Thread, Then & Now

I was thrilled when I was recently given a bag of old wooden spools of thread. They are really cool to look at and study. I especially love the ones where the spools are stamped with their information! There was silk thread, darning thread, mercerized cotton thread, and even an invisible thread.

It's good to know some of the more subtle points of thread. What is mercerization? What's so special about Egyptian cotton? Is it okay to use the cheap stuff?

Mercerization was developed in the late 1800's to enhance certain properties of the cotton. It makes the cotton smoother, stronger and shinier. Definitely good qualities to have in thread.

Egyptian cotton is grown mainly along the Nile in Egypt. It is considered the best cotton in the world because it's fibers are longer and stronger.

Longer, stronger, smoother threads are what we look for in quilting. Among the quilting purests, we like cotton thread because it maintains the integrity of the whole quilt. Cotton fabric, cotton batting, cotton thread. It's been said when studying antique quilts that those made with polyester thread were more likely to wear and tear at the seams. So, if you are making your quilt to last for generations, that is something to think about.

"I'm not making an heirloom quilt," you say. "I just want to use it and love it." That's a valid point to consider. The quality of the thread also produces wear and tear on your sewing machine. Threads with short, fuzzy fibers produce a lot of lint build-up. If your object is to save money on thread, you may end up spending more money on servicing and cleaning your sewing machine.

That's why we like brands like Mettler and Superior. They have longer staple fibers which are gentler on your quilt and gentler on your sewing machine. Even for non-heirloom quilts, it just might be worth the investment.