Out of the box: Adding dimension with Wired Braid

"Your company is out of the box," someone told us at the recent TNNA needlework trade show for needlework businesses, designers, retailers, and teachers. "You just don't fit in a box!" We took that as a compliment. It is true that Kreinik threads can be used in all techniques, can be used as is or modified to create new effects, and can be used in ways we've never even considered. It is the creative thinkers of the world that inspire us as thread makers.

A wired Kreinik thread has been requested by some of those creative thinkers for at least 15 years. Some innovators on their own inserted wire into our heavier braids to create dimensional effects (and still do), but they kept asking us to make a wired thread, year after year. We played around with it, but since we manufacture our own threads in our West Virginia factory, we couldn't get the production down to a good process. When DMC came out with their wired thread last year, the requests really amped up. Back to the drawing board—and machines—and we figured it out. We are so excited to debut nine colors in a wired Kreinik metallic we call "Wired Braid." Judging from the positive response at the show, this thread is going to be another valuable tool to bring your creative ideas to life through color, texture and dimension no matter what medium or technique you use.

What can you do with this new thread? Thanks to some of our Facebook friends, here are some ideas for using the new Kreinik Wired Braid™

• "I'd make Valentines!!!!! Id mix it up, id cross stitch, embroider, outline!" - Amy K.
• "I'd use wired braid to embellish cross stitch projects, greeting cards, frame photos, so many ideas --- so little time!" - Doris D.
• "Soooooo many ideas! Create shapes to dangle from mobiles, stumpwork foundations, jewelry..." - Karen C.
• "Definitely the invites I'd be sending out for all the birthdays coming up over here!" - Amanda R.
• "I would use it for my fiber art for 3D additions to the pieces. Also I could see incorporating it into some of the coiled wire items I create" - Barb B.
• "I need to make a cork screw for one of my needlepoint projects. This looks like it would do the trick!" - Carol V.
• "I have a couple of WIP's that could really benefit from sparkly definition...and one in particular that I wanted to add a word to and this wire would be just spectacular!!!" - Lisa L.
• "I would use it for the wings of my beaded angels. Definitely use it for mystical cross stitch outlining/couching." - Rowie M.
• "I would use it to embellish my cross-stitching and other needlework projects." - Kim R.

At the TNNA show, one common question was "How does this differ from DMC's Memory Thread?" To be honest, we haven't used Memory Thread so we can't really compare. However, some designers told us that DMC's is wrapped, whereas with the Kreinik thread, the wire is braided in. This makes it curve and shape nicely. Ours is metallic, of course, and comes in some of your favorite Kreinik colors (like 002, 001, 015, 009). It is available on the tidy classic Kreinik black spool, or on cones in larger amounts (by special order). See more here: http://www.kreinik.com/shops/Wired-Braid.html

If you are couching Wired Braid™ onto your needlework, there are a few handy tips. As with any thick thread that you couch, we recommend that you tape the ends to make it easier to plunge to the back of your work. As Sue Jennings recommended, "Make the tape pointy and the end will act just like a needle." Then couch it with a coordinating color of thin Kreinik Blending Filament, Cord, or Very Fine #4 Braid, or use a clear monofilament sewing thread.

Look for the new wired metallic braid in needlework stores (Hot-Wire colors carry a "W" after the color number). Look for it to "pop up" (pun intended) in designs and stitch guides coming out this year. Visit http://www.kreinik.com/shops/Wired-Braid.html for a color chart and more information. And most of all: have fun with this new dimensional embellishment thread.