Thread Twist and Why It's Important

You may be wondering why we feel thread twist is important when selecting thread. Keep reading, because we want you to have the best information when purchasing thread.
With the exception of monofilament, all thread has some degree of twist applied.
When looking at labels, you will see numbers like 50/2 or 50/3. The number following the slash indicates the number of plies or strands twisted together to make the final product.
An important quality to look for is how many twists are applied to the thread.
A loosely twisted thread will look bulky and fluffy on the spool. It will unravel and shred more easily. As a poor quality thread passes along the thread path of a machine it can be easily snagged or caught, causing breakage. Slight snags create all those matted buildups inside a machine.
A tightly twisted thread has a smoother surface and will not get caught or snagged easily.

To clarify this principle, hold a large bath towel between two people. Twist the towel a few times and measure the distance. Twist the towel a few more times and measure the distance again. You will notice the distance between the two people becomes shorter and shorter with each twist.
The same applies to thread twist.
A quality thread requires 20% more fiber than a low quality thread. Like most things in life, you get what you pay for. Superior Threads cares deeply about quality. We bring you the absolute very best products. We guarantee our threads.
Update on the Motherland:

Progress on the new building is coming along nicely.
Framing has started on the first level.

The wiring is being installed.

And the roof is on! This second level will hold our School of Threadology.

Congratulations to Marilyn and Claudia!

The AQS show in Paducah ,KY was a special celebration. It was the 25th anniversary celebration year and for the first time the Gammill Longarm Machine Quilting Award was a purchase prize award.
The winners are presented with a choice: 1.) Take the $12,000 prize and AQS keeps the quilt which then is added to its museum inventory or 2.) Accept the award ,receive no prize money but keep the quilt.
To some this may be a no-brainer to take the money and have the satisfaction that your quilt has gone to a good home. But to some when the hours and hours put into the winning quilt make it something that cannot be parted with, the choice is very difficult.
This year the Gammill Longarm Machine Quilting award was awarded to a prolific quilting team, Marilyn Badger (St. George, UT ) and Claudia Clark Myers (Duluth, MN) for their exquisite quilt " Greensleeves".
Claudia took two months to design, comb through her extensive stash of silks and brocades and then piece the top. The top was then sent to Marilyn who then painstakingly quilted for 8 hours a day for approximately 6 weeks. Marilyn used 5,000 yards of Superior Metallic on top and 5,000 yds. of The Bottom Line in the bobbin on her Freedom SR.
Greensleeves was then sent back to Claudia who spent two weeks on the binding and beading, adding extra flair (on top of Marilyn's flair).
Marilyn and Claudia have been competitively quilting together for several years, winning many awards for their quilts. Marilyn told me " You dream of making that phone call: ' Hey Honey guess what we won at Paducah!!!!'"
I have seen this quilt up close and the workmanship of both the piecing and the quilting is amazing.Congratulations Marilyn and Claudia. To see more of their beautiful quilts go to http://www.nightowlquilter.com/

Thread Tug of War

Are you sometimes afraid to adjust the tension system on your machine? Mother Superior gives you permission to adjust your Thread Tension Dial once you understand a few basic principles:

Sewing machines are factory preset to have the top and bottom thread form even stitches when sewing with a 50 or 60 wt. thread. If the top and bottom threads are identical in fiber and weight, adjustments may not be necessary.

However, if we use cotton on top and poly underneath, or metallic on top and poly underneath, or a heavy thread on top and a fine thread underneath, it is necessary to adjust the tension settings. It is perfectly OK to use different thread types and weights on the top and bottom. Relying on a machine's automatic tension system is not enough.

Think of the top and bottom thread as having a tug of war. If the threads are identical and you are sewing on a single layer of fabric, both sides have equal strength and the result will be a draw. The sewing should therefore produce perfectly even stitches with no top thread showing underneath and no bobbin thread showing on top.

However, in the real world, the teams are rarely equal. One team will be stronger or bigger or faster than the other. We sometimes use decorative or sensitive threads on top. We often use different fibers for the top and bottom threads. We also add stabilizer or batting. Sometimes we might use a cotton bobbin thread and other times we use a polyester bobbin thread.

All these factors make it necessary to adjust the tension for each project. By adjusting the top tension either up or down, we are able to add or take away strength on the top thread team to equalize the tug of war battle. Following is a list of things that affect stitch results:

• 1. Batting. This adds drag on top thread. Cotton batting tends to grab the thread more than poly batting, adding more friction on the thread.
• 2. Fabric type. Dense fabric puts more stress on the thread.
• 3. Top thread thickness and type. Metallic is less flexible than cotton or poly. Poly is usually stronger than cotton or rayon. 4. Bobbin thread type. Cotton bobbin thread tends to grab more than a smooth filament polyester. Sometimes grabbing is preferred and sometimes it causes problems. A smooth filament poly thread (not spun poly) in the bobbin will work better with metallic and other sensitive threads because its smooth finish acts almost like a lubricant, sliding nicely with the thread.

