Aurifil FAQs Page 5

Earlier in the year I gave this presentation to shop owners at a trade fair and I thought it was just as relevant to you, the consumer of thread, as it was to the retailer so I have included it in this newsletter for your consideration.

Thread is the back bone of every textile project so it is important to take as much care choosing the right thread as it is to choosing the fabric.

I am horrified every time I hear someone say "I just use whatever thread is to hand" when talking about their patchwork.

If they were talking about embroidery the thread would be a primary consideration so why is patchwork different?

I think the thread used for piecing the top should be considered the cement or mortar that holds everything together and the quilting thread is the 'paint & paper' that adds the decorative finish.

Hopefully at the end of this essay you will have an understanding of how fibre content & thread weight effects the appearance of the finished work. You should also be able to choose thread wisely and have lots of ideas for using thread creatively.

Firstly, some background about the Aurifil brand.

Aurifil has been producing thread in Italy since 1983. It is part of a family owned business that sells industrial embroidery machines. the thread division was developed to provide their machine customers with good quality thread.

As well as being a popular embroidery thread in Europe, Aurifil is recognised by consumers around the world as a reliable, superior quality thread for patchwork and quilting. It is still relatively new in Australia but recognition and popularity is growing steadily.

in this presentation I want to talk about the Cotton Mako' & Lana wool blend threads.

Cotton mako' is produced from 100% long staple Egyptian cotton which has been mercerised to produce a strong thread with brilliant colour and low lint.

It is available in 216 colours and 4 thread weights:

Ne 50 - the finest thread is recognised by the orange spool base and is available on 1300 metre & 200 metre spools.

Ne 40 - the Universal thread, recognised by the green spool base and is available on 1000 metre spools.

Ne 28 - the Quilting thread, recognised by the grey spool base and is available on 750 metre spools.

Ne 12 - the Decorative/topstitching thread, recognised by the red spool base and is available on 325 metre spools.

Lana is a wool blend of 50% Australian wool & 50% acrylic. There are 180 colours in the range and it is an Ne 12 thread weight packaged on a red spool which hold 350 metres.

So, with all this choice, how do you decide which thread to use?

An understanding of thread size and stitched appearance helps with the decision making.

Thread size can expressed in several different ways and the terms used depend upon the method the manufacturer has used to measure the thread.

Have a look at your thread collection and you will see No, wt, Ne, Tex etc followed by a number. these all refer to different measuring standards and the numbers do not have a direct comparison to each other unless they are using the same measuring standard. to be precise a 40 of one brand can be very different to a 40 in another brand.

No wonder it is so confusing!

Aurifil uses a European standard and expresses the measurement as an Ne weight. In this system the "higher the number the finer the thread". This is because the number is really

"the measurement of how many 1000 metre units of thread are required to weigh 1 kilogram"
eg: Ne 40 = 40 x 1000 units of thread = weigh 1 kilogram
(or more simply, 40 kilometres of thread weighs 1 kilogram)

So the Ne system measures the Length of thread require to make a fixed weight.

The other common measuring standard is the American Tex system. This measures the weight of a fixed length of thread (1000 metres). In the Tex system a Tex 40 thread means that 1000 metres (1 kilometre) of the thread weighs 40 grams. This means that in this system the higher the number the heavier (or thicker) the thread.

The Tex system measures the weight of a fixed length of thread.

Knowing the difference between the standards helps to understand the needle size to choose, how to adjust the machine tension and density of stitching to achieve a good result.

How the thread will effect your sewing is common sense if you have any textile knowledge but can be confusing if you are new to sewing.

The thicker the thread the larger the needle required to make the hole for the thread to pass through the fabric. A larger needle also usually means a larger eye, an important consideration when threading the needle.

A thicker thread will put more pressure on the tension discs so the tension will need to be adjusted to allow the thread to flow smoothly. And visa versa for very thin threads.

Stitch length and pattern density will also need to be adjusted to suit the thread thickness (thread weight)

It also helps explain why one thread is better for piecing than another. A thinner thread will take up less space in a seam fold than a thick thread resulting in a flatter seam and more accurate seam allowance.

