A Thread on Thread

[dcdefend]

I see posts from time to time seeking thread to make repairs/restoration. Here's my experience.

Old thread can be found at dealer sites, Klaus Butshcek has some now.
It can also be found on the estand, ebay and Manions.com.

My old tailor disliked old cotton thread because it broke. This confirms what my current tailor says about cotton - It deteriorates over time. So consider that when using 50+ year old thread. Unless you need a thickness that you can't get in new thread, it's probably better to use new cotton thread.

New cotton thread can be found at wawak.com and connectingthreads.com. The latter has many more colors.

Occassionally, you see old thread with SS labels. Most people think the labels are fake, so paying a premium for this is probably a waste.

Hope this helps.

John

[Paul R.]

You are correct old thread can break while sewing. Mercerized cotton thread is a better choice. Many new light colored threads glow under black light. Even the newer black threads have a brown color under black light which is in many cases not acceptable for restoration work.

Keep in mind many old threads have a twist of two threads being twisted opposite direction of the U.S. or Asian mfg. these threads are twisted either clockwise and counter clock wise. To some purist this is a concerned and a red flag of not coming from Europe
Yes many thread labels are bogus.