Olympus skeined Sashiko thread comes in lots of lovely colours...
It is soft and perfect for sashiko stitching, boro stitching, visible mending, wool applique, big stitch quilting, toy and doll making...
This sashiko thread gets prettier with machine washing! It plumps up a bit while at the same time nestling into the fibres of the fabric.
But why, oh why, does it come only in skeins?
Skeins.
Really?
Here I am all ready to settle in and stitch miles of Sashiko and I realise that every thread I need is going to be a project itself to get off the skein! Argh!
Here is the solve for this frustrating problem:
1. Find where the skein is tied and hold it there while opening it into a long loop.
2. Cut through both ends of the loop. Yup, right through all the threads, both ends :-)
3. Braid them into a loose braid and tie a thread around each end so they stay braided.
4. Pull the threads out for use, one by one. The braid will bunch up and then fall straight again. No more wasted tangled thread.
5. Throw all your braided thread in a baggy and it will stay untangled and usable until you have used it all.
This does mean you must use your thread in the cut length. I know some people like to use longer threads but if you can bring yourself to do it, the shorter length will make better results in your stitching. And threading the needle more often isn't so bad with sashiko needles. They have such nice large eyes :-)
If you really want to use the longer threads (and I do too for the weaving part on Kuguri-sashi sashiko projects) you can cut through on end of the loop only and braid that longer length.
Happy Stitching
Susan