I’d like to tell you about luminescent threads that glow in the dark – or, to be more precise, share my experience.
We embroider some of our ‘Living Maps’ using Czech Preciosa beads with this very thread.
I’ve come across three manufacturers: Spark beadS, Chinese machine embroidery thread and the German Madeira ‘Halloween’.
The first thread I came across was from Spark beadS, wound onto a 30-metre plastic bobbin. At the time, I was experimenting with beads, testing which types and sizes could store light and glow afterwards.
Why did I choose this particular thread first? Firstly, it’s inexpensive, and secondly, the spool says it’s beading thread, and that’s what won me over. But the first thing I noticed – and which I didn’t really like – was that the thread breaks easily. I doubled it up and embroidered part of the first sheet of the Bead Chart, but was disappointed when I saw the glow in the dark – it was very faint. So I decided to look for threads from other manufacturers.
On one of the websites offering luminescent threads in various colours, I bought a large 4,500-metre spool of white thread (see photo below). The seller said it was Chinese thread for machine embroidery. When I received it and compared it, the result was the same as with Spark Beads. It tore just as easily and the glow was dim.
The next thread I tried was the German Madeira ‘Halloween’, designed for machine embroidery and wound onto a 100-metre spool. I’d say the price is definitely ten times higher than the previous ones. This thread also turned out not to be very strong, but it was better than the previous two. Using it doubled, I embroidered the same series from the bead catalogue that I’d embroidered with Spark Beads thread. I was very pleased with the result; there was a noticeable difference. The beads embroidered with Madeira ‘Halloween’ thread glow brightly. Even when I used Madeira ‘Halloween’ doubled and Spark Beads quadrupled, the German thread still glowed more brightly.
So, for the time being, I’ve settled on German thread, even though it’s quite expensive.
Now I’d like to talk about Preciosa Czech beads, and which numbers might glow.
At first, I thought the beads might glow in their own colour – that is, red would glow red, blue would glow blue, and so on. But here, too, I was in for a slight disappointment, as they all glowed the same colour – a bright greenish-yellow.
Later, whilst stitching, I realised that not all the beads glow in the same way. For example, in the popular series of transparent numbers (found on the first page of our 2018 Bead Chart) – 00050, 10..., 20..., 30..., 50..., 60..., 80..., 90... (38 numbers in total), only 8 numbers glow well and brightly – 00050, 10020, 30030, 50100, 60000, 60010, 60030, 60150. The others glow dimly or not at all.
Alternatively, if we take two transparent yellow Preciosa beads, 80010 and 01181, which are similar in colour, only 01181 allows the thread to accumulate light.
You’d think that transparent beads would let light through, but the thread can only accumulate light after a few beads. This is most likely down to the density of the material the beads are made from and its ability to let light through.
However, there are also entire ranges that accumulate light well and then glow in the dark. You can see this perfectly in our Czech Bead Chart, embroidered with luminescent thread, which can help you decide which beads to use for your projects.
I’m often asked to provide patterns using beads that glow. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple, which is why I suggest using this thread to embroider certain elements or silhouettes – and not every pattern is suitable for light-accumulating thread.
