How to blend threads

The two-tone effect of blended stitches adds texture and movement to your cross stitching– perfect for natural effects like fur and also leaves or bark in a stitched scene. It’s also useful when there are larger jumps in shade tone between two colours, to create a ‘middle’ shade and bridge the gap, creating a smoother looking transition. You can also blend one strand of standard cotton with one strand of metallic thread or special blending filament to add sparkle.

Blended stitches have their own symbol on the cross stitch chart – different to the one indicating the shades if you needed to stitch them on their own. When you come across this symbol on a project, here’s how to stitch two shades in one.

How to blend a thread

Step 1

Check the key for how many strands of each thread you need for your special blended stitches. This is usually one of each colour, but not always.

Step 2

With the thread shades indicated by the key, combine the number of strands required for each. Then, thread your needle with the different-coloured strands as normal.

Step 3

Now that you have your different strands threaded you can just stitch as normal. Make sure the threads lie flat against the fabric as you stitch, so that each coloured strand is visible, creating the blended effect.

Hannah Fletcher

Hannah has been the Editor of The World of Cross Stitching magazine for 4 years and is responsible for bringing a wide range of cross stitch patterns from the best international designers to the readers around the world. She loves to stitch modern baby samplers for new arrivals amongst her friends and family, but as an all-round crafter, Hannah is just as likely to have a crochet hook in hand as a needle and thread. When she’s not busy crafting, Hannah can be found Irish dancing or running to keep fit.

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