Have you ever gone into your local fabric shop or arts and crafts store hunting for thread only to stumble upon hundreds of options for colors, uses, and materials?
If you don’t know the basics of thread, it can be pretty overwhelming.
In today’s episode of “The Quilter’s Guide,” I will explain the basics to you and help you better understand what makes good thread, and help you pick out the best sewing thread for your next project.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sewing Thread
Before I jump into giving you some of my picks for quality thread, I want to go over some of the most frequently asked questions surrounding thread and give you some helpful information.
How do I choose a sewing thread?
In most craft and hobby stores, you’ll find helpful displays that give you an idea of the purpose of each thread type. Examples include hand quilting, embroidery, all-purpose, machine quilting, etc.
Depending on the type of sewing you plan to do, your thread choices could vary quite a bit. All-purpose thread is the most versatile but not necessarily the best choice for every craft.
Tip: The weight of the thread is very important. The weight is on the label on the end of the spool. It will look like “40wt” or “60wt”, for example. The larger the number, the thinner the thread, just like the gauge of knitting needles.
Consider the thread’s weight more than what the label marks as its purpose.
Here is a list of just a few different types of sewing projects and the thread weight that would work best for them:
- Hand quilting: Ranges from 12wt-30wt. Thread specifically labeled for hand quilting also has a special wax coating that helps with pushing the thread through several layers.
- Machine quilting: Ranges from 40wt-50wt. You can use this weight of thread for all-purpose sewing, such as piecing a quilt top.
- Embroidery: Most common is 40wt.
- Applique: Ranges from 50wt-60wt for hand applique and 60wt-80wt for machine applique.
- Clothes-making: Use 40wt-60wt.
Is it better to sew with cotton or polyester thread?
Depending on the project you are working on, either one could potentially be the better choice. If you use your sewing machine at high speed, cotton will withstand the machine’s friction and heat better than polyester.
Polyester is a great choice if you are making clothing since it does have some stretch to it. It is also the thread type that is used most in embroidery machines.
What is the best thread to use for sewing?
As we discussed earlier, the weight of the thread varies from project to project. Another detail to consider is what the thread is made of.
We talked about cotton and polyester, but there are also nylon, elastic, metallic, and even silk threads. If you need some thread with stretch in it, your best choices are polyester, nylon, and elastic.
Silk, metallic, and cotton are beautiful choices for decorative stitching such as applique, quilting, or embroidery. I recommend playing around with different threads and figuring out which works best for you and your design style.
What is the best thread for sewing cotton fabric? This is a popular question, especially in the quilting community, and here are my top three choices for the best sewing thread brand.
Your Guide to the Best Sewing Thread
Now that we’ve reviewed the basics of thread selection, let’s look at some of the best sewing machine thread out there.
Keep in mind, everyone’s preferences are different, and this isn’t a complete list of every thread brand out there.
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Have you found the best sewing thread for your projects?
I hope this review has answered some of your burning questions about the best thread to use for various quilting and sewing projects.
Remember, these are just suggestions, and what may work for some people and their machines may not be the best fit for you.
I always like to recommend other quilters play around with different brands and weights to figure out what they like most. It should be a fun experiment, so have fun with it and happy stitching!
Thank you this information is help greatly.
So glad it helped you, Valerie!
i want to know the best thread to use when i make fidget quilts for altzheimers patients…must be strong enough to prevent being pulled away from the fidgets that i place on my quilt
Hi, Glenda! This is a great question. I would recommend using an all-purpose polyester thread. Polyester is stronger than 100% cotton thread since it has a bit of stretch in it. That’ll work perfectly for fidget quilts. Good luck!