DIFFERENT types of THREAD? What do I need? What should I use?

My understanding from my grandmother who made drapes and slip covers for a business during WWII til the late 70's she said if you are sewing silk do not use silk thread. Lol. This from the woman who told stories about drawing lines up the back of her stockings in the early 1940's

Thank you.

Men's shirts, the better quality ones are made with thin thread and small fine stitches, like in the cuffs. I love that look. Do you know what kind of thread that is?

This is probably a silly question. I have been hesitant to try cotton thread only because I wonder if it will shrink in the first wash after sewing the garment? Do the individual fibers spun into the thread not shrink or contort the seams in any way?

This video being on the older side, I doubt I'll get a response...
But here it goes. What about waxed threads ? I bought a machine cause hand stitching is too long.
Can I use that on a machine or will it ruin the machine because of the wax ?

This was so helpful

Guterman i use but i msy try all round polyester great video thanks everlyn ❤

Thanks

I was busy with work and didnt sew or watch your videos and i missed you. Glad to be back. 😊

When I started sewing I cheaped out on way too much bad no-name thread and took me way too long to realize how much harder I was making things for myself, I thought thread breaking halfway through every other seam was just par for the course XD. Was only when I needed a pretty specific color for some topstitching that I could only find in one of the "good" brands and then realized halfway through that project that I hadn't broken a single thread that I realized I should really just be paying for the real stuff...

Very interesting video Evelyn, where I live it is difficult to have good tips when you buy thread.

Having no idea about threads, I went and purchased about 4 spools of white Gutermann cotton thread, maybe 400m per roll. I am still going through all of it. However, I have discovered that it is definitely my preference for thread, if I can get the right colour. Barring that, Gutermann Sew-All will do.
I used to use whatever brand I could find, but the day I tried Gutermann I never went back. Just a totally different experience.
Also I like to sew vintage style garments, so the cotton thread is actually period-appropriate :P

I find with my Babyloc machine that I have to use the same exact thread in my bobbin as in my top thread or it skips stitches.

wish I knew about Gutermann years ago! I never knew the importance of strong thread. Cheap is not the way when it comes to sewing.

I like Coats & Clark for garment and quilt sewing. It's readily available in lots of colors and reasonably priced. I like the overlock cones and use it as my general purpose and quilt piecing thread. I also like that the color I use to serge my garment matches the other seams. My 1st criteria is color and what I already have on hand and won't hesitate to use embroidery thread if it happens to match the garment. I also keep on hand a few staple colors in heavy duty for denim and canvas materials.

Fluff..ha ha...more like dust storm. I moved my sewing outside due to the high level of dust all aspects of the sewing process produce... and the negative effect to indoor air quality and health. It's not just fiber dust, but dye dust, and the related synthetic chemicals, which can include heavy metals. Seems organic undyed cotton thread is best, but then again, if you're using high synthetic fabrics, it wouldn't matter. I came to this video to learn more about other natural fiber threads, like linen, and more about which needles go with which thread, weight, etc..And the more I learn the more I only want to sew with natural fibers across the board. And to learn the art of natural dyeing.

Is there somewhere you discuss what weight of thread to use? I love your videos!

I have some metallic thread - gutermann - and I use with a needle for metallic thread. However, it still seems to strip the thread after a few stitches. Have you any experience or tips and if so can you please do a video on this.

What is the most durable thread and size to use for outdoor project?

I have made a personal committment to try to be more 'green' and 'sustainable' in products I use. Part of that will be with sewing...trying to source more 'green and sustainable' consumables. Unfortunately, not EVERYTHING will be 'green and sustainable' but, it's about following that ethos where possible. In this day and age, I really doubt that anything I make today will still be in use in 25 years. So, the whole thing about 'thread rot'...shall that not be a problem with all cotton fibres? I mean, if I'm using cotton fabric, won't that, at some point start to degrade? They say that at landfills where a lot of clothing ends up, the cotton fabric will have degraded, but the polyethylene threads will still be there, like a 'forever material'. Another thing is cotton can be spun at home with a simple spinning wheel. Can the same be done with polyethylene material? Polyethylene coming from petroleum...what if we run out of petroleum? It would seem to me that while cotton thread is, today, more expensive...as a barrel of oil gets more difficult to obtain (read: expensive), there will surely come a point where the cost of production will become so high that the natural fibres would become the less expensive alternative.

Should you use the same thread in the bobbin as you use to thread the upper part of the machine

I have thoroughly enjoyed this video!.. Although I knew most of it, there is always something that you say to help us out..thank you so much! Cheers from Brisbane!

Evelyn, speaking of the cotton thread and the fuzzies. Does this build up extra lint in the machine? Does it require cleaning more frequently. Thanks.

Another comment: I heard an interview with Kenneth King, and he said that a lot of times his couture garments will be donated to a museum after the initial customer is finished with it. So he always uses polyester for his garments as it will last for a very long time.

I think it all depends on what you are sewing. For bags and home dec, I always use polyester thread no matter what the fabric content is. For fabrics that are mixed content, I will use either cotton or polyester, for topstitching, always cotton. For tailored shirts, I use Aurifil cotton. Shirts are generally topstitched quite extensively, so Aurifil, which is only 2 ply cotton, works quite well and will disappear into the seams. For quilting, I always use Aurifil or size 50 or 60 DMC for both piecing and actual quilting. For a Chanel style jacket, I use polyester for the seams and often will use silk or rayon embroidery thread for the quilting and hand sewing. I could go on and on, but as I said, it all depends.

As an aside, I have only one thread rule based on my personal experience. I always use cotton rather than silk thread sewing woven fabric. Since silk is much stronger than cotton, the stitches were pulled right of the hem. I always make the expensive mistakes. 😆

love it, thank you!

I use moon or coats and moon thread for everything

My criteria for buying thread is color and weight. When I have a project, I take my fabric to JoAnn and get the best color match in the appropriate thickness. I thought that is what you were “supposed to do”. My sweet, sweet Momma was a stickler for color matching and so am I! I don’t think that my 1990s Sears Kenmore machine has ever noticed a difference in all the types/brands that I have, but I will be more attentive to this going forward.
Due to JoAnn’s bad financial situation (bankruptcy?), their inventory is extremely low right now so sometimes it’s been impossible to find a good color match.

what is the largest spool size/brand i can fit in a regular sowing machine? I cant seem to find any information on this. I don't want to use a seperate cone holder, just to fit it on my vertical or horizontal pin. Most i've heard is that the 500m Gutterman sew all fits.

You are always sooo helpful! I so appreciate this really good info about thread and it makes sense. I’m gonna look at my thread stash and see which threads I want to continue sewing with. Thank you! 🪡🧵

what type of thread can i use om a domestic neating machine

What thread should I use for a domestic industrial sewing machine?

I sewing canvas fabric with a thread to match but thread is breaking while in the Uben 2 singer sewing machine the machine is running but not sewing it’s driving me up the wall. I had it

Vielen Dank für diesen Rat!