As you probably already know, embroidery floss is one strand made up of six smaller strands. You separate the strands based on the thickness of the lines that you want to stitch. Most embroidery patterns will tell you how many threads to use.
Separating the threads seems easy enough, but if you aren’t careful, it can actually leave you with a tangled mess. I separate my embroidery floss using two different methods, depending on how lazy I’m feeling. Watch the video below to learn my methods. (If you are using an ad blocker, you may need to turn it off to see the video.)
I’ve read that separating threads like the second method will give you better, smoother coverage. The only time I think it really make a difference for me is when I’m using filling stitches like the satin stitch, fishbone stitch, or long and short stitch. Otherwise, I usually like to keep my threads together like the first method.
Which method is right? Whichever method you feel most comfortable with!
Take a look at my how to embroider for beginners post for more embroidery tips.