Recently I was told about a student who told everyone in the class that she purchased her thread by the cone because she used so much. later in the class she commented that she had to fill her bobbin much more frequently than the other students. I suspect that she was using a Tex 40 thread, which is quite thick, so she could not wind as many metres on the bobbin compared to the other students who were using threads of a finer diameter.

Ultimately, she would still use the same number of metres of thread to do the job regardless of the thread thickness. However she has to stop stitching to fill the bobbin more often when using a thick thread.

How does this knowledge of thread measurements help you work with Aurifil threads?

Aurifil uses the European Ne system so the "higher the number the finer the thread"

Cotton Mako' Ne 50 is the finest thread (50 kilometres / kilogram).

It is fantastic as a bobbin thread for embroidery work

It makes invisible hand appliqué stitches and the long staple means it is a smooth thread with no twists and knotting.

It makes a perfect 1/4" seam as the thread is not bulking up the fabric at the seam fold

It is ideal for foundation piecing and miniature work for the same reason

It is suitable for very detailed quilting such as micro stippling.

Cotton Mako' Ne 40 is the Universal thread (40 kilometres / kilogram).

It is still fine enough to make a flat seam but it has enough "presence" to look good when used for quilting as it creates good shadows.

Cotton Mako' Ne 28 is a thicker thread for Quilting (28 kilometres / kilogram).

This has enough body to add a decorative touch to the finished work.

Cotton Mako' Ne 12 is the Top Stitch or Decorator thread (12 kilometres / kilogram).

A heavy thread for decorative machine stitching it also works well for the hand stitchery embroidery that is so popular at the moment.

The Lana (wool blend) thread is also a Ne 12 thread. The blend of 50% Australian wool & 50% acrylic makes it a strong textured thread that has the soft appearance of wool with the added strength of the acrylic allowing it to stitch beautifully on the machine or by hand.

I've tested it with machine appliqué, hand embroidery and machine satin & filled embroidery on wool felts and woven fabrics. I also found that the soft textured appearance also complimented cotton flannel very well.

It is a Ne 12 thread so all the earlier comments about needle choice & stitch density apply.

I also found that the Cotton Mako' Ne 50 worked well as a bobbin thread, matching natural fibre with natural fibre.

The general appearance of thread is also important!

I've used the terms long staple & mercerised to describe the Cotton mako' range.

Long Staple refers to the thread being spun from the longer, top quality fibres. This results in a smoother, stronger thread that is less fuzzy in appearance.

Mercerisation is a chemical treatment that causes the fibres to swell, improving dye penetration and giving a greater sheen (lustre) to the colours. It also increases the strength of the thread and removes any loose hairy surface fibres, making the thread very smooth.

Both these factors contribute to producing a well made, high quality thread that gives beautiful stitching results.

Why choose 100% cotton thread?

I am often asked why you should choose 100% cotton over the cheaper blended or poly core cotton wrapped threads.

Well apart from the time honoured response, that generates so much discussion about whether polyester is too strong for stitching cotton fabric and will cut the fabric over time, there is another reason.

Polyester has more elasticity that cotton thread. This works well when matched with synthetic fabrics and knits. However cotton fabrics have a different feel and movement so the resulting seams have a wavy appearance.

Cotton thread will also have a little residual shrinkage allowing the stitches to bed into the seam as the cotton fabric shrinks.

Which colours & thread weights should I include in my collection?

Every textile artist dreams of having a full palette of thread colours in their collection but most acknowledge that this is not possible. So how do you decide which colours to include in your thread library?

There are 216 colours, including 34 variegated colours, in the Cotton Mako' range. some are practical utility colours, some a greyed tones for subtle quilting, each colour family has stepped gradations of colour for embroidery and then there are the zinger or highlight colours.

Your choice is going to depend upon your purpose.

So often I hear people say "I only ever use one colour in my patchwork, Grey!"

Well I beg to differ. Nothing spoils the appearance of a pretty quilt top as much as having a contrasting thread showing through on the stitching line.

