All About Pepper Pot Silk Thread

I’ve long been a fan of Pepper Pot Silk. It’s a luscious single strand spun silk thread from Planet Earth Fiber. (That means it’s not divisible!) It’s made from Chinese silk. It comes in a skein and there are 30 yards/27.4 meters in each skein.

Here’s a picture of it for you…

It’s available in both solid and monochromatic colors. There are currently 227 solid colors and 16 tone-on-tone hues.

Pepper Pot silk thread may be used on both 13 and 18 mesh needlepoint canvas.

It’s approximately the same size as #5 Perle cotton. And if you’re allergic to wool, Pepper Pot Silk is a terrific substitute. It’s similar to Vineyard Classic Silk in the way it stitches up. The color palette is more vivid, though.

It’s oh-so-nice to work with. It doesn’t fray easily nor is it prone to untwisting or tangling (which is HUGE for silk thread!).

Pepper Pot Silk has a soft twist that allows the silk fibers to expand and fill in the canvas holes very nicely, too.

Use a needle that’s slightly larger than you’d typically use if you’re working on 18 mesh canvas. (I recommend a #22 tapestry needle.) The larger needle will open the canvas mesh up a little more so that the thread may pass through without too much friction.

If your hands are a little rough, be sure to use a sugar scrub before your stitching session. Even though it’s not divisible, Pepper Pot will still “catch” on rough surfaces, including your hands.

Working with Pepper Pot Silk

Cut your pieces approximately 16″ – 18″ long and remember to make sure that the eye of your needle is always facing you as you stitch. (This will prevent the thread from untwisting and it will also result in prettier and more even stitches.) Drop your needle every 5 – 7 stitches to allow the thread to “recover” its twist.

Pepper Pot Silk, like any silk thread, is a little slippery, so you’ll want to make sure that you anchor it securely with an “L” stitch or 3 pin stitches/backstitches.

I prefer to use Pepper Pot Silk on 18 mesh canvas when my goal is full coverage of the canvas. It covers very well when working slanted stitches (like tent stitch and mosaic stitch), but you’ll see a wee bit of canvas peeking through when you use it for horizontal and vertical stitches. That being said, if you’re working on a painted canvas and you are able to match the thread color to the paint color very well, Pepper Pot will get the job done for you. 😉

When it comes to 13 mesh canvas, my experience has been that it provides average coverage. I get the best coverage with diagonal tent/basketweave. It covers pretty well with slanted decorative stitches when you have an exact color match, too. But if you plan to use it when executing horizontal or vertical stitches, be prepared for the canvas to show through quite a lot. If your stitching goal is to allow some of the artist’s shading to show through your stitches, then you’ll be golden.

Here are some stitched samples so you can see what it looks like…

Pepper Pot Silk on 13 Mesh Canvas

Pepper Pot Silk on 18 Mesh Canvas

Pepper Pot Silk is a terrific option for stitching all kinds of canvases…

from stockings and stand-ups to ornaments and framed designs. You may also use it on pillows since it’s actually quite durable.

It’s especially lovely for these design components:

• birds
• clothing
• fish
• floors
• flowers
• foliage
• grass
• hair
• houses
• insects
• rocks
• sky
• soft home furnishings (e.g., curtains, pillows, upholstered furniture, bedspreads, etc.)
• wallpaper
• water
• backgrounds

Have you used Pepper Pot Silk on one of your projects? I’d love to hear from you, so feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. 😉

Alrighty, that’s all for now, my friend! Have a wonderful rest of your day and I’ll see you again soon.

Until then, happy stitching!

XOXO!!

Ellen Johnson