An Editorial Review by Laura Loewen

The views expressed are not necessarily those of The Modern Quilt Guild or The Boulder Modern Quilt Guild.

Perle 8 is traditionally used for crochet or embroidery but has most recently been applied to hand quilting in the form of big stitch quilting. Perle cotton is a 2-ply twisted thread that is not divided for stitching. When it comes to perle 8 cotton, there is an assortment of brands available. I was curious if there were differences between manufacturers so I set out to test 8 types of perle 8 cotton. Some of the makes I sampled are readily available, while others are more boutique and require some tracking down. I chose to review DMC, Presencia Finca, House of Embroidery, ThreadArt, Valdani, Weeks Dye Works, and Wonderfil Eleganza.

 

Valdani

 

 

Starting with my favorite first, I have found Valdani to be very consistent in thickness throughout the length of the thread. It also tends to be among the thicker perle 8 cottons available. Because of this, I find that some of the less desirable imperfections of big stitch quilting are hidden. Valdani has a nice matte finish and rich colors available. The thread is spun together nicely and is very strong. Valdani perle 8 is becoming more readily available, however is not stocked locally. You can order box sets on Amazon, and many small shops on Etsy have it available for sale. A ball of 73 yards will run between $4.50-$5.00, or a box set of 12 colors around $65 (upwards of $.07/yd). This is available in both variegated and solid color options.

 

Finca

 

Presencia Finca is my next favorite line of perle 8 cotton. On the ball it appears very shiny but it actually stitches up with a subtle luster. The thickness is even throughout the length of the thread and I did not encounter any flaws. It shows on the ball like a thinner option of perle 8 because of the sheen, but is actually a comparable thickness to Valdani. A ball of 77 yards will set you back about $3.00 (about $.03/yd). A limited color selection is available at Fancy Tiger in Denver, or The Stichin Den in Estes Park. Otherwise, Finca is readily available online; both major retailers like Amazon, and small Etsy shops carry this brand. I highly recommend this option.

 

House of Embroidery

 

I am rating House of Embroidery towards the top of my picks because it stitches up very pretty and it has a great story. Although, this brand is a boutique brand, meaning it’s not easy to find, there are Etsy shops that sell it, or you can find it at a quilt show – like my thread. It is fairly pricey at around $6.00 for a 3 color pack totalling 30 yards (or $.20/yd). This company is a South African fair-trade company employing mostly women earning their household income. Not only is the story fantastic, the variegated hand dyed thread makes beautiful stitches. It was a looser wound thread making it a bit softer and more fragile when threading the needle. Still, high marks for this one.

 

Wonderfil

 

Wonderfil Eleganza is available in both balls and spools. The spools are offered for a special color collection by Sue Spargo. I have been assured that the thread is exactly the same regardless of the packaging. However, I decided to try out both. Wonderfil balls are available at the neighboring Fort Collins shop, The Loopy Ewe. And Sue Spargo spools are available at Treelotta in Denver. Either way you buy it, it costs about the same; 37 yard ball for about $2.50, or 70 yard spool around $5.50 (approximately $.06/yd). This thread stitched up nice and has a bit of a sheen to it, but was not my favorite. It had minor inconsistencies with thickness throughout the length of the thread. It also runs a bit thinner than some of the other options. However, it wins points for being available close to home.

 

Weeks Dye Works

 

Weeks Dye Works is one of the thinner perle 8 cotton options on the market. Although the thread is thin, it has even thickness consistency throughout the length of the thread. I’m rating it at the top of my picks for thinner varieties, but it falls lower for me personally because I prefer more voluminous choices of perle 8. Weeks only loses points on availability and price, costing $3.50 for a 10 yard cut ($.35/yd!). It is available from several Etsy shops. However, it has only recently conceited to the industry standard of colorfast dye so you might find some older product still on the market that is not marked as colorfast. Make sure to check your labels.

 

DMC

 

Since beginning my journey with big stitch quilting, I’ve never found DMC to be a favorite thread. They are the most available and can be found very inexpensively, as low as $1.82 for and 87 yard ball (that’s just $.02/yd). The flaws I have found with DMC are the inconsistencies in thickness throughout the length of the thread and the relative thinness compared with other perle 8 cotton options on the market. I feel that the thin thread actually draws negative attention to the stitch irregularity that can be part of big stitch quilting’s charm. Because DMC is so readily available at most chain fabric and craft stores, I went ahead and gave it a try twice. First I tested white and found it to be very shiny so I decided to test a color. The finished color stitches sheen was much improved over the white but unfortunately, the thickness inconsistencies were still there. However, you can’t beat the availability and the price!

 

ThreadArt

 

I’m ranking ThreadArt as my least favorite perle 8 cotton. A 75 yard spool can run around $3.00 ($.04/yd) plus that much or more for shipping since it is not available at any local shops. The thread itself was on the thinner side with inconsistencies in thickness throughout the length of the thread. It did have a matte finish which I prefer over a shiny thread. I wouldn’t say that it isn’t usable, just that the effort of acquiring it might be futile.

 

I very much enjoyed the process of testing out these several brands of perle 8 cotton. I hope you find a thread that suits your quilting style and fits your requirements. Check out my reviews on embroidery needles for big stitch quilting.