What Thread Should You Use?
One of the most important things to keep in mind when starting a sewing project is making sure you use the right materials.
You want your finished product to look great and last as long as possible. Thread type and weight make a huge impact in that.
Need to know what to use for your project? Here’s a handy little guide.
For Quilting:
Use a midweight cotton for this. Lightweight cotton can be used in the bobbin, but for most quilting fabric, a midweight cotton is best.
For Woven Garments:
For most garments, polyester-wrapped cotton, or “all purpose” thread, works.
For Knit Garments:
Midweight polyester is great for knit garments. Stretch threads, like wooly nylon, may be used in the bobbin.
For Machine Embroidery & Applique:
Thread weight depends on the desired look, but rayon and polyester work best for this.
Serged Seams:
You can use cones of wooly nylon in the loopers, but polyester serger cones are best otherwise.
Heirloom & Decorative:
The perfect threads for this include lightweight cottons, silks, and other specialty threads.
How To Tell The Weight:
There are currently 3 systems for measuring the thread weight: Tex, Denier, and Weight/Ply.
Tex is becoming the standard measurement. The Denier system is used for manmade threads like polyester.
The “ply” in Weight/Ply will usually be 2 or 3 strands wound together. This is usually used for spun threads like cotton.
Lightweight:
Tex: 10-24
Denier: 100s-200s
Weight/Ply: 80/2 – 50/2
Heavyweight:
Tex: 50+
Denier: 500s+
Weight/Ply: 40/3
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Now that you know the basics, you can tackle that project. Happy stitching!