I'm starting this over since on my other thread someone decided to trash the type of machine I purchased today and am so excited about instead of helping me with my thread question. So I'll leave my machine out of the title and the body and re-ask the thread question.

Does anybody know what left twist thread is? Is it anything special or different than "regular" thread?

I thought this was a nice, happy, helpful place to be. :(

I just looked at some of my thread it is seems to me to twist toward the left. I have never heard of any twist issues before. Interesting. By the way I'm happy for you and your new machine! Ignore unwelcomed coments. This is a great place to learn and share. :)

I'm so sorry to hear that someone did that to you. Don't let it get to you. This board is full of wonderfully supportive people. Every now and then there's going to be a pain in the you-know-what. I'm excited for you!! Getting a new machine is AWESOME!!
Hugs, Sue
Sorry I don't have an answer for your question :)

Thank you! I think I'll just thread and go. :) And thanks for the kind words.

How exciting to get a new machine!! I hope that you will get your answer sorry I don't know either. Sorry I am such a dork I had this long explaination on how to thread the machine I am at the tail end of a migrain maybe i need to take a break! But I will say I looked at what the machine was and I am green with envy so you enjoy!!

I Googled "left twist thread". It is thread that is made for a sewing machine.

Judy

Thanks! You guys are great! Jade, sorry about your migraine. Those things are no fun. Hope you feel better soon.

I'm not familiar with there being directional difference in the twist of thread. I thought it was all the same, but guess there must be some of it that is opposite?

How exciting - you got a new machine. Doesn't that feel like birthday and christmas and all the other holidays wrapped into one?

Sorry I can't offer any help on the thread. I'd suggest that you try different threads and see what your machine likes. Mine are perfectly happy with the Coats and Clark STAR thread and the Essentials from Connecting threads. She also does well with Guetermann and YLI. A lot depends on how you set the thread in the uptake. If they are criss-crossed, they need to be stored horizontally. If they are wound evenly, they need to stand upright.

I just took a class last night and one of the gals had the same machine as I did and she broke 3 needles during class. So I would say that the needle is just as important as the thread - or better yet, the thread and the needle have to go together.

Enjoy and don't allow anyone to kill your joy.

There are two types of twist, Z twist and S twist. I don't remember which is which but one is cross wound on the spool and should come off the end of the spool and the other is stacked wound and should come off the side of the spool. Cross wound means the thread crosses over itself on the spool and stacked means it doesn't.

I responded to your other thread about having your same machine & loving it. Seemed worth repeating!

I did a search and found this really helpful page. It looks like all machine thread is left twist.

http://www.ylicorp.com/pdf/tot-brochure.pdf

the left twist, i'm reasonably sure, is the direction of the fibers are spun into thread. when your thread comes off the spool, the left twist will not curly-que when you release the tension on it or some such thing.

thanks for that great web site - perhaps it may answer my problem as to why my thread sometimes knots up when I am hand quilting. I can go for several needles, then whamo! I get one of those awful knots. Sometimes they can be unraveled, but not all of the time and I end up cutting it off or burying it in the quilt. I use beeswas, thread heaven but no, it keeps knotting. Maybe I make the thread too long - I do not know. Anyone else out there have the same problem?????

Gosh, I never heard about the left twist thing, but I did know that the way a thread is wound tells you if it should be fed standing up on a pin or lying down for machines that have the 2 choices. My old machines didn't, my new ones do.
Haven't been having problems so I guess I am doing it right.

So happy for you on your new machine. I hope you and she have a long and happy relationship. Any pics? And did you name her? :-)

Left twist, or Z twist thread is, generally speaking, better for your machine since the twist plays nicely with the twists and turns the thread must following as it winds it way from the spool to the needle. Not all sewing thread is spun with a Z twist however. Mostly it is a european thing. Threads made in US, Mexico, and South America are (I wont say ALL because I have not seen every thread made) generally spun with a S or right twist. Right twist threads work much better in hand work because of the hand movements involved in stitching.
HTH
Sorcha

You got to live this board you learn something every day.

late bloomer, are you being sure that you thread the end that comes off the spool and make your knot in the end that you cut? I was amazed when I heard this and had to do a test.

Ah, I never knew there was so much to learn about thread! And you are all so helpful. I really do appreciate that! As for a picture, I will take one of her but right now I have just a bit of a mess on my table and I HATE to have a mess. I'm in the process of setting up my Gracie II still and so have the remaining parts on my table, plus my Janome Memory Craft 10,000 is sitting behind my new 1600 (worried that she may have been replaced...not a chance!). Once I have everything cleaned up I will take a pic. Maybe I'll throw my vintage Pfaff 130 in there that was my Dad's. It needs a whole lot of TLC to get it shiny and pretty again, but it works! It's set up for the hand crank and I just had it serviced.

I don't know the answer to the thread question. I just wanted to add to the other comments that I am sorry you had someone so negative in your post. There are so many of us who are truly happy for you! A new machine is fantastic!! I hope you have many wonderful times discovering and enjoying your new machine!!

Thank you! All the wonderful support has really warmed my heart. I guess some people just enjoy raining on others' parades. I still love my machine. :)

The only thing that comes to mind for me is the way thread is wound on the spool. I can't remember the names but the one is wound parallel along, like our bobbins wind, the other is lapped over like the threads in a skeen of wool, sort of herring bone texture-ish. Does that help?
Aardie.

Sometimes threads go through the machine better when they feed from the spool from one side. But this only requires turning the spool around on the spool pin. I have found that cheap (several for $1) threads are harder to work with as they are irregular in diameter. If you look closely at a thread - sometimes you can even feel it - you can see that it will vary in width. It might be very slight, but it does affect the way you machine works. be sure to get good quality thread.

