I use Gutermann upholstery thread for most of my MYOG projects. The thread is strong, 100% polyester, easy to work with, and readily available in retail outlets. It does require a few adjustments to your injector/ejector to use properly. I thought I’d share some tips to hopefully help others avoid the frustration I experienced in the beginning.
#1 The thread requires a fair amount of tension. Unfortunately, the built-in tension dials on my lightweight home machine couldn’t provide enough tension, leading to bunching, birds nesting, and a lot of frustration and foul language. However, wrapping the thread around the bobbin tensioning disc thingamajig before feeding the thread through the machine provides just the right amount of extra tension necessary. Perfect stitches every single time.
#2 The upholstery thread can sometimes develop a twist that causes bunching problems as the thread feeds through the machine. The trick was to have the thread pull off the end of the spool instead of having the spool spin on top of the machine. A simple Acco clip does the trick (see photo).
#3 This third tip isn’t specific to the Gutermann thread, but it’s so useful that I’d feel I was cheating you if I didn’t mention it. Invest in a walking foot. I bought a cheapie walking foot from JoAnn’s for about $14 or so and it helps tremendously when trying to sew through multiple layers (for example, trying to sew a double felled seam through multiple layers of packcloth, webbing, and pocket mesh on a backpack). I don’t use the walking foot all the time because it is noisy and works loose with extended use, but for thick seams, it’s the bomb.
Anyhow, hope this helps someone. Thanks for reading.
Brian
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