Embroidery Thread Tips for Better Machine Embroidery Sewing
I have some tips for you to get better results with using your embroidery threads in machine embroidery sewing.
1. If you're experiencing thread breakage or have had finished designs bleeding onto your garments after laundering, you're probably still using rayon thread! The polyester embroidery threads are stronger and more colorfast. Always remove your embroidered garments from the washer immediately, this will help eliminate the bleeding. For the breakage, try lowering your tension, rayon threads are the weakest of the embroidery threads.
I've been using a commercial polyester thread, ARC embroidery thread for over a year now and getting fantastic results. Never a break and it launders beautifully time after time. The embroidery is still gorgeous even after the garment is worn out. The arc thread currently has 288 colors!
2. If you're experiencing a heavy build up on the back of your designs, try using the only pre-wound bobbin that works trouble-free in our machines. They are precision wound with 132 yds per bobbin, of continuous filament polyester, which runs with less lint. Not only do they decrease the amount of build up-I don't have to clean out my machine as often!
3. If you've given up on using metallic thread because of the breakage and other problems that are common to metallics, you haven't tried the best yet! In my opinion there's only one metallic that I'll spend my time using - Mon-Rex commercial grade metallic thread. It is a true 40 wt. & requires no special lubricants or other than normal tension settings. I don't use a special needle either! It comes in 21 gorgeous colors on 1000-1080 yd cones.
For the "other" brands you may want to try the following:
1. Always feed metallic thread from the side of the cone/spool or it will kink. 2. Lower the upper tension.3. Use a larger eye needle or metallic needle.4. Do not use any lubricants in our machines - they will ruin our auto tension disks!
Terry Carter is the webmaster and author of embroidery articles at embroidery designs by Thread Artist. He has an article about embroidery software for digitizing and lettering fonts at embroidery software. There is free embroidery digitizing Tutorial at this web address - embroidery by Thread Artists. You can email Terry at this address - ThreadArtist@qx.net