RETURN POLICY ON THREAD: Like most needlework retailers, we do not allow returns on thread except when there has been an error on our part. Please keep this in mind before you buy. When in doubt, we recommend you buy and test a small amount prior to ordering larger quantities. We have very low shipping charges of approximately $1.75 for small thread orders to enable you to do this affordably. There are many reasons for this, but a primary reason is that once the thread has left our store, we can no longer verify that it has been kept clean and unused, and in most cases, we can no longer tell which dye lot a given thread came from. Therefore you can be confident that the thread you buy from us is clean, unused, and that we can send you multiple skeins from a single dye lot when that is important. If you buy thread from a company that accepts returned thread, how do you know where the thread they sell you has been before it gets to you?

This page updated April 29, 2008.

LINEN THREADS

Linen thread has been used in needlework for thousands of years, and in many parts of the world was once in more common use than cotton. It has a tendency to be a bit "springy" and somewhat uneven in diameter (the finer the thread the less noticeable this is). It is also a very strong thread in general, although it will wear easily in the eye of the needle, so it's a good idea to leave a short tail hanging from the needle to start, and not to slide the needle along the length of thread as it is used up. Another note about linen: a "natural" color of linen (either thread or fabric) is a brown color, not an off-white. The shade of natural will depend on the batch of linen (and perhaps the processing?), being sometimes more of a grayed brown and other times more of a golden brown, but it will be a brown. I mention this because sometimes people think a "natural" color would be the same as a natural color of cotton, which would be much, much lighter than a linen (wow, this is turning into a linen 101 lesson, and we haven't even discussed wet spun versus dry spun linen!).

A note about linen thread sizing: the lower the number, the larger the thread (i.e. a 35/2 is larger than a 60/2). The number before the slash symbol (/) refers to the linen thread size. The number after the slash symbol refers to the number of ply that make up the thread. To use the term "ply" in this sense does not mean that this thread is to be divided or separated for use (that would weaken it substantially). It refers to the spinning process when the thread is made. All our linen thread is either a 2 ply (Swedish linen and Belgian linen) or 3 ply thread (Londonderry linen). All other factors being equal, a 3 ply thread is heavier and stronger than a 2 ply thread. Linen thread sizes are different than threads made out of other fibers such as cotton or silk and a size of linen thread is not necessarily the same size as a thread made out of another fiber that uses the same number. For needleworkers, the larger sizes of linen threads are good for use in lacing fabric for framing; while the smaller sizes are better suited to pulled thread, drawn thread, hemstitching, etc. The count of the fabric you are working on will necessarily affect the size of the linen thread you choose. NONE of our linen thread is waxed.

Special note: all the linen thread we sell has been manufactured for use in lacemaking or for hand embroidery (decorative stitching). An increasing number of people have been contacting us wanting to buy linen thread for actual sewing (i.e. seams, buttonholes) done both by hand and by sewing machine. None of our threads are manufactured to be used as sewing threads (indeed there are no such threads that we are aware of); however, several people have told us they have had good results using our Londonderry linen thread. We don't really have the expertise to advise you as to weight of thread to use for these purposes. We can only suggest you try a few sizes and test the results for yourself (size 18/3 is heaviest, size 100/3 is the finest Londonderry, for normal sewing purposes the size 80/3 has worked well for some customers. To make buttonholes a heavier weight would be advised).

Please note also that an increasing number of people contact us wanting linen thread for many, many other purposes (sausage making, stringing bows for archery, bookbinding, musical instrument repair, modelmaking, etc. etc. etc.). If you are interested in it for modelmaking, although we ourselves have no expertise in this area we can provide a very limited amount of help thanks to a customer of ours who makes models, but if you need it for any other purpose, we are not able to advise you as to what to buy. For those who need to know the diameter size in inches for our Londonderry linen thread, please click here to see a PDF file that was created by a model-maker customer of ours.

We also are not able to sell wholesale.

DMC now has 24 colors of linen embroidery floss. This is similar to their cotton embroidery floss, consisting of thread that divides into 6 indivisible strands, on 8 meter (8.8 yard) skeins, only it is made of 100% linen. The colors coordinate with cotton floss colors, just omit the L from the color number to know the equivalent or similar shade in cotton. Special note April 2008: DMC has announced that in the future, their linen floss will not be available as separate skeins in any color of your choice, but will be sold only in gift boxes which contain one skein of each color. When our single skeins are gone, we will not be able to sell this product anymore, and will be limited to special-ordering the gift boxes upon request. Until then, the available colors are:

LEcru	L159
L162	L223
L225	L310 (black)
L415	L435
L437	L452
L648	L677
L739	L760
L778	L779
L822	L833
L902	L967
L3012	L3013
L3790	L3861

DMC Linen floss is $1.29 per 8 meter (8.7 yard skein).

SWEDISH LINEN THREAD, UNDYED, is used primarily for pulled thread embroidery and drawn thread embroidery and is available in three colors: white, ivory and brown. White linen thread is not a stark white but a soft white, and it is occasionally possible that a dark batch of "white" and a light batch of "ivory" can end up looking very similar to each other (* also see note below about natural Swedish thread) in several weights. Linen thread sizes go from lower numbers (heavier weights) to higher numbers (finer weights). For example, a 35/2 is a thicker thread than a 60/2 (the "/2" after a linen thread size refers to the number of plies spun together to produce a single thread). Prices are definitely subject to change without notice, and seem to go up every few months.

*In the natural or brown color of Swedish linen thread on spools, the manufacturer has decided that due to variations in the color from batch to batch and year to year, they prefer to offer a dyed brown linen thread that will be more consistent. Therefore only two sizes now are available in a true natural color, by special order: size 35/2 and size 60/2.

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT SWEDISH LINEN THREAD: We are currently experiencing difficulty (temporary, we hope) getting this thread and at the moment are out of several sizes/colors. We hope to resolve this soon but in the meantime, please inquire about availability prior to ordering this thread.

KLIPPANS BRAND SIZE 16/2 DYED LINEN THREAD (Swedish) is available in 80 colors. It used to come in 99 colors but several of the colors are now discontinued. An actual thread color card is available for $3.00. (This is the same thread that is being sold under the brand name "Rainbow Linen", although the color numbers have been changed - if you wish, we can convert from a "Rainbow Linen" number to a Klippans number for you.) This is a more irregular linen thread than most, which can be desirable when you want a very rough look. We occasionally experience delays in getting this thread from Sweden so, although we try to keep it in stock, cannot always guarantee immediate availability.

KLIPPANS BRAND SIZE 40/2 DYED LINEN THREAD (Swedish) is (or was) available in 49 colors. An actual thread color card is currently unavailable, as the size 40/2 is in the process of being discontinued. We are already sold out of some colors, and the remainder are available only while supplies last. . Like the Klippans 16/2 thread, this embroidery thread is more uneven than other linen threads. It is used primarily for "surface" embroidery.

BELGIAN LINEN THREAD used to come in only two colors, soft white and natural (light tan color). Due to a change in supplier, the natural (light tan) is now an ivory color in some sizes. As of 2006 the importer of this thread is no longer bringing it into the US, so our supply is only available while it lasts.

Copyright 1998-2008. All prices are in U.S. dollars and are subject to change without notice.