Re: [h-cost] old sewing thread
Hi Suzanne, I don't think you can generalize in any way. Ironically, I bought about a dozen very large spools of Belding Corticelli silk thread that are of unknown age but at least pre-70s and so far (knock-wood) they have all been sound. I have tried the button-hole twist yet since they are in rather peculiar colours, but there was no way passing them up when they were being cleared out of an old tailoring supply shop a couple of dollars a spool. Besides, the lady who officiated our wedding was a textile conservator you should have seen the age of some of the spools of things she worked with, and they didn't disintegrate in her hands... So, after all that, I think it all comes down to an individual spool basis. I would personally go for it and have fun! Cheers, Danielle At 09:54 PM 1/15/2013, you wrote: Here's an odd question: How long does cotton or silk sewing thread last? At work today, we found an old cigar box full of Belding Corticelli thread that probably dates back to the early 1950s. (The small spools of cotton were priced at 15 cents and the large ones at 25 cents.) I was admiring the beautiful shades of green. . . and then everyone else said it would all have to be thrown out because it was too old to use in machine sewing. I'd never heard of thread going bad so now I'm wondering if I was just daydreaming that day in home ec class [quite likely!] or if this is common knowledge for everyone but me? (I also have a friend who refuses to use vintage cotton fabric because it might rip, so there's another question for you!) I reeled out one spool of white and pulled hard, and it does seem thinner than the polyester stuff they sell most places these days--but does that mean it won't work even for lightweight projects? Such a waste! :-( Suzanne ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] old sewing thread
I don't have much more to add, but to concur. Thread does goes bad. It is something we covered in the apparel production courseI taught at OSU. I'd stack it somewhere where I could admire the pretty colors while I sew with modern thread. :D Althea Rizzo alt...@alfalfapress.com facebook.com/alfalfapress On Jan 15, 2013, at 7:54 PM, Suzanne wrote: Here's an odd question: How long does cotton or silk sewing thread last? At work today, we found an old cigar box full of Belding Corticelli thread that probably dates back to the early 1950s. (The small spools of cotton were priced at 15 cents and the large ones at 25 cents.) I was admiring the beautiful shades of green. . . and then everyone else said it would all have to be thrown out because it was too old to use in machine sewing. I'd never heard of thread going bad so now I'm wondering if I was just daydreaming that day in home ec class [quite likely!] or if this is common knowledge for everyone but me? (I also have a friend who refuses to use vintage cotton fabric because it might rip, so there's another question for you!) I reeled out one spool of white and pulled hard, and it does seem thinner than the polyester stuff they sell most places these days--but does that mean it won't work even for lightweight projects? Such a waste! :-( Suzanne ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] old sewing thread
I used old thread on a quilt and it all fell apart after one washing because of the thread. Penny Ladnier, owner www.costumegallery.com On Jan 15, 2013 10:55 PM, Suzanne sovag...@cybermesa.com wrote: Here's an odd question: How long does cotton or silk sewing thread last? At work today, we found an old cigar box full of Belding Corticelli thread that probably dates back to the early 1950s. (The small spools of cotton were priced at 15 cents and the large ones at 25 cents.) I was admiring the beautiful shades of green. . . and then everyone else said it would all have to be thrown out because it was too old to use in machine sewing. I'd never heard of thread going bad so now I'm wondering if I was just daydreaming that day in home ec class [quite likely!] or if this is common knowledge for everyone but me? (I also have a friend who refuses to use vintage cotton fabric because it might rip, so there's another question for you!) I reeled out one spool of white and pulled hard, and it does seem thinner than the polyester stuff they sell most places these days--but does that mean it won't work even for lightweight projects? Such a waste! :-( Suzanne ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] old sewing thread
Here's an odd question: How long does cotton or silk sewing thread last? At work today, we found an old cigar box full of Belding Corticelli thread that probably dates back to the early 1950s. (The small spools of cotton were priced at 15 cents and the large ones at 25 cents.) I was admiring the beautiful shades of green. . . and then everyone else said it would all have to be thrown out because it was too old to use in machine sewing. I'd never heard of thread going bad so now I'm wondering if I was just daydreaming that day in home ec class [quite likely!] or if this is common knowledge for everyone but me? (I also have a friend who refuses to use vintage cotton fabric because it might rip, so there's another question for you!) I reeled out one spool of white and pulled hard, and it does seem thinner than the polyester stuff they sell most places these days--but does that mean it won't work even for lightweight projects? Such a waste! :-( Suzanne ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] old sewing thread
