recommendations

When you paint with thread is really like training a muscle. Your first needle painting will most likely not look perfect. Don’t be disheartened. It’s completely normal!

The more you practice, the better you’ll get. Over time, as you develop your skills you’ll discover what works for you and what doesn’t.

Below are several tips that I find useful when painting with thread:

Always make sure your fabric is drum taut in the hoop or frame
If possible use a magnifying lamp as it really makes a difference. If not, make sure you’re room is well lit, ideally with natural light.
When reviewing your result is always a good idea to leave the work aside for a few hours or even a day, this will give you a more accurate impression of its overall appearance. Additionally, taking a photo of your work with your phone can be helpful, as it will enable you to easily identify areas that require adjustment, if any.
Don’t be afraid to make adjustments if something appears off. The needle painting technique is very forgiving in this sense, you can easlily add more stitches on top without unpicking.

Best Thread Painting Books

When it comes to learning thread painting, there are numerous books available that can be extremely useful. Personally, I prefer using books rather than online courses, as I can refer back to them while stitching and simply because I enjoy reading books.

Whether you’re into pet portraits or botanical needle painting, there is a book out there to match your own style and skill level.

Check out this article for some of the best options available:

How to Learn to Paint with Thread Online

Another effective option for learning thread painting is through online courses and workshops. There is a diverse range of options available that cater to different skill levels and preferences.

No matter your preferred method of learning, be it video tutorials, live workshops, or other online resources, there is an approach that’s right for your individual learning style.

The needle painting technique requires persistent practice and experimentation, until you discover your own style and become proficient in the technique.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is thread painting?

Thread painting or silk shading is a type of surface embroidery that involves creating a lifelike image on fabric using needle and thread. Same as with other types of surface embroidery you first start by tracing the pattern onto the fabric, then fill it with embroidery stitches while using the original image as a reference.

Is thread painting difficult?

No. Many stitchers are intimidated by the technique, but when you understand how it works the technique itself is not hard at all. Two of the most important things when learning the technique is to learn how to choose the right colors that blend well together and master the long and short stitch.

What do you need for thread painting?

The thread painting technique requires a few specific tools and supplies. You will need the right needles (Sharps sizes 9 and 10), embroidery thread, fabric with a high thread count (linen, cotton or silk), supergrip hoop, and a magnifying lamp. You can also use extra tools for choosing the right color shades, such as a DMC color card with real thread and a color wheel.

Can thread painting be done by a sewing machine?

Yes, thread painting can be done with a sewing machine by creating straight or zigzag stitches that mimic paint strokes. You’ll need threads of different colours, stabilizer for support of base fabrics during hard sewing and ideally embroidery hoops for sewing machines.

Download Free Patterns

If you want to try the needle painting technique, remember that you can download free patterns from the Free Pattern Library. To access it just fill out the form below and I will send you an email with your password.