Dixie Diva Block Exchange

Our local quilt guild (Dixie Quilt Guild in St. George, Utah) recently held their bi-annual quilt show. One friendship group, The Dixie Diva's showed an example of the quilts they made with a block exchange.
The premise for the exchange went as followed:
Each participant provided a focus fabric, along with matching fabrics in a bag marked with their name.
Each month the group selected a block to make, and made 6 samples. The next month the bag was passed to another group member, and another block was selected. By the end of the exchange, each Diva had a pile of blocks all done in their own fabric choice.


It was interesting to see how each Diva chose to set their individual blocks.


Margaret Miller's quilt was done in reds, greens and yellows.


One of our employees, Ricci Lindley used wonderful batik's.


Ricci's quilt was beautifully quilted by April Sproule of Sproule Studios in Fortuna, CA.
April used Rainbows Autumn Leaves by Superior Threads.



Verny Thompson's quilt.

Nedra Sorensen, another employee here at Superior Threads used Earth colored tones.

Titanium Coated Needles

New Product!


Announcing our new top quality industrial grade needles for home machines. Titanium-coated needles have been available for longarm and industrial machines for many years, but these are the first titanium-coated Topstitch style needles made for home machines.

Superior Threads (USA) and Organ Needle Company (Japan) have applied the latest technology of titanium-coated needles to the Topstitch style for home machines. These new titanium-coated needles have an ultra thin coat of titanium nitride layered on the surface to extend their productive life by five to eight times that of regular needles.

Most professionals recommend changing the needle every project or, if you count, every 8 hours. Imagine having a needle that will last 40 to 60 hours. This is equivalent to saving 80% on the cost of needles.

Why Topstitch? We talk a lot about Topstitch needles. We learn from the pros. The majority of professionals and educators we work with use the Topstitch needle for nearly all their sewing. It is simply the best needle style for quilting, embroidery, and most sewing applications.

We usually need only three needles:

• Topstitch #80/12 for piecing and for sewing with fine threads.
• Topstitch #90/14 for the majority of threads.
• Topstitch #100/16 for heavier threads.
• How about for metallic threads? Topstitch #90/14. Under a microscope, other brands of Topstitch and Metallic needles are almost identical. There is no need for both styles.

* Thread Therapy with Dr. Bob:

Bob will be presenting 3 seminars at Nancy's Notions Sewing Weekend 2009. If you are in the Beaver Dam, WI area from April 30th through May 2nd, be sure and stop by and say hello.

Metallic Threads Part 2

We love when you leave comments on our blog. Your questions prompt ideas of ways we can educate more fully in the use of our products.
Karen asked what options she had when trying to select a metallic.
Depending on the project, and your personal needs, here are 4 options you can consider:
METTALICS:

Metallics is ideal for embroidery, quilting, applique and serging. It's a strong, durable 40 weight thread that comes in 25 colors. Available on 500 yd, 1,090 yd, 5,500 yd, and 10,000 yard cones.

sample of #009 Military Gold

If you are wondering which color would best match your project, you can order a Color Card for any of our metallics. These are made with the actual thread and only cost $3.00.

GLITTER:

Glitter is a mettalized polyester that adds sparkle and dimension to embroidery and quilting. It comes in 24 colors and is washer, dryer, and iron (medium heat) safe.

Glitter is offered in 400 yd. and 3,300 yd spools. You can also order in assortment sets HERE.
HALO

Sample of "Plum Crazy"

Halo is a metallized textured polyester blend. It's colorfast and washer safe. Offered in 36 colors on 550 yard spools, Halo is perfect for bobbin work, couching and serging.

RAZZLE DAZZLE by RICKY TIMS

sample of "Ruby Slippers"

Razzle Dazzle is a heavier embellishment thread made of polyester and metallic. It's an 8 weight that comes in 25 colors, and is offered on an 88 yard spool.

If you have any other questions or experiences about our metallic threads, please feel free to leave a comment.

What Makes a Good Metallic Thread?

Having previously lived in Japan for 10 years, we appreciate the beautiful metallic stitching on silk Kimono's. When I moved back to the States, and tried working with metallic threads in my sewing projects, I became extremely frustrated. I was working on cotton, not silk, and couldn't even stitch 18 inches without the thread breaking.

This experience prompted us to ask questions of the thread manufactures in Japan. We discovered that they only made quality metallic thread for an Industrial market, wound on very large spools. We desired the same product to be offered in a domestic market, wound on smaller spools.
It took some convincing, but with outstanding results. Superior Threads was created and Metallic thread became our very first product.

Trying to turn real metal into a smooth-sewing thread is not an easy task.
To successfully run metallic, make sure the thread you are using has 3 essential components.

• Does it have a nylon core? A nylon core is an indication of strength and quality. Combined with "paper" pasting prevents tangling.
• Is it paper pasted? The best Metallic will have a coat of rice paper pasted over the nylon core, resulting in a stronger thread.
• Does it have a protective coating? An outer coating will help the thread run better with less friction, and protects against fraying and shredding.
  

A good metallic thread does not require additional lubricant.

Always use a size 90/14 top stitch needle or Metallic needle and loosen the upper tension.