For over 80 years our family business has been manufacturing sewing threads and yarns. Threads for high speed industrial machines, for hand sewing, for practical purposes, for creative use. We have supplied threads literally from the cradle to the grave – from towelling nappies to shrouds!
We hope ‘Threads In Focus’ will unravel some of the mysteries plus introduce you to some new, fresh ideas. First things First. All threads have a ‘finished twist’. Twist adds strength so that a very fine thread can still be strong. Conversely you can also have a thick thread, with very few twists which can be relatively weak!
Incredibly, for every inch of thread, there are as many as 20 complete revolutions/twists. There must never be a gap between them – this will make a ‘weak spot’ and the thread will break. The ‘finished twist’ of the thread must be even and stable. When the thread you are using snarls and breaks then the ‘finished twist’ has actually moved in sewing and caused a tangle/’slub’ of fibres (more about this in the weeks to come as we cover the different finishes which can be added to thread to stop this happening).
Hands on Eyes Down
Quick practical now. All sewing threads – opposed to general yarns – have the finished twist running a certain way. To check this:-
1. Take a bobbin of thread in your right hand and pull off at least 6″ of thread into your left hand.
2. Then securely nip the thread between the index finger and thumb of your left hand.
3. With your right hand gently hold the thread taut, half an inch from the left hand.
4. Begin to roll the thread very, very slowly away from you between your right thumb and index finger (still securely nipping the thread in your left hand).
5. The rolling action should begin to untwist the thread and you will see the plies/strands clearly unravelling.
6. The thread has the correct ‘finished twist’ to make it sewable on a machine.
7. If exactly the opposite happens and the strands get tighter and form a snarl then never use the thread on your machine. It will snarl, knot & break.
8. All sewing machines are built to take a thread which will unravel as no. 5 above so check your stock of threads. If you have been struggling to use a particular bobbin then perhaps we have already eliminated one problem!
Here Comes A Quirkiness
Some threads (not many) just will not unravel – don’t worry about it – they have been treated with a special coating to completely stop the finished twist moving during sewing. The prime example of this is Bonded Nylon Thread.
Take a look at the Bonded Nylon Thread shade range or Bonded Nylon Article Here.
