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Maybe you’d like to decorate some outdoor areas without the need for electrical cords. You can make ornaments that show up at night by using glow-in-the-dark thread. Being polyester, this thread stands up well to the elements.
Glow-in-the-dark thread comes in various pastel colors. In the dark, most of these threads have a similar greenish glow. White glows the brightest. Be sure when choosing your thread that it is soft amd 40-wt. Some glow-in-the-dark threads are thinner and wirey and unsuitable for most digitized designs. However, there are newer threads which are 40-wt. poly and look very nice even for lace ornaments. Among these are Moonglow by Robison Anton, NiteLite Extra Glow by Superior Threads, and Coats Glow by Coats & Clark. Please check with your local dealer or do an internet search to find these threads.
Many Criswell ornament designs are suitable for this thread, but if you use ones which call for organza and use either sparkly fabric or Angelina fibers, your ornaments will sparkle in the sun by day and glow gently by night.
Synthetic fabrics will hold up outdoors, but colors could fade in sunlight over time. Any ornament might succumb to elements given enough time, but for the limited time of holiday use, they should hold up well. You can gently wash the ornaments when you bring them in after the holidays.
This photo shows two-layer snowflakes for big hoop hung with push pins on a lattice trellis.
Here you can see that they show up in the dark. Expect a subtle effect, not bright lighting.
For windows there are a few options. You can stick them on a window using poster putty. A dot of it at the top is not too obtrusive when viewing from inside. Or hang them using these suction-cup hangers either inside or outside. 
The nice thing about the two-layer designs is that they look nice from either side with light shining through. These snowflakes are hung on the outside and viewed from inside.
If you put them on the inside of your window you have the option of using a clear washable glue, such as Elmers Washable School glue in gel formula, to hold them on the window. This can be used outside, too, but it’s possible a hard rain would bring the ornaments down (I tested mine in drizzle, but not a downpour). If your window is sheltered or you live in a dry climate, you may wish to use glue, since it is essentially invisible.
Keep in mind, if your ornaments are made with Angelina fibers, do not glue the fiber area to anything except glass. Our ornaments came off the glass without damage, but if glued to any other surface, such as metal or plastic, the fibers may tear when you try to remove them. If you do glue the Angelina fibers to something, decide you want to remove the ornament later and it doesn’t easily detach, you can use water to dissolve the glue without harming the ornament.
You may want to try hanging glowy ornaments on shrubbery, tree branches, trellises or other ornamental structures in darker areas of your yard.
You can also add some extra fun to Halloween decorating with glow-in-the-dark thread.
You could stitch this cat design (E143) using glow-in-the-dark thread for color two, which makes the eyes glow. Or this pumpkin (E146) using glow-in-the-dark thread for color three, as shown here. These can also be useful indoors for party decorations. Both designs shown here are from our Fall Decor collection (E150).
For Christmas there are many options among Criswell designs. The big-hoop ornaments, such as the two-layer snowflakes for big hoop (E327) that we used above, are a good choice for showing up well outdoors.
These threads recharge with any light source. Some brands glow longer than others. Check the product description for this information.
Whether you opt to use glow-in-the-dark thread or not, you can have fun using your embroidery outdoors as well as in.
Happy Stitching!
