Chances are good that you don’t put much thought into the quality of thread that goes into putting your clothing together. You may be wondering why it’s something you should think about as well. Thread keeps your clothing together, helps it last for the long haul, and controls the fit of a garment.
You won’t notice when a garment is made from quality thread, as it should be. But you will notice when the thread is lousy as your clothes fall apart sooner than they should. Here’s a look at three ways the quality of thread affects your clothing.
1. Durability and Longevity
The quality of the thread directly affects how long your garment will last. Low-quality thread is prone to breaking and fraying as it’s put under stress. Wearing and washing a garment stresses the fibers of the thread, causing it to tear and break over time. No thread is immune to stress, and a garment will eventually come apart if it’s worn and washed frequently enough.
However, high-quality thread enables a garment to last for years, even decades, giving you your money’s worth from the purchase. In contrast, cheap thread breaks after a few wash cycles and results in the garment becoming unusable.
2. Poor Garment Fit and Hang
Garments are cut to fit in a specific fashion and to match size measurements when the seams are sewn together. High-quality thread, or thread that’s intended for use with a specific type of fabric, passes through the sewing machine needle and fabric fibers with ease. The result is a seam that follows the seam allowance, won’t pucker, and lies flat. A clean line of stitching is all but guaranteed with quality thread.
Poor-quality thread doesn’t go through a refinement process to make it smooth and silky. It may also not be as tightly twisted, something that allows it to unravel as it passes through the sewing needle. This can result in skipped stitches and jam the bobbin because it’s too stiff or unraveling as it’s passing through the hook and eye of the needle.
A garment sewn with quality thread won’t cause the seams to pucker when put under tension, and a loose-fitting garment hangs as it should. Poor-quality thread can cause seams to pull the fabric and create ruching due to its lack of ability to hold the fabric in place.
3. Poor Construction
Using low-quality thread on any type of fabric can result in a poorly sewn garment. The garment may not show signs of poor quality upon initial inspection and purchase, but the issues will show up sooner than later. Small issues such as hems falling out and gaps in seams start to show up, indicating the fact that poor-quality thread was used, and the garment isn’t going to be usable for much longer.
If any of the above issues associated with poor-quality thread are apparent in a garment before purchase, pass on it. It shows that the garment is cheaply made and won’t last long enough for you to get your money’s worth from it. It can be disappointing to walk away from a garment of interest, but there’s always a better garment to find, buy, and enjoy.
Published by: Holy Minoza