I think that you need a kit of utility colours in a Ne 40 or 50 for patchwork piecing so that you can match the thread to colour "families":

Cream / Natural for stitching light colours

Khaki for stitching greens & yellows

Warm brown for stitching reds & oranges

& GREY for stitching blues & purples

You should also add true black & white to the utility kit if you work with these colours in your piecing.

Next you need to build a colour palette of decorative colours to compliment your fabric collection so that your quilting and embroidery work adds an extra dimension to the finished result. Depending upon your desired finish these threads can be in wide variety of thicknesses.

Be inspired to use thread creatively in future!

Congratulations if you read through the entire essay it was written for a 20 minute presentation so it was quite long.

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And Another discussion on Thread Comparisons

I think the thread that is used to stitch your textile project is the “cement” that holds it together and the thread that is used to quilt or embroider it is the “paint & paper” that adds the final decorative touch.

When choosing the best thread for each step of the project you need to consider the density of stitching and the final effect that you are aiming to achieve.

A fine thread makes a smooth flat seam with out taking up too much seam allowance.

Sometimes you want to use the thread to add pizzazz to the finished work so a thicker thread or a variegated colour could be your choice.

Other times thread needs to be secondary, enhancing the design with texture, without adding any additional colour, so a finer thread in a blending colour would be the choice.

“Stitch heavy” quilting such as detailed background fill creates fantastic texture over the quilt but can also create a very dense build up of thread unless a fine thread is chosen.

Fine colour matched thread in the bobbin can give a great finish to embroideries that will be viewed from two sides.

Motif overlays on plain fabric will be enhanced by a thicker thread.

So, which thread …? An understanding of thread size and appearance helps this decision making. Thread size may be expressed in several different ways and the terms used depend upon the method the manufacturer uses to measure the thread. Have a look at the threads in your collection.

You will probably see No, Wt, Ne, Tex or D followed by a number. These terms all refer to different measuring standards and the resulting numbers do not have direct comparisons to each other, unless they are using the same measurement indicator.

However, as a general rule, when reading numbers expressed as No, Wt or Ne the higher the number the finer the thread.

It is this "Ne" rule that you should remember when working with the threads in the Aurifil range.

For threads using a Tex or D (Denier) coding system the rule is reversed so the higher the number the thicker the thread.

It can become confusing when trying to compare one brand of thread to another as each manufacturer may use a different measuring standard. For example, a Ne 40 thread and a Tex 40 thread are NOT the same weight or thickness. The Ne 40 thread is a finer thread than one classified as Tex 40.

In fact they could almost be considered as opposites as the Ne 40 thread is actually closer in thickness to a Tex 25 thread, while the Tex 40 thread is closer in weight to a Ne 28 thread. see scale below

_____ Ne28_________________Ne40_____
__Thicker _____ _____ _____ ____Finer___
Tex40 Tex25

One of the great features of the Aurifil range is that, with a choice of 4 different cotton thread weights, you will be sure to find the ideal thread for each project. If you are looking for added decorative appeal then why not consider the Aurilux satin finished polyester threads or the Lana wool blend threads.

So next time you are starting a project don't just reach for the nearest thread. Instead think about what you are aiming to achieve and select your threads with as much care as you select the fabrics that you are using.

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"Oeko-Tex Standard 100" Compliance Certificate

Aurifil is proud to announce that it's 100% cotton threads, both variegated and solid colours, are in compliance with the requirements of the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 - 1st Class. (for products safe for children).

The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is a testing process to control, and to analyse material tissue and ensure that products are safe and do not pose a risk to the consumer. The testing processes evaluates and screens for any harmful substances present within processed textiles intended to come into contact with humans.

The Oeko-Tex Association (International Association for Research and Testing in the field of Textile Ecology) is based in Zurich, Switzerland and it's member institutes are competent and internationally renowned independent textile testing and research houses.

Producers can apply to have their products tested and, when a textile product has met the compliance requirements and is eligible to be certified as safe for use and poses no risk to health, it is licensed to display an "Oeko-Tex" label.

Anonymous, ongoing spot testing is conducted by the Oeko-Tex Association by randomly purchasing products bearing the license and retesting for compliance.
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