Silk Thread & Split Thread
Silk floss thread from Southern China were specially made for embroidery use. There are 20 units are in one Union. Take one Unit and cut it, so you can take one piece of thread each time. One Thread can be split into two strands. One strand can be split into many times and 1/12 of strand is called a filament. Try to remember the names because the unit of the thread you use will become important when you make silk embroidery.
Union
(different colors)
Unit
Strand
Cut Unit
Split Strand
Strand can be split once, twice, three times and more. The techniques to split strands evenly are important for shine, smoothness and exquisite silk embroidery.
The steps to split a thread: keep thread tight with your thumbs and forefingers and loosen the thread counterclockwise, then split the thread into two strands with your small finger while you keep it tight again. It is easier to split strand into Filaments. You have threads are wound in circle. Cut the circle so you can have thread in pieces. You can take one thread at a time to split or use it to embroider. You can use different colors of threads to make embroidery richer.
