Exploring Threads for 25 Count Fabric

◆Exploring Threads for 25 Count Fabric

Hello everyone! How are you?

I’m really feeling the change of seasons right now. When it’s sunny, I feel excited. When it’s cloudy, I frown, and when it rains, I keep rubbing my eyes. This is my fourth fall since moving to the US, and I hope I can stay well and enjoy it!

Today, I would like to share a sample of kogin using four different threads on 25 count (25 ct) linen.

A 25 ct fabric has about 10 fabric threads per cm, or about 100 threads per 10 cm. Numbers don’t always help me picture a fabric, so this is how I think of it: it is finer than the kogin fabric I usually use. I would hesitate to use it for a large piece because I’m not sure I could keep going... 😂 But I would happily choose it for small accessories or when I want a more delicate look.

I am exploring this fabric because 25 ct fabric is relatively easy to find outside Japan. It may also be familiar to people who enjoy other kinds of counted-thread embroidery.

Recently, I have received more messages from people who are interested in kogin but are having trouble finding the materials. Until now, I usually bought my materials during trips back to Japan, so I had not thought very much about finding everything in the US. These messages gave me a good reason to start exploring other possibilities.

Some people have also told me that shops in their area carry kogin materials from Daruma or Olympus. Sashiko thread also seems to be easier to find outside Japan than kogin thread, so I wanted to try it as one possible option.

It makes me a little sad to think that someone may want to try kogin but give up because they cannot find the materials. So I would like to keep exploring possible options, little by little.

◆ Threads That Work on 25 Count Linen

The photo below shows kogin using four different threads on 25 ct linen.

I tried both a kogin needle and a cross-stitch needle. The cross-stitch needle moved through the fabric more smoothly, perhaps because its size matched the finer weave better. On the other hand, I felt that a longer needle might be more convenient when working several stitches at a time.

I also included kogin thread so that I could compare them.

① DMC Pearl Cotton #5
② Kogin thread — hand-dyed kogin thread by Teshigoto Fan
③ Olympus sashiko thread
④ DMC Pearl Cotton #8

The threads with a little sheen give the stitching a brighter look, while the matte kogin thread from Teshigoto Fan gives it a simple and natural look.

Each material looks and feels a little different. But when I see all these rows of musubi-bana (connected flowers), I think what I really want to say is that kogin is fun! 

I hope to share Part 2 soon. Next time, I will try different threads on fabric made specifically for kogin. Let’s hope “soon” really means soon...!

I hope these small tests can be helpful, even just a little, to anyone who has purchased one of my PDF patterns, and to anyone who is interested in kogin but worried about finding the materials.

 

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Satonobou