Color Variations in Hand Embroidery

To shade leaves, roses, mountains and skies with one thread in embroidery, DMC Color Variations is used: 6-strand floss with soft tone transitions within one colour family, 4000 series 60 colours, 8 m. It gives a natural gradient in long-and-short and satin stitch and a shaded outline in stem stitch and chain; one of the favourite threads of modern botanical embroidery. This category holds the Color Variations colours for embroidery; the full guide to the range is on the DMC Color Variations page. For a four-colour thread see Coloris, for a glossy option Satin.

Stitch, Strands and Needle

Satin and long-and-short 2–3 strands, stem stitch and outlines 1–2, French knots 2; when a leaf is worked from tip to stem the tone change gives a natural vein effect. Combine the strands by pulling from the same end; start the new length from where the last tone ended. A sharp size 7–9 embroidery needle, 40–45 cm lengths; closely woven cotton and linen suit it. One skein works a medium flower or leaf group.