A Comprehensive Guide to Sewing Thread Types

A Comprehensive Guide to Sewing Thread Types

Keeping a variety of sewing threads at home means you're prepared to mend and create – handling any sewing task with ease! But with so many types of threads, each with unique characteristics, how do you choose the right one? Let me break it down for you.

1. Cotton Thread

Pure Cotton Sewing Thread: This is the all-rounder of the sewing world! Heat resistant, abrasion resistant, and moisture resistant, it handles high-speed sewing and durable press finishing with ease. Long-staple pure cotton thread offers excellent tensile strength, resulting in sturdy and durable seams. Plus, it comes in a rich array of colors suitable for most fabrics. Its downside is lower elasticity, but after mercerization, its strength and smoothness get a major boost! It's also ideal for baby clothes – breathable, absorbent, and non-shedding, giving moms peace of mind.

Best for: Cotton garments, baby items, plain weave cotton products, etc.

2. Polyester Thread

Polyester thread boasts great strength, wear resistance, and excellent chemical stability – it's resistant to corrosion, mildew, and insects, making it the survivor of the sewing thread world! It comes in various specifications with good flexibility, suitable for a wide range of fabrics. With its rich color range, it produces stable and beautiful stitches. It glides smoothly through the needle without tangling, making sewing hassle-free and efficient!

Best for: Home furnishings, footwear, bags, synthetic fiber knits, and woven fabrics.

3. Silk Thread

Silk thread is the aristocrat of sewing threads! Made from 100% silk fiber, it offers superb toughness and elasticity, making it perfect for silk, wool, and knit fabrics. Its soft hand and brilliant sheen add a touch of refinement and precision to both hand and machine embroidery. Available in abundant colors, and hand-dyeing can make your projects truly unique!

Best for: Delicate fabrics like silk, hand embroidery, machine embroidery.

4. Nylon Thread

Nylon thread features high strength, great elongation, excellent elasticity, and top-notch abrasion resistance! Coats NYLBOND high-lubricity nylon thread is heat-resistant and smooth, ideal for footwear and bags. A&E Nylon High-Elastic Filament Sewing Thread offers excellent seam elasticity, flexibility, and color fastness, suitable for synthetic knits and wovens. Nylon thread is durable, reliable, and practical!

Best for: Footwear, bags, synthetic knits and wovens, boots, heavy leather.

5. Elastic Thread

As the name suggests, this thread has stretch! Liuqing Brand Nylon High-Elastic Thread is used for edging socks, towels, swimwear, and for finishing garment edges and openings. A&E Nylon High-Elastic Filament Sewing Thread is great for sportswear, workwear, and casual wear – incredibly versatile! There's also transparent elastic thread, used for special embroidery like smocking and shirring.

Best for: Socks, towels, swimwear, various garment edge finishing, curtains, craft decorations.

6. Metallic Thread

Metallic thread is the star of the sewing box! Coated with aluminum or silver, it instantly elevates any project. Primarily used for computer embroidery and decorative trims, it adds a luxurious touch to fashion, embroidery, and gift wrapping. Sakura Brand Metallic Thread comes in rich colors with high breaking strength, suitable for high-speed sewing and beautiful computer embroidery. Just avoid contact with acids, alkalis, and sulfides!

Best for: Crafts, fashion, embroidery, gift wrapping, knitting with yarn/wool.

7. Embroidery Thread

Embroidery threads are diverse, each with unique traits! Polyester Embroidery Thread is chemically resistant and can be washed frequently. Rayon Embroidery Thread has a beautiful sheen and vibrant colors. Metallic Thread adds sparkle, perfect for high-end embroidery. There's also fine and coarse cotton embroidery thread, wool thread, etc. – there's one for every project!

Best for: Various embroidery works, high-end pieces, frequently washed items.