Thoughts About Thread

I have to admit that I've always been a bit of a thread snob.  Cheap linty thread has never appeared in my sewing supplies, even with my penchant for thriftiness.  Only silky, lint-free thread will do - an indulgence that I don't feel guilty about.  In my defense, it was one of the first habits my mom instilled in me when I learned how to sew.  She always would say that good thread was a friend to your sewing machine & made your project go together smoothly.  She is so right!

Bad thread makes sewing a chore.  It breaks, shreds, clogs up your machine & if it's not colorfast, can leave a mess of dye on your finished projects.  I am always amazed at the amount of sewers I know who consistently use cheap thread.  I know we all have a budget to consider, but honestly, with the amount of work you put into a sewing project & the price of fabric, your thread should be one area you don't skimp on.

Much of my preference has been with Mettler Silk Finish thread.  I love the sheen & the lack of lint, but the price always made me cringe.  Great results, but definitely took a toll on my sewing budget.  Then I found Superior's King Tut thread for topstitching & the budget went out the window.  I am such a sucker for variegated cottony goodness!  I new something had to give, so I went in search of some new options.

I had been seeing a lot of fellow bloggers reviewing Aurifil thread.  Everyone seemed to be impressed by the quality so I decided to try it out.  I ordered 3 spools from an online dealer & was pleasantly surprised by the $7.50 price tag for 1422 yards.  It was economical, but would it live up to the glowing reviews everyone gave it?

Aurifil spools in shades of ivory, sand & pure white.

The thread arrived in the mail a week later & my first thought was how I liked that the spools were shrink wrapped.  A nice idea for storing if you wanted to keep extra spools in your stash.  After unwrapping I was able to see just how thin & smooth this thread was.  This was especially evident when I went to wind a bobbin, & couldn't believe how much thread I could fit onto it.  Perfect for those larger projects or for free motion quilting where bobbin changes are inconvenient.  In my machine, the thread ran virtually lint-free.  After sewing a dozen blocks or so, my bobbin case was clean & free of any fluffy dust bunnies.

The finished product looked great as well.  The thread is so fine that seams melt together & make piecing a dream.  Without any extra bulk, the seam allowances lie flat which isn't the case with the bulkier threads.  The thread seemed to take a lot of tension - I tried tugging it and it didn't break.  I have yet to do the wash test with this thread, but it does seem quite sturdy despite the fine appearance.

Overall, I have been really impressed by Aurifil.  Oh, & just so you know, this was my own independent review - I am not affiliated or reimbursed by Aurifil at all!  But I do like to share a great product when I find one & would definitely recommend this great thread that's a great value.  I figure with the money I save on this thread I can invest in more fabric for my stash - that's my new strategy :)

I would love to hear if you have tried Aurifil before & any thoughts you may have on thread.  Are there any other thread finds out there (or thread nightmares) that you can share with your fellow sewists?  Leave a comment with your thoughts!