I hope this helps to explain the twist, it's a term that was used when spinning wheel did yarn and has been carried over in todays thread.
Also, if you get knots in your quilting thread, you can do one of 2 things. First, after you thread the needle, run the needle and thread through a Bounce drier sheet.
Second, this works better for embroidery thread, but can be used on quilt thread. Have a damp sponge, wrap it around the thread and drag it down the thread just before you are ready to use it.
The direction in which the yarn is spun is called twist. Yarns are characterized as S-twist or Z-twist according to the direction of spinning. Tightness of twist is measured in TPI (twists per inch or turns per inch).

Two or more spun yarns may be twisted together or plied to form a thicker yarn (this is todays serger thread). Generally, handspun single plies are spun with a Z-twist (left), and plying is done with an S-twist.

Hi...Sorry I don't have an answer for you either... :roll: ...I love to buy, inherit, etc. sewing machines(I have 4...only brand name is Singer on 2)...I hope to get an older Singer Touch & Sew II soon for only $5!!! It doesn't have the power cord/foot pedal, but for me, it's getting the machine, cleaning, oiling, etc., and the thrill of the hunt for any missing parts..who cares about the brand? If it sews what you want to sew, and pleases you, don't worry about the "brand-name snob"... :thumbup: You could always use something I read in another thread yesterday...there were 2 really good comebacks to use:
People can only put you down if you let them. If it should happen again just look the woman in the eye and say something like, "I've heard that menopause can sometimes make a woman really nasty and hateful, I guess it's true."
Or, "I'm sorry, did I inadvertantly convey the impression that you had the right to be snotty to me?" Don't ever let anyone make you feel less than what you are.
Naomi Judd once said, "Every woman should feel like a princess because we're all daughters of the most High King."...Have a great sewing/quilting day!!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

congrats on your new machine, I am so happy with mine, it doesn't matter what brand you have if you are happy with it that is the main thing, have fun with it and show everyone what you have made with your new machine, YAY GO FOR IT GIRL

Another great site for thread information is:
superiorthreads.com
They had education section and ask Bob. This guy has the answers for any question I have seen.

HI, not sure what left twist thread is either, but if your thread keeps knotting up at the eye of the needle and shredding it is the size of the needle being wrong for the size of the thread. There are charts that list thread size and compatible needle eye size. The other problem I have had with knotting thread is either bobbin reeling off in the wrong direction, or tension mis adjustment. I teach sewing classes and these are the most common of mistakes, so check there first. Sorry I didn't see your first posting (don't think I did anyway) but I personally never met a machine I couldn't love, though some are easier to to use than others. Good luck on your purchase!

Found a few things:

This link is to a clear and informative article about left and right twist:

http://www.funfun-japan.com/index.php?S%20or%20Z%3F

This is a quote from another article:

'Thread is twisted to the left or twisted to the right, depending on its use. Left-twist thread is always used in the sewing machine because the action of the stitch-forming mechanism tends to ravel or break right-twist thread. Left- or right- twist thread may be used for hand sewing. The terms that designate left-twist threads are machine, machine twist, left twist, and Z twist. A cord or thread has left (or Z) twist if, when held in a vertical position, the twist of the yarn follows the slope of the central portion of the letter Z'

Looks like worst case scenario is if you use right twist thread in a sewing machine, it will likely break or ravel.

Hope this helps. I learned plenty LOL!

I'm sure she must have had a bad morning after sucking all her points into her cover plate! Either that or she accidentally wandered in from the Crabby Telephone Operators' site or B*tches Anonymous!
Regarding whatever machine you just bought, does it do what you want? Do you like it? 'Nuff said

The left/right twist thing must be why when I thread a hand sewing needle befor cutting the length, I don't get those pesky knots while stitching.

Wow, you guys are GREAT! I'm becoming a thread expert. I love the diagrams too. Very helpful. I did go back to the dealer yesterday for something and he showed me how left twist and right twist looks. He said that typically you don't have a problem with the higher quality thread. But it really sounds like people use all kinds of thread, as long as the twist is right. But am I also getting that maybe serger thread is not so good? I thought those big cones might be great on my Gracie. I guess I can hold it up and see which way it twists, now that I understand that. I think I'll go read the thread information site. :)

Someone asked for a picture of my new machine so here is a pic of my new Janome 1600P QC next to my Janome Memory Craft 10,000. I knew there was a lot more throat space but WOW, seeing them side by side!

And thanks for all of your other support. Some of your comments are cracking me up!

Thank you! Hmmm...I haven't named any of my machines before. Maybe I should? :)

Bostons,
I wonldn't use serger thread for anything but serging. Serger thread is only a 2 ply and much thinner than regular thread. If you use regular thread in the serger, you get a thicker seam because it's 3 ply. I would never use it for any quilting unless you are serge piecing the quilt. Then you are using lots of thread and it will hold together.

Thank you for posting this great document on thread and needles. It is so helpful.
Debi

Oh thank you!!! No wonder it feels so different too. Okay, I will save it for my sergers. :)

Yes, thanks Scissor Queen. I now have a bookmarked section on my computer just for thread thanks to all of the helpful people here!

You have a wonderful machine with lots of great features. Enjoy it and congratulations.

I am so sorry that someone felt that they had run down the machine that you purchased. In my opinion we all purchase what we can afford or what we need. I think it is great that you got a new machine. I do not post what machine I have for that very reason. I pray that you enjoy your sewing experience with your new machine.

Hand sewing thread is twisted differently than machine thread. That is why I always frown when I see people buying hand thread for their machine. Hope this helps