My daughter does red work and she just uses a really good cotton fabric like Kona (no backing) She uses the little round balls of DMC cotton perle #8. It's colour fast and so much easier to use than embroidery floss. She also has a locking hoop that keeps her work taut. The hoop has a little ridge inside the inner hoop that fits into an indent in the outer hoop to prevent the fabric from slipping. The DMC comes in lots of great colours too. Did you know it's still called red work even if it's a different colour? If you mix your coloured thread it's then called embroidery.