My best friend has died, can you help me finish her project? Need Anchor Embroidery Thread Scarlet 46 :-(

[Mybeautifulfriend]

So my beautiful best friend of 38 years has died of cancer. We're all devastated. Her poor family. Can't meet to console each other obviously.

She was super talented in so many ways & I've just been given one of her early sewing projects. A Traditional Blackwork embroidery piece on linen, started back in the 1990's when she first got cancer at age 19. I know she was struggling to find an identical thread to finish it off, as Anchor changed all their colours (?) We hunted in charity shops & bought job lots of threads but never found one even close, not even in cotton.

I would love to finish the bits left & return it to her Mum. I have been searching on E-Bay again & emailed both Anchor & Coats Crafts who produced the leaflet.

Every single Anchor 'scarlet 46' currently online is bright red, which is nowhere near the shade I need.

Can anyone help?

And the image!

She certainly was talented.

I have bag of threads which I have been given over the years, so there’s some older ones in there. Honestly I’ve no idea whether I might have it but I’ll dig it out and have a look.

Though I would say if you can’t find it, finishing it in a similar but different colour would also be a fitting tribute.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't help unfortunately but I hope someone can.

I've got an old sewing table and all its contents that a friend gave me. There are a lot of embroidery threads. I will have a look for you .

sorry for your loss.

Oh goodness, thank you all so much for your kindness. I think I might have got something in my eye... I feel like I've lost my sister.

That would be amazing if one turned up somewhere. I was given a very old bag of threads last year & we excitedly combed through, to no avail.

I did think about using a 'nearly' colour, but if you look closely at the bottom, my friend had started doing just that. Which makes me hesitant about adding a 'third' colour.

I've already heard back from the kind Coats Crafts people with a lovely message. As they say they are wholesalers, so wouldn't have back stock like this. I have another thread to follow though and just sending another email out.

Hope I'm not searching the impossible.

Chat isn't really the best place for this as chat conversations disappear quickly. You might get a lot of help if you post this in Arts and Crafts or the MN Woolly Hugs topic in Body and Soul section. Woolly Hugs is a group of amazing MNers who make blankets for the bereaved. They seem incredibly knowledgeable about sourcing particular colours and threads so I bet one of them would have ideas.

OP just a thought. I've had a rummage in my silks box and I don't have any #46 but I do have 2 of #42. Different paper wraps (I inherited my stash so likely to be different 'generations' and they are slightly different shades. So if you did get the right wrap it still might not be quite the right shade. What colour 'wrap' are you looking for?

Would you consider completing the work in a different colour entirely? Maybe one that represents her favourite colour, or the colours of any charities/hospice she received care from? The acknowledgement of her work, as well as the support she received would have significance.

What a lovely thing you are doing for her

There are special embroidery groups on Facebook. I'm sure if you posted on one of these someone could help you ?

I don't have the Anchor one, but I have the DMC equivalent of 606. Does that help?

Actually, probably not looking at that. I have 902 which is 45.

And 498 which is 47!

Photo would help.

I have MILs huge chest of threads. I’ll dig it out when I go for lunch. There are hundreds all filed by code so I’ll see what I can find. Can’t promise anything but you never know

Sorry for your loss

If you can't match the colour, maybe you could take a 'kintsugi' or 'visible mending' approach and finish it in something like a gold thread?

@Mybeautifulfriend - if MN can't help you, I'd suggest you go to FB, where there are a number of blackwork embroidery groups - Peppermint Purple springs to mind - there are lots of very experienced embroiderers there, with big stashes of embroidery threads, I'm sure - so maybe someone there could help you.

Or if you would prefer, I could post a link to this thread in the blackwork groups I'm in, and ask for their help.

I think the kintsugi approach would be lovely, but I appreciate you'll know your friend best and whether it would have pleased her aesthetic sensibilities more for it to be matched.

Oh goodness, I am absolutely overwhelmed with all these messages.

Thank you thank you, I'll compose myself and come back. x

So sorry for your loss and what a lovely thing to do for your friend.

Love uselesstrees idea of using gold thread for that final leaf. Isn't the idea that when a broken pot is repaired with gold then the repair creates its own, new beauty? And the use of something precious to repair something broken adds a significant layer of meaning; in your case this is something unfinished which you can add extra meaning to. Lovely idea.

Yes to a gold or silver leaf.

Perfect solution.

What a lovely thing you are doing.

Another vote for gold!

So sorry for your loss

Not read the rest of the comments so I'm sorry if I've repeated some advice already given.

If you search for cross stitch or embroidery on Facebook you'll find groups with 1000s of people. Somebody will have the thread and send it to you, I'm sure! X

I'm very sorry for your loss, Mybeautifulfriend, what a lovely thing to do to honour her. I imagine, if she could see you now and read this thread, she'd be looking at all the skeins that these glorious posters have added and saying, "Oooh.. lovely colours, do it in that one, or that one, or that one...".

I think she'd be enormously touched and not at all surprised as you were so very close.

Please update - and post a photo when you've finished it, I'd love to see it. Can't knit or crochet a stitch myself so have vicarious enjoyment of marvellously crafty people.

For you

Another vote for gold or silver to finish idea, I will.look in my mums old threads for you though xx

I have lots of 47 too, from a stash I was given. But gold or silver would be lovely.