When selecting sewing threads, it's generally important to pay attention to the color choice. The color of the sewing thread should match the fabric or the main color tone of the fabric. Apart from the color, attention should also be paid to the type of fiber and the thickness of the sewing thread. Below is an introduction to the common types of threads used in garment sewing.
(1) Cotton thread is made from cotton fiber as a raw material through processes such as refining, bleaching, sizing, and waxing. Cotton sewing threads can be further divided into matte or soft threads, mercerized threads, and waxed threads. Cotton sewing threads have high strength and good heat resistance, making them suitable for high-speed sewing and enduring ironing. They are primarily used for sewing cotton fabrics, leather, and high-temperature press ironing clothing. However, their disadvantages include poor elasticity and abrasion resistance.
(2) Silk thread is made from natural silk into long silk threads or floss silk threads, possessing excellent luster. Its strength, elasticity, and abrasion resistance are all superior to cotton thread. It is suitable for sewing various silk garments, high-grade woolen garments, fur and leather garments, etc.
(1) Polyester staple fiber thread, also called SP thread or PP thread, is made using 100% polyurethane polyester staple fibers. It has high strength, good elasticity, abrasion resistance, low shrinkage rate, and good chemical stability. Polyester raw materials are among the most resistant to friction, dry cleaning, stone washing, bleaching, and other detergents, characterized by flexibility, fit, full range of colors, and good colorfastness, ensuring excellent sewability while preventing wrinkles and skipped stitches. It is mainly used for denim, sportswear, leather products, wool fabrics, and military uniforms, making it the most commonly used and popular sewing thread today.
(2) High-strength polyester long filament thread, also known as Terylene, high-strength thread, polyester fiber sewing thread, etc. Made from high-strength low-elongation polyester long filaments (100% polyester fiber), it features high strength, bright color, smoothness, acid and alkali resistance, abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance, and high oil content, though with poor abrasion resistance.
(3) Nylon thread, also known as nylon thread, includes nylon long filament (nylon long silk thread), known as pearled thread or shiny thread, and high-elastic nylon thread (also known as overlock thread). Made from pure nylon multifilament, it is categorized into long filament threads, staple fiber threads, and elastic deformation threads. Formed by twisting continuous long filament nylon fibers, it is smooth, soft, with an elongation rate of 20%---35%, and good elasticity, burning with white smoke. It has high abrasion resistance, good sunlight resistance, mildew resistance, with a dyeing temperature of around 100 degrees, and low-temperature dyeing. Due to its high seam strength, durability, and flat sewing seams, it meets the needs of various sewing industries and is widely used. Commonly used is the long filament thread with large elongation and good elasticity; its instantaneous tensile length during breakage is three times that of cotton thread of the same specification. It is used for sewing synthetic fiber, wool, leather, and elastic garments. The biggest advantage of nylon sewing threads is its transparency, reducing the difficulty of matching sewing threads due to good color rendering, offering broad development prospects. However, currently, transparent threads on the market are too stiff, have low strength, and the stitches tend to float on the fabric surface, not resistant to high temperatures, so the sewing speed cannot be too high. Currently, these threads are mainly used for applique, edging, and other areas not prone to stress.
(1) Polyester-cotton sewing thread, made from a 65% polyester and 35% cotton blend, combines the advantages of both polyester and cotton. It has high strength, abrasion resistance, heat resistance, and good shrinkage, primarily used for high-speed sewing of various cotton and polyester-cotton garments.
(2) Core-spun sewing thread, with a filament core wrapped with natural fibers, has its strength dependent on the core thread while abrasion and heat resistance depend on the wrapped yarn. It is mainly used for high-speed and firm garment sewing. It primarily includes cotton-wrapped polyester sewing thread and polyester-wrapped polyester sewing thread. The cotton-wrapped polyester sewing thread is made from high-performance polyester filaments and cotton, spun through a special cotton spinning process with filament-like yarn, smoothness, low hairiness, and small shrinkage, possessing the characteristics of cotton; polyester-wrapped polyester sewing thread is made from high-performance polyester filaments and polyester staple fibers, spun through a special cotton spinning process with filament-like yarn, smoothness, low hairiness, and small shrinkage, better than polyester sewing thread of the same specification.
(3) Elastic thread, also known as rubber thread but thinner. Often interwoven with cotton yarn, viscose threads, etc., into elastic tape. It is mainly used for shapewear, sock cuffs, and sleeve cuffs. Besides considering the type of fiber, thread selection also needs the appropriate model. Common sewing thread specifications include 202 (can also be expressed as 20S/2), 203, 402, 403, 602, 603, and others. The first two digits "20, 40, 60" represent the yarn count; the higher the yarn count, the finer the yarn. The latter digit represents the number of strands twisted together. For example, 202 means two strands of 20-count yarn twisted together. Therefore, for the same number of strands, the higher the yarn count, the finer the thread and the lesser the strength; for the same yarn count, the more the strands, the thicker the thread and the greater the strength.
Thickness comparison: 203>202>403>402=603>602.
Different countries have different commonly used methods for expressing sewing thread specifications. The strength and thickness of the sewing thread are directly related to the specification, so a test run is required before use to ensure the rationality of the sewing thread selection by testing seam strength, seam cracking, and other data.
The methods introduced below are just some common ways to distinguish threads. Take a roll of thread, first distinguish its appearance; threads with a shiny surface are long filament threads, while those with no shine and fluffy are short fiber or core-spun threads. Next, distinguish the material of the thread; if it's a long filament thread, use a lighter to ignite it. If it emits black smoke and black ash immediately, it's a polyester thread; if it emits blue smoke with a celery smell, it's a nylon thread. Burned thread ends; polyester threads will have a lump, while nylon threads will not.
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