I'm moving this to Lace because it's relevant to lacemaking
(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.
Cheap-o polyester often is fuzzy and weak but quality brands such as
Guetermann and Drima are smoother, though they are cut into staples for
spinning in a similar way to cotton. Superior Threads Highlights which
is Japanese, is a filament trilobal polyester thread. Tri-lobal means
that a cross section of a filament has three lobes, like a clover leaf
and that gives a shinier thread.
I was going to say that quality brands of polyester machine sewing
threads are 3 ply whilst most cheap-o brands, as well as being fuzzy
are only 2 ply BUT....
I've got some Drima and Guetermann that are 2 ply!
Reels of Coats Drima polyester made in Britain, W Germany and Canada
are all 3Z. Drima by Amann made in EU is only 2Z.
Most of my reels of Gueterman 100% polyester made in Germany are 3Z,
but a few, which are also made in Germany, have CA 02776 printed on the
top of the reel are 2Z. These have a sticker across one end of the
reels, whilst the 3Z reels don't.
When I used to do a lot of sewing I often found that Drima threads
often snapped and I would go out of my way to get a different brand if
I wanted polyester. Now I know why; it would have been the 2 ply Drima
that I had trouble with.
Have just measured the 2 ply Guetermann - it's 33 w/cm compared to 31
w/cm for the 3 ply. I've already got Amann Drima listed separately.
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.
Spun silk isn't chopped up to suit the machinery, it's made from all
the bits left over after the filaments have been reeled off. It's
softer but less slippery than reeled silk. Not quite so strong but
reeled silk can be too strong for some fabrics.
I've seen posts expressing satisfaction with spun silk for
making bobbin lace. Has anyone compared spun to reeled for
this purpose?
Spun silk is easier to work with - reeled silk being very smooth and
shiny is slippery and doesn't stay on the bobbins so well. Really it's
down to personal preference
Brenda in Allhallows, Kent
http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.uk/index.html
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