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Naturally Dyed Thread: Choosing Colour with Care
Eight Needles Journal · Thread and colour
Choosing naturally dyed thread begins with colour, but it does not end there. NONA’s fine thread and its thicker embroidery thread create different lines on cloth. Knowing which you are buying makes a palette more useful—and helps you plan enough thread for the project.
NONA’s roots in temari
NONA’s own story connects its dyeing to temari: decorative thread-wrapped balls made around a traditional rice-husk and paper foundation. After TEMARICIOUS dissolved in spring 2021, Rika established NONA as a new brand. It is more accurate to describe that new beginning than to call it a simple name change.
The brand describes extracting colour from natural materials and carrying those colours into thread and temari. Its shop is in Nishi-Ogikubo, Tokyo. A skein is part of that wider practice, rather than just an interchangeable colour code.
Fine thread and NONA thread are different weights
NONA’s illustrated comparison distinguishes two cotton threads. The maker uses DMC No.25 embroidery floss as a familiar comparison for thickness:
| Thread | Maker’s thickness comparison | Typical format described by NONA |
|---|---|---|
| NONA Fine Thread | Approximately one strand of DMC No.25 | Approximately 140m |
| NONA Thread | Approximately three strands of DMC No.25 | Approximately 12.5m skein |
| NONA Card Thread | The thicker NONA Thread, wound on a card | Approximately 40m |
This is a comparison of thickness, not a claim that NONA thread is DMC floss or that it should be separated into the same number of strands. In temari, NONA describes using the fine thread for the foundation and the thicker thread for the patterned stitching.
How we would choose the thread weight
For delicate embroidery, we would begin by comparing the fine thread against the line weight you normally enjoy. For a more pronounced stitched surface, include the thicker NONA thread in the sample. The colours are inviting, but the thickness changes the result as much as the shade.
Try a small area of satin stitch and a simple running line. Keep the cloth and colour contrast similar, then compare coverage, spacing and the way the thread sits on the surface.
Colour and line work together in sashiko
We love the possibilities of a geometric motif where colour travels through straight sections and turns. A small sample lets you see how a delicate line behaves at an intersection before committing to a whole cloth.
That gives you a useful way to plan a sample: choose a part of your pattern containing both a straight line and a corner. Compare how clearly the thread shows against the cloth, and how dense the design looks when the lines meet. You may want a delicate line for one motif and a stronger one for another.
Buy enough of a colour you want to repeat
In its fine-thread care and product notes, NONA explains that colours can vary between dye lots and that dye materials may change with the season. It recommends planning the quantity around the work you intend to make. Do not assume a later purchase will match an earlier colour exactly.
Keep the original labels with your thread. If you are planning a matched pair or a design with one continuous background colour, decide on the quantity before starting. For a deliberately varied palette, a change of shade may be welcome—but it should be a design choice you can see on your sample.
Care for the colour after stitching
NONA recommends neutral detergent, separate hand washing and rinsing, then drying in the shade. Keep the thread away from direct sunlight in storage. Dark colours can transfer. A small stitched and washed sample is useful before combining a dark thread with pale cloth for a large project.
Natural dyeing does not itself establish organic certification, guaranteed colourfastness or suitability for every use. Follow the care instructions for the actual thread and the fabric you combine it with.
What is in the Eight Needles boxed selection?
Our NONA Naturally Hand-Dyed Thread Set is listed with nine colours of Fine Thread at 140m/5g each, plus four colours of the thicker Card Thread at 40m each, in a woven box. That combination offers two line weights. It is not thirteen identical skeins, and it should not be confused with another NONA gift box containing a different selection.
Check the current product photographs and contents before ordering. For storage ideas, our sewing-tool storage guide compares small Cohana containers, a tool roll and a larger bag.
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Sources and further reading
Product information and background reading used in preparing this guide.