Yes, thread goes bad. I can't give you an exact timetable, but it goes bad faster than fabric. If it breaks when you use it in the machine (assuming the tension and threading are correct), let alone when you pull on it by hand, it's too weak to use for permanent sewing. Use it for hand basting. It would be even more of a waste to use it for a garment and have all the seams fall apart quickly. Fran Lavolta Press Books of historic clothing patterns www.lavoltapress.com www.facebook.com/LavoltaPress ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] old sewing thread
On 1/15/2013 7:54 PM, Suzanne wrote: Here's an odd question: How long does cotton or silk sewing thread last? At work today, we found an old cigar box full of Belding Corticelli thread that probably dates back to the early 1950s. (The small spools of cotton were priced at 15 cents and the large ones at 25 cents.) I was admiring the beautiful shades of green. . . and then everyone else said it would all have to be thrown out because it was too old to use in machine sewing. I'd never heard of thread going bad so now I'm wondering if I was just daydreaming that day in home ec class [quite likely!] or if this is common knowledge for everyone but me? (I also have a friend who refuses to use vintage cotton fabric because it might rip, so there's another question for you!) I reeled out one spool of white and pulled hard, and it does seem thinner than the polyester stuff they sell most places these days--but does that mean it won't work even for lightweight projects? Such a waste! :-( Suzanne ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume I always test my old thread, but I have some a lot older than the 1950's that is very strong and works well. I tend to use it for handsewing. Carmen ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] old sewing thread
I inherited several spools of thread from my grandmother with her treadle machine. Most of her thread was on those small wooden spools. I found it interesting that some colors were sound, but others were not. I sewed with it all, and then had to resew a pair of pants because the thread disintegrated. I'd say that you should treat each spool in a case by case basis. Have fun Genie On Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 9:54 PM, Suzanne sovag...@cybermesa.com wrote: Here's an odd question: How long does cotton or silk sewing thread last? At work today, we found an old cigar box full of Belding Corticelli thread that probably dates back to the early 1950s. (The small spools of cotton were priced at 15 cents and the large ones at 25 cents.) I was admiring the beautiful shades of green. . . and then everyone else said it would all have to be thrown out because it was too old to use in machine sewing. I'd never heard of thread going bad so now I'm wondering if I was just daydreaming that day in home ec class [quite likely!] or if this is common knowledge for everyone but me? (I also have a friend who refuses to use vintage cotton fabric because it might rip, so there's another question for you!) I reeled out one spool of white and pulled hard, and it does seem thinner than the polyester stuff they sell most places these days--but does that mean it won't work even for lightweight projects? Such a waste! :-( Suzanne ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] old sewing thread
Well, you can always use it for handwork, or craft projects. I've had thread on old garments disintegrate (sleeves fell off) , but I'm not sure if that was because of the garment being dry cleaned or something. It was a 1930's knit dress. The fabric was fine, just the thread had rotted. I used to do a project at my kids' school--get a piece of lightweight cardboard. Draw an X or circle on it and punch holes about 1/4 inch apart. Sew- drawing thread from one hole to a set number of holes on--kind of like a Spirograph, for those of you who remember this toy. Use different colors and numbers of holes. Sharon C. -Original Message- From: h-costume-boun...@indra.com [mailto:h-costume-boun...@indra.com] On Behalf Of Suzanne Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 7:54 PM To: h-cost...@indra.com Subject: [h-cost] old sewing thread Here's an odd question: How long does cotton or silk sewing thread last? At work today, we found an old cigar box full of Belding Corticelli thread that probably dates back to the early 1950s. (The small spools of cotton were priced at 15 cents and the large ones at 25 cents.) I was admiring the beautiful shades of green. . . and then everyone else said it would all have to be thrown out because it was too old to use in machine sewing. I'd never heard of thread going bad so now I'm wondering if I was just daydreaming that day in home ec class [quite likely!] or if this is common knowledge for everyone but me? (I also have a friend who refuses to use vintage cotton fabric because it might rip, so there's another question for you!) I reeled out one spool of white and pulled hard, and it does seem thinner than the polyester stuff they sell most places these days--but does that mean it won't work even for lightweight projects? Such a waste! :-( Suzanne ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] old sewing thread
On 1/15/2013 8:11 PM, Sharon Collier wrote: Well, you can always use it for handwork, or craft projects. I've had thread on old garments disintegrate (sleeves fell off) , but I'm not sure if that was because of the garment being dry cleaned or something. It was a 1930's knit dress. The fabric was fine, just the thread had rotted. Problem is, the sewing machine is only the first hurdle. The garment still has to withstand the strain of multiple wearings and cleanings. There is no point in penny pinching on thread. Heck, Jo-Ann's sends me coupons almost daily, by email, postal mail, or sometimes, inserted in my local paper. I can always get 40% or 50% off on thread, which is about the only thing I buy there. Fran Lavolta Press Books on historic sewing www.lavoltapress.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
