Chenille Question

[Capt Cormorant]

I'm ordering my supplies before I tie my first fly.
From what I can chenille is also known as embroidery thread. Maybe I'm cheap but I feel people are buying skeins and and selling a few feet of for a large profit. Am I wrong on my assumption?

[SuperDave336]

Chenille is not the same as embroidery thread! Yes you can buy a skein of chenille but most people will never use that much. Especially if it’s a special color. Some of your more basic and productive colors maybe but really in one jig it takes very little. Why buy around $20 of material for a skein you might use 3’ of anyway over years? I’d rather have some variety for my $20 bucks. Below is a picture of typical chenille vs. embroidery thread.

embroidery thread


Fly tying chenille


as you can see from the pictures you have tons more color and texture options by using chenille. Plus typical fly tying chenille is thicker and would take less material to wrap jig with. Yes you could use embroidery thread but I personally would stick with typical jig materials for starting and then as you tie more you would have better understanding of what you could use as substitute materials because the sky is the limit with creativity. Hope that helps some.

[SuperDave336]

If you use embroidery thread especially on larger jigs your going to have to wrap it a ton to build that body up to look full. Fly tying chenille comes in different sizes or thicknesses for using. One layer wrap will make full looking jig with right size chenille.

[tlefire]

[Clint]

I, like you, got tired of paying big bucks for 12" of yarn for tying flies.

Now I buy the bulk of my fly tying material at Hobby Lobby and Michael's. I found, in the yarn section, a spool of white chenille, which can be dyed any color I chose. I bought it years ago and still have plenty left. I also found white eye-lash yarn which I also dye. I use RIT dye, also found in the craft stores, to dye my yarn. My best color so far is a rust, from ½ light brown and ½ dark red, which comes out the color of a crayfish. Excellent bead-head wooly buggers for smallies.

[Grainraiser]

I only tie jigs for my personal use. I have a skein of white chenille that will likely last me a lifetime. Infact I have enough chenille to last a life time but I will still buy colors I do not have or some chenille if I find it at a killer price. It's simply part of the hobby.

[SuperDave336]

I have way more than I can use probably, but I’m gonna give it my best go at it.....lol. And yes I will buy more. The mixing colors and patterns and artistry is part of the fun. I enjoy it and find it relaxing.

[Fridays86]

Super Dave has said it all. I can tell you I have been tying for 20 years and I have went through 2 skeins of about 4 different colors. You can tie about 30-40 jigs with the length that most people sell.

[skiptomylu]

Some sell chenille in a 3 yard pack, some a 5 yard pack and even some really large Estaz by the 1 yard pack.

It's all about the type and size and how much in a pack.

Skip

[Capt Cormorant]

My wife and I went thru over 400 jigs since summer. I think I'll be going thur the chenille.That's if I can tie something the fish like. I just ordered some fly tying chenille. I also found some crushed velvet chenille at wallmart. A whole skein was $8. I would love to find some skeins of thinner stuff in primary colors. I'll check some other fly tying forums to see if anyone can point me in the right direction.

My Mrs. is holding firm on no fly tying vise until Christmas Day. It's sitting in the spare room still in the box it was shipped in. It's killing... I've been to every local hobby/craft store and big box store buying supplies. I've been buying anything sparkly, tinsel, fur and feather related I can find. I also have deer tails being sent to me from family members from the East coast.