There is a thread that sits between sewing cotton and yarn, with a soft shine and a rounded twist that makes every stitch stand up from the fabric. Stitchers call it pearl cotton, and the one professionals reach for is DMC Coton Perlé.
If you have only ever used stranded embroidery floss, perlé is a small revelation. There are no strands to separate and nothing to untwist. You cut a length, thread the needle and stitch.
How it differs from stranded cotton
| Stranded cotton (floss) | Coton Perlé | |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | Six loose strands you can separate | One tightly twisted thread that cannot be divided |
| Look | Flat and smooth | Rounded, raised and glossy |
| Best for | Cross stitch, shading, fine detail | Texture, outlines, lace and visible stitching |
Perlé comes in several thicknesses, and, as with needles, the bigger the number the finer the thread. Size 8 is the fine, versatile one: delicate enough for lace, strong enough to show on denim.
What to make with size 8
Crochet lace
Doilies, edgings on towels and pillowcases, collars and fine table mats, worked with a small steel hook.
Sashiko and visible mending
Rows of running stitch that turn a patch on a pair of jeans into the best part of the garment.
Surface embroidery
French knots, chain stitch and stem stitch all look fuller and sharper in perlé.
Hand quilting and edging
Big-stitch quilting and blanket stitch around appliqué or felt.
A ball goes a long way
DMC Coton Perlé 8
KES 350 a ball
Made from long-staple cotton that DMC mercerises twice, which is where the lasting shine and strength come from. The colours are fast, so they survive the wash, and they use the same shade numbers as DMC stranded cotton. That means you can match a perlé outline exactly to a floss filling in the same piece.
100% cotton · Colourfast · Sold by colour family
Choose your coloursFinding your shade
We list perlé by colour family to make browsing easier. The green shades alone run to 41 colours, so start with the family you need and pick from there.
Working with perlé
Use a needle with a longer eye, such as an embroidery or chenille needle, so the thread passes through without fraying.
Cut lengths of about 45 cm. The twist starts to wear if the thread is pulled through fabric too many times.
Let the needle hang now and then so the thread can untwist itself.
For crochet, start with a hook of around 1.5 mm and adjust until the stitches look even.
Learn a stitch that suits it
The French knot is where perlé really shows off, sitting on the fabric like a tiny bead.
Video: DMC
See the colours in daylight
Screens never show thread colours quite right. Come and match your shades at our shop on the 1st floor of Sarit Centre.
Shop DMC Coton PerléOr call us on +254 798 316860
In Stitches is the authorised DMC distributor in Kenya.
Prices correct at the time of writing.
