Product Recommendations: Invisible Thread and Needles

I got two questions last week specifically about invisible thread, so I thought I’d drop a quick bonus post with some tips and sources.

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Fishing Line

I really have fallen in love with 4 lb or 6 lb fishing line because I find that it doesn't tangle as much and you don’t need to double it up like an invisible thread. I use it in a single length, knotted at one end, threaded through the needle, with a 6 inch tail.

I can’t tell a huge difference overall between 4lb and 6lb in terms of diameter, but as you can imagine, 4lb is slightly thinner.

• Monofilament Fishing Line by South Bend: I've been stocking in beginner kits because its a smaller quantity per spool.

I’ve tried a few brands and I don’t think there’s a huge difference.

• Vanish: Marketed as more invisible in the water. Maaaaybe it makes a difference for finishing? I can’t tell. It’s nice to work with though and I’ve gone through two spools.

• Stren Original 4 lb: Bought and tried because it was on sale!

Invisible Thread

When you get into invisible thread itself, I think the brand does makes a difference, unlike fishing line. Invisible thread is thinner than either weight fishing line mentioned above, so I do typically double it up with a knot joining the two lengths at the end.

• Gutterman: I don’t think this is terrible but it does tangle and it’s super thin so it is harder to feel in your hand. For this reason, I reach rriiight over it on my workstation in favor of my fishing line.

• Coats and Clark: This is garbage imho. Big red flag. I started with this stuff when I began finishing because I had it in my sewing kit, but it really tangles very badly.

• Singer: Others swear by Singer as the best of the bunch of true invisible thread options. I don’t have personal experience because I could only find it online in a 3 pack and I felt like that was a big commitment but give it a whirl!

• Giant cone: Speaking of big commitments, this beaut is 7,700 yards of invisible beauty. At $8, maybe you’ll feel like its worth the investment to try it out. My finishing friends that use this say that you don’t need to double it up, it doesn’t snap too much.

Invisible Thread, Dark Edition

For dark ornaments, you can sometimes see the invisible thread catch the light. I almost always swap out my fishing line Gutterman Smoke when I get into dark colors.

Floss

You can also sew on with floss but I only recommend doing this if you can exactly match the color to the background.

A while back, I posted a short video on Instagram about this, if you’d prefer a video version you can find it here!

Needles

Lacing

I generally use a leftover tapestry needle from stitching that’s suitable to get a length of DMC Pearle through. Generally a needle suitable for the mesh size:

• 18 Mesh: 22

• 13 Mesh: 20

Sewing the cording on

• I almost always use a #7 sharp sewing needle. I landed on this from buying a multipack of needles and figuring out what I liked working with.

• You may have heard that curved needles are great for sewing on cording, too. I personally don’t prefer these because I find that I have to make two motions with the needle to get it through the material, so it takes me more time. Instead, I have bent a slight curve into my #7s so I get the speed of the straight needle and the precision closeness to the cording of a curved needle. If you also can’t get the hang of a curved needle, this may be a good tip for you, too.

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