Choosing Threads for Hand Sewn Textile Projects

Thread is the quietest decision in a hand sewn project, and often the one we make last. We spend hours choosing cloth, mixing a madder bath or folding a length of cotton into itajime, then reach for whatever reel is nearest. Yet thread determines how a seam wears, whether a quilt puckers after its first wash, and whether the piece can be repaired or composted later. For anyone working with natural dyes and shibori, a little thought here pays back for years.

Match the Fibre to the Cloth

The old rule holds: thread should behave like the fabric it holds. Fibres shrink, stretch and abrade at different rates, so a mismatch will show up eventually — usually as a puckered seam or a line of tiny holes where a stiff thread has sawed through soft cloth.

• Linen thread for linen, hemp and ramie. It is very strong, has almost no stretch and little shrinkage, which suits these crisp, low-give fabrics. It knots poorly, though, so finish with a double knot or wax the thread first.
• Cotton thread for cotton, quilted cloth and general hand sewing. Unmercerised cotton has a matte, traditional finish and dyes well; mercerised cotton is smoother and shinier but takes natural dye a little less readily.
• Silk thread for silk, fine wool and tailoring. It is fine, strong and slightly elastic, and glides through closely woven cloth without swelling the hole.
• Wool thread for wool, darning and knit repairs. It has give, so it moves with the fabric, and it blooms slightly when washed, filling the stitch holes.

Mixing fibres is sometimes necessary, but go in with your eyes open. Silk thread in a cotton shirt may shrink at a different rate; a synthetic thread in a naturally dyed linen garment will not take up colour, will outlast the cloth and will complicate any attempt to compost or recycle the piece.

Reading Weights and Plies

Thread numbers confuse everyone at first, because the conventions differ between fibres. On a cotton reel, something like 50/3 means a 50-weight thread made from three plies — the higher the first number, the finer the thread. Hand sewing usually sits between 40/3 and 60/3; quilting favours 50/3; sashiko-style work calls for something heavier, perhaps 30/3 or thicker.

Linen works the opposite way in the hand: a lower number is heavier. Common weights include 18/3 for sturdy seams and 40/3 for finer work. Silk is often sold by denier or described as fine, medium or buttonhole twist.

As a practical guide, choose a thread roughly the same thickness as the yarns in your fabric, or a touch finer. Too thick and you crowd the weave, causing puckers and strained holes; too fine and the seam abrades quickly, especially along a shoulder or a cushion edge that takes daily wear.

Thread for Shibori and Gathering

Stitched resists are demanding. In nui shibori you run a strong thread through the cloth, gather it tightly and knot it before dyeing, so the thread must hold real tension without snapping or slipping. Cotton and linen are the traditional choices and the most sensible for anyone dyeing with plant materials, since they can be mordanted and dyed alongside the cloth.

• Double cotton thread for narrow gathered rows on medium-weight cloth; it grips well and holds a knot.
• Use waxed linen where you need maximum strength on coarse cloth, but expect slippery knots — double them, or finish with a half hitch.
• Avoid thread so fine it cuts the cloth when pulled. On silk, use a fine silk or cotton thread and gather with steady, moderate tension rather than a sharp tug.
• Pre-shrink cotton thread by soaking it in warm water and drying it, or it may shrink during the post-dye rinse and leave marks you did not plan.

Tension is the whole design. Pulled tight and knotted close to the cloth, you get crisp, fine rings; looser gathering gives softer, more blurred shapes. Leave the thread slightly slack only where you want a gentler resist, and always cut threads away carefully with small sharp scissors rather than ripping them out.

Colour Harmony and Dyeing Your Own Thread

The simplest way to match thread to naturally dyed cloth is to dye both in the same bath. Do bear in mind that fibres take colour differently: a cotton thread in a madder bath will come out paler than silk in the same pot, and cellulose fibres generally need a tannin pre-treatment or an alum mordant to hold colour well. Scour and mordant your thread just as you would the cloth.

For invisible mending and neat seams, match the thread to the dominant mid-tone of the fabric rather than its darkest shadow or brightest highlight; the stitch then melts into the weave. For visible mending and sashiko-inspired work, contrast is deliberate — ecru or white cotton over indigo is a classic pairing that ages beautifully. Keep a small card wound with samples of your dyed threads so you can hold them against a project in daylight before committing.

Wax, Storage and Long Life

Thread is not immortal. Keep reels out of direct sunlight, which fades and weakens natural fibres, and store them in paper or a tin rather than sealed plastic, which can trap damp and encourage mould. Older thread that snaps when tugged is best relegated to basting.

Beeswax is a small ritual worth adopting. Drawing a length of thread over a block reduces tangling, strengthens linen and lessens friction as it passes through the cloth. Do not wax thread you intend to dye later, as wax resists dye. Cut lengths of around 50 to 60cm — longer threads tangle, fray and abrade against the fabric with every pull.

Finally, think ahead to repair. Choose a thread with similar shrinkage to your cloth so wash day does not distort your stitches, and keep a little of each dyed thread aside with the finished piece. A seam sewn with a fibre that matches its cloth can be mended, overdyed and eventually composted along with it — which is, after all, the point of working this way.