Unraveling the Mysteries of Thread Weight
Updated: Apr 8
I will be honest….I had NO IDEA What Thread Weight meant when I started sewing I sewed with whatever thread my mom handed me or I found at a garage sale. Thread weight and thread quality was a mystery to me. What I have learned is that thread weight and thread quality matter, and it matters a lot! My friends at SewingPartsOnline sent me a few different types to try and hands down my favorite has been Aurifil. The quality and the color are phenomenal.
Thread Quality impacts how often you must clean your sewing machine. Higher quality thread creates less fuzz bunnies in your machine. Quality impacts the stitch strength and durability. How can you tell if it’s good quality? Aurifil, for example, is 100% Egyptian Cotton made with long staple, or long lengths of cotton fibers. This means it is high quality.
Another important consideration is thread weight, and in this case a bigger number does not mean better. The bigger the number the thinner. For example, the best weight for sewing your quilt pieces together or piecing is 50wt/2ply. That means that the weight is 50 or what is considered a mid-weight. It has 2 ply or two strands in it, but I will tell you it’s so fine that you won’t notice it’s two strands. It just means that it is a big stronger. The 50wt/2ply t is a nice thin thread that is
strong enough to be used on projects that will be used every day. You could use a 50wt/2ply to piece a quilt, make a hot pad, sew a bag, or even make a headband. The 50wt/2ply allows your pieces to lay flatter because of their thinness. I recommend a 100% cotton thread, while you can use a polyester or other type, my preference is cotton. Check out all the options on SewingPartsOnline.
If you are quilting (aka sewing the top, batting, and backing together) then you can use a number of different weights to allow for different details. In general, a 40wt thread provides stitch definition and lets the pattern jump out. If you are hand quilting consider using a 28wt thread or even a 12wt for a big stitch.
I recommend checking out Aurifil Thread from my friends at SewingPartsOnline