Today in our Beginner's Guide to Embroidery series, we are going to be talking about thread.
Rayon - polyester - which one should I use?
Which one is better?
Hopefully, with the information provided, you'll be able to determine which one is best for you.
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Hey, everybody.Tricia here with Sewing Parts Online.
So before we start talking about thread,
if you could take a moment to please Like & Subscribe,
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In this series, we've already released
Choosing a Machine
Stabilizers
and Needles.
We've got a couple more to come.
Awww...thread. Beautiful embroidery thread.
Embroidery thread has a vibrant, color-reflecting sheen to it.
It just gives your projects a nice bold, beautiful result.
Embroidery thread can be made from different materials,
but the most common are probably going to be rayon and polyester.
Rayon used to be the standard for embroidery; however, that's no longer the case anymore.
It was the most popular at its time
just due to the fact that it was readily available
and it had that high sheen.
Whereas, in the past,
polyester wasn't as
or didn't have as much of a sheen.
That's not the case anymore either.
Of the two, rayon is softer and it does lay nicely.
However, polyester is stronger, so you have to look at your project
and see which one would be more fitting for you.
So if it's maybe a more delicate,
not really used item,
something that will be set up- more decorative,
rayon may be a great option for you.
Whereas, if it is something that
will be laundered a lot - like a towel
I would suggest going with a polyester.
Although rayon and polyester are your more common options,
you can get embroidery thread made of other fibers as well, such as silk.
Rayon and silk are really great for lightweight fabric and
polyester, in my opinion, works better when you move up into the heavier weight fabric.
Polyester thread is gaining popularity just due to its strength.
Take a look at this.
This is the rayon thread.
Even with it being a good quality thread,
when I pull on it,
it snaps.
Now, this is the polyester thread.
It takes a lot more to get it to snap.
If you ask anybody that has been embroidering for a while,
you'll soon find out what their favorite brand is.
You'll quickly learn what works well for you and for your machine.
Mainly, because you won't be rethreading your machine all the time.
Also, once your project is done, your stitches just look really nice.
Do you have a favorite embroidery thread?
Please comment below. I'd love to hear what you're using.
I found that my Babylock likes the Madeira Polyneon thread.
This is a 2-ply 100% polyester option.
It works great for frequently washed textiles, so
what I am currently working on is going to be washed quite a bit, so
good option for me.
It's very affordable and has a bunch of different colors available.
Another brand that I really like is Hemingworth.
Besides the beautiful sheen on it,
Hemingworth thread also comes in this nice plastic container.
It will help prevent unravelling and tangling.
It also keeps your thread nice and clean and dust free.
There are a bunch of different brand options, but another one that I do want to mention is Isacord.
With Isacord thread, I don't even like to do the snap test, because I end up hurting my fingers.
It's a strong, high-quality embroidery thread.
It is used among some of the largest embroidery houses.
I could go on and on, but I do want to touch on metallic thread.
When using metallic thread, you really want to swap out your needle for a metallic needle,
because otherwise, you are going to have a headache.
The metallic needle has an elongated needle eye,
which allows the thread to go through the eye easily and avoids breakage.
If you haven't already, be sure to check out our episode on needles.
Lastly, I want to touch on bobbin thread.
This is a 60 weight, polyester bobbin thread.
The lighter bobbin thread prevents your upper thread from having to fight for tension.
I've heard of people using the same thread that they use on the top, on the bottom;
I tried that and it just caused a mess for me, so
my manual recommended using the 60 weight so that is what I did.
When doing that, I've not had any issues.
Always listen to your manual.
It's your best friend.
In this episode, I've only mentioned a few options.
If you visit us at sewingpartsonline.com,
we have a thread section where you can filter out all sorts of different thread.
If you need any help, be sure to reach out to us.
We're available at info@sewingpartsonline.com
Or, like I said, comment below and I'll do my best to reply just as soon as I can.
Make sure you stay tuned for our next video-
we are going to be covering hooping.
Until next time.