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Color Questions and Color Sheets

What and where are the color change sheets?

When you open designs on your computer or load to your machine, you'll notice that the colors are different from the samples that are shown on our website. Ignore those colors. We provide a color change sheet for each design, and those sheets show the colors that we used to stitch the designs.

There are two ways to find the color change sheets:


  • After you order a design, you will be provided a PDF color change sheet, downloaded with the design files.       
  • At any time, you can go to the design on the website and click thread spool icon to view the color change sheet. This is found under the Project Tips & Tools on the design page.                  

A color change sheet includes excellent information. At the top of the color change sheet there are details such as the product ID, size, stitch count, unique colors used, thread brand and type, and a link to project instructions (if necessary).

Buttons in the "show me" section let you remove color swatches, the unique colors section, and the design image.

The color change section shows the number of color changes as well as the unique colors used for each design.


To use the colors that we used to stitch the samples shown on the website, follow the steps in the "color / thread changes" section. Thread your machine with the color recommended in CC1 (color change 1). Then, when your machine stops for a thread / color change, thread your machine with the color recommended in CC2. Continue until the design is complete.


The "Unique Colors Used" section displays all of the unique thread colors that are used in the design. It's helpful when taking a quick inventory to see which colors you have, and which you'll need to buy.


Color swatches give you a visual idea of the shades and colors used.

How do I use the Thread Exchange?

We use Madeira rayon thread in the stitched samples that you see on the website. But there are many different brands of thread available and maybe you use a different one. The Thread Exchange is a tool that finds color equivalents between popular brands Here's how it works:


Each color change sheet has a link to the Thread Exchange. It's circled below:


If you scroll to the bottom of the color change sheet for any given design, you can expand the thread exchange and select your preferred thread brand. Then click the "Search for Threads" button to populate the thread numbers for those brands.

Not all shades of thread have matches or equivalents between thread companies, so you'll likely see that not all madeira colors have equivalents in your preferred brand. Also, we have a fairly strict eye when we're determining matches, and that means only the closest matches are on the Thread Exchange.


If you don't find many matches with the Thread Exchange, don't be discouraged. The color change sheet lists the color name, and also shows color swatches so you can see a sample of the color used for each color change. Many list a description of the part of the design that is colored with that step too.


Choose colors from your thread stash that you think will work best with the design. Try new color combinations and have fun exploring the creative world of color!