On 4/9/07 3:32 AM, Jean Nathan wrote:
(the quality of cotton thread
may vary, but polyester is polyester . . . .
NAY!
Some polyester is chopped up to suit cotton-spinning
machines, and is very fuzzy and weak. In addition to having
a short staple, cheap poly threads may be thinner than
standard.
If white thread will come anywhere near doing, I sew
everything with the highest-grade #100/6 crochet cotton on
the market.
Except that I'm now making ripstop nylon windpants; wicking
fiber won't do at all, I can't buy nylon thread, and I'm not
*quite* willing to flat-fell black pants with the yellow
nylon in my stash, so I'm having to resort to polyester. I
*think* Guetermann poly is good, and this spool is labeled
"Germany" -- I *hope* that means that it wasn't made in
Mexico. It doesn't *look* fuzzy.
And, of course, alkali-loving cotton thread won't do for
acid-loving silk and wool, but silk thread is comparatively
easy to come by, albeit priced higher than a kite's back and
available in limited colors. But one has to be on the watch
for "spun silk", which is chopped up to suit cotton-spinning
machinery, and is not fit for work where you want silk
for its strength. If the web site doesn't *say* "reeled
silk", use it only for sewing that won't have to stand up to
hard wear or heavy strain.
I've seen posts expressing satisfaction with spun silk for
making bobbin lace. Has anyone compared spun to reeled for
this purpose?
--
Joy Beeson
http://joybeeson.home.comcast.net/
http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/
http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange
http://www.timeswrsw.com/craig/cam/ (local weather)
west of Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.A.
Where winter is dragging out its encore.
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