Apart from the fact that Appleton wools have the best range of colours available, they also produce the most useful shade card.

The whole collectionis shown in ranges with each range on a card of its own so that one is able to hold one colour up against another. This is entirely impossible with the majority of shade cards where they are anchored on a page and one can only guess the differences until the thread is bought.

Appleton wools have been made in England for over 150 years by Appleton Bros Ltd. Their wools were used by the famous 19th century textile designer William Morris and remain the wool of choice amongst serious needleworkers to this day.

Appletons have over 400 colours, all of which are available in tapestry wool (4 ply) and crewel wool (2 ply).