Choosing thread colors for embroidery can be a daunting task for many people, especially the newbies. Colors play a vital role in hand embroidery. It sets the tone for the whole piece of work. Bright colors bring playfulness and cheerfulness, while dark shades can give rise to sophistication. With a wide range of thread colors for embroidery, you may find it difficult to choose from. That’s precisely we’ve rounded up some handy tips for you to choose the best thread colors for embroidery. The subject of color is quite diverse, so we’ll try our best to make it simple and easy to understand.
The Color Wheel
First and foremost, it’s necessary to know what is the color wheel? A circular shape that is divided equally into 12 parts, with each segment showing a different color according to its pigment value.
Since all colors are created from the three primary colors (red, green, and blue), the primary colors are seen forming a triangle inside the color wheel. The color wheel demonstrates the relationship between primary colors, secondary colors, and complementary colors.
Types of thread colors for embroidery
It’s best to determine the type of thread colors for embroidery. Here are three types of thread colors for embroidery:
- Primary colors: Red, Yellow, and Blue.
- Secondary colors: Violet, Orange, Green.
You get secondary colors by combining the three primary colors together. Red and yellow are orange; yellow and blue are green; and red and blue are purple.
- Tertiary colors: Violet-Red, Red-Orange, Orange-Yellow, Yellow-Green, Green-Blue, Blue-Violet
You get the tertiary colors by mixing the primary and secondary colors. Blue and green are going to be tea. Green and yellow are going to be chartreuse. Yellow and orange are going to be amber. Orange and red are going to be vermillion. Red and purple mixed together, they become magenta. Purple and blue would be violet.
Forms of a color
Thread colors for embroidery come in four different shapes. These forms will express the mood of your work. Let’s try to grasp that with the color-Red.
- Tint (light): apply a degree of white to every color and you get a lighter hue. You may identify the lighter shade of color when the shades are softened and lightened. These colors are generally calming, soothing, caring, innocent, cherubic, misty, gentle, mellow, and sweet.
- Hue (Vivid): this is the true hue of its purest nature. It is the shade and the true reflection of color, and its vibrancy forces the first attention to it. These colors are interpreted as vivid, enthusiastic, lively, young, energetic, playful, joyful, festive, and exciting.
- Tone (Muted): Apply a degree of gray to the hue and you get a muted version that sets the color tone. It gives a worn-out or washed-out look. They are viewed as natural, organic, aged, fading, rustic, intelligent, boring, and dull.
- Shade (Dark): Apply a degree of black to the shade to give it a dark shade. Like how various materials soaked in water convert it into a dark hue. Such colors are viewed as mysterious, severe, complicated, traditional, historical, sophisticated, rich, and elegant.
Use the color theory or the color wheel
- Complementary
Two whites on the opposite side of the paint wheel. This combination offers high contrast and a high-impact color combination – together these colors can appear lighter and more prominent.
- Monochromatic
Three colors, shades, and shades with a single base color. Provides a subtle, conservative color mix. This is a versatile color combination that is easy to add to design projects with a harmonious look.
- Analogous
Three shades on the paint wheel side by side. This color combination is flexible, but it can be overwhelming. To complement the analog color scheme, select one dominant color, and use the others as accents.
- Triadic
Three whites, which are uniformly distributed on the color wheel. This offers a high contrast color scheme, but less so than a complementary color combination—making it more flexible. This combination provides bold, vivid color palettes.
- Tetradic
Four whites, which are equally distributed on the color wheel. Tetradic color schemes are bold and work better if you allow one color to be dominant and use the others as accents. The more colors you’ve got in your palette, the harder it’s to balance.
Use your experience and memories
Think of the colors that come to mind when you think of a topic. Think of the beach, for example. What colors does it remind you of? Most of us think of blue and white (the ocean). Some might think of more tropical colors like red, blue and yellow, too, if they have more experience of tropical beaches with lots of colorful beachwear!
Using knowledge and memories gives you a chance to bring your own thoughts and creativity to life, and to tell your own story through your stitching.
Conclusion
For people new to hand embroidery, it’s a fail-safe way to start a new hobby and make something wonderful right off the bat, even with no previous stitching experience. Thread colors for embroidery are what makes these kits so attractive and eye-catching. Therefore, knowing thread colors for embroidery will help you to create terrific handmade gift ideas for kids, friends, and family members.
Hope you enjoy this post. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any suggestions or any questions.
