is there a REAL difference between the two?

[FanaticFringer]

This is the thread that I bought from walmart that I don't really like that well

http://www.homesew.com/th32.html

I recently bought some of that (Coats & Clark) from Wal-Mart. Now I find out it's crap.

[headchange4u]

I recently bought some of that (Coats & Clark) from Wal-Mart. Now I find out it's crap.

Here's a quote I read somewhere else:

"Friends don't let friends buy Coats & Clark thread"

I used Coast & Clark when I started making DIY and I was surprised how much it reduced the times my machine jammed or my thread broken while sewing. Thread (and needles) do make a difference.

[skar578]

so consensus is that eds stuff is good, but not as good as gutterman

[Youngblood]

Youngblood, if you find where you wrote those matches between the threads and needle sizes, could you tell us? I like how the speer thread seems to compare to the gutterman. cause it is a much better deal. i am going to check out walmart and JoAnns.

I can't find where I wrote it down but looking at my needle selection I think it went like this where I use needles with universal points, not ball point or sharps.

For the thinnest thread, size 65/9 needle. For what I'm calling the normal thread, or next size up, size 75/11 needle. For the thread I got from OWF size 90/14 needle. For the heavy duty thread, size 100/16 needle.

There are fit issues with thread and needles that aren't obvious unless you look at the indented or depressed part of the shaft starting at the eye of the needle. The thread is suppose to ride in there as the needle penetrates the fabric and then be picked up cleanly to form the stitch. In some of the reading I've done I found some folks that claim that certain type of sewing machines are designed around particular manufacturers needles because of this relationship... but that is over my head in what I know about the subject. I had tons of trouble when I first started sewing because of the ignorance of my instructor (me) and a cheap sewing machine. I got a not-so-cheap sewing machine, found combinations that worked, stayed with them, and keep my fingers crossed.

[greggg3]

LOL Fanatic, I don't know if its crap - it might be me or the machine or something.

Maybe its the needles I've been using like Youngblood's talking about, that aren't matching with the thread. I've been using the cheap universal needles from Walmart - it seems like changing needles fairly frequently (as opposed to what I had been doing - same needle for over two years, lol - you mean they don't just come with the machine?) made things go better (back when I was using the RayWay thread) so I bought a bunch from Walmart. I was just using the small ones for sil and thin stuff, the thicker shafts for sewing webbing (thick things).

I think I'm going to order some of the Mettler Metrosene and see how it does

[Redtail]

That's kind of a surprise! You'd think it'd be a no-brainer to stock multiple colors of thread.

I match the color of my thread to the fabric to hide my crooked sewing better but I can see the advantages of using just one kind of thread:

1. Don't need fill and switch multiple bobbins for each color
2. Don't need to readjust tension for different kinds of thread
3. Can find the best needle for that thread and stick with it

I'm guessing that is why many like to just use black thread for everything.

[greggg3]

This place has a lot of thread in a lot of different colors

http://www.redrockthreads.com/