Why isn't there a thread colour chart with our designs?

One of our commonly asked questions is “Where is the thread colour chart?”, when we digitize our designs the designers have a rough idea of what colours they would like but we don’t decide on fabrics or threads until we are actually stitching out our samples. As a result the samples we stitch won’t necessarily match up with the digitized colours:

Also in our designs the number of thread changes doesn’t necessarily reflect how many times you need to change threads, but instead how many “steps” there will be to complete the panel. Each step is intended to line up with the instructions we provide (the PDF/DOCX files in each download) so that you can see what each step will stitch out and you can plan your thread changes accordingly.

For example, if you are stitching a placement line you most likely won’t need to change threads (as it will be hidden underneath the appliqué) whereas a satin stitch you will likely want to select a colour that will stand out or match the appliqué .

Below shows an example placement and stitch down line for a piece of appliqué and how it is not visible after the block is finished:

Our digitizers also use digitized thread colours as a way of indicating what type of step is being stitched. The exact colours will be different depending on the file format you use, but in the PES files for example appliqué placement lines will generally be red and the stitch down will be blue:

This doesn’t mean you need to use blue thread or red thread; it is just to distinguish which step you are on because both will be the exact same shape. The colours are to differentiate them and ensure that your machine stops between the steps.

We ultimately aim to encourage everyone’s creativity and enable every project to be personalized by using materials from your own stash! 😊