Has Coats & Clark thread quality changed in the past few years?
 

Most of the thread I have was acquired before Coats & Clark changed their dual duty thread from cotton covered polyester to 100% polyester. What was then generally available was C&C or the "really cheap stuff"

Neither my machines nor I have had issues with this thread - C&C "older style" dual duty - so I am wondering why so many others seem to dislike it.

Or is it actually a case of liking other brands better? Which is fine - Some people prefer any Ford product over any Chevrolet product - and vice versa.

I use it and have always had good luck with it. I am a whatever works and looks good person. I've had Fords. Chevys, Chrysler products and now a Jeep. Used till quit working or ranout of steam.

C&C is expensive compared to other brands. Do a comparison of yardage on spool to cost and you will be surprised. Unless I shop online or go to quilt shops I can't find any thread but C&C in my town. I use Superior, Aurifil, or Connecting Threads Pro for piecing. For machine quilting I use a variety of different threads depending on the look I want.

I agree. C&C is a lot more expensive than people think it is. You don't get much thread on a spool for the price you pay for it and it's just not the quality that you can get with other threads.

I like Aurifil and Metrosene best but if I need a particular color, mostly for garment sewing or alterations, I will use Coats and Clark because that's what the store closest to me sells. For piecing I generally use Aurifil gray and have that on hand because I plan ahead. For quilting I always start with a new spool because then I know I will have enough. It seems like I do a lot of quilting in white. I usually use Metrosene for quilting and will stock up when it goes on sale.

I was shocked however when digging through my thread supply to find an older spool of Metrosene and one more recently purchased for a comparison. Both spools had a small amount left on them. The outside of the spool was the same size. The inside however on the older spool was considerably smaller meaning there had been a lot more thread on that spool initially. Not only has the price of thread gone up the amount of thread you get on a spool has greatly decreased.

Sorry, most of what I have is their old quilting thread. I have always used it to hand stitch binding to the back because it doesn't snag into knots as easily as normal thread does.

Since I use all cotton fabrics in my quilts, I prefer to use all cotton thread as well. C&C S970 is my thread of choice for piecing.

Yes it has ever since they moved their mfg to Mexico. When I find a store going out of business and they have the older, I really stock up.

I'm learning to prefer other brands. The C&C spools at places like Walmart and Joann's just don't hold much thread. A bigger spool doesn't necessarily mean more thread, kind of like an oversize bag for potato chips. I bought some #40 YLI for quilting and I'm really impressed with it. Sometime soon I'm hoping to place an order with Connecting Threads for some of the colors I'm most likely to use.
Rodney

For me, the non-use of Dual Duty (old or new) is the fact that I use only cotton thread, so C&C poly in any form isn't a consideration for me. However, I do like the newer C&C Star Mercerized Cotton threads. I have no negative feelings towards the brand, just some of the products.

I have used it for all my years of sewing and like it, however lately I have been sewing along and found a big knot where two ends were tied together. One I caught just before it tried to go through my machine needle and the other I was threading a needle for hand sewing. I have only found it on two spools but I have been very careful to watch my thread when I am sewing.

I was a dedicated Coats and Clark user for 50 years. Haven't bought it since they cheapened it to all polyester. My sewing shop said DO NOT use polyestes on my machine, causes static and messes up lots of things in machines. Plus it's no difference than the 5 for a $1 cheapie stuff, which also messes up machines. About once a month, I go to thrift shops and garage sales, looking for any kind of Dual Duty thread that is cotton or cotton polyester. C and C just cheapened itself and I won't use it.

First of all....I drive a Ford Mustang and a GMC.....Second...my machine does not like C&C. I use Aurifil or Guttermann.:thumbup:

I usully use connecting thread 100% cotton thread for piecing and FMQ. My machine likes it , price is good, and it come in many colors. I have tried C&C 100% cotton and do not like it. It seems thick and linty so I do not use it. I do however use C&C duel duty for my general sewing. It can be bought cheap with coupin at Joanns. I will also use it ocassionally for FMQ if I need a special color.

I recently heard a quilt shop owner say that Acufill is her thread of choice. It is expensive but you get a lot on the spool.

I had never even heard of these brands until I joined The Quilting Board.

I've used only Dual Duty for my entire quilting life (30 years or so) and love it. No problems. I used to have to drive a good ways to buy thread but my local WalMart carries this thread in some basic colors....I piece with light-towards-medium gray and they carry it, so I'm happy.

No problem with C & C on my machine but lots of problems with using it when doing English Piecing on my GFG. After a short time I find that it unwinds and then frays. Does anyone else have this problem?

Yes, if I'm sewing a long seam on a dress or slacks, I can always count on having to rethread the needle because the all polyester thread frays and breaks. Maddening, with long seams in garment sewing. It will eventually mess up the timing on a machine. It also gets full of static when hemming and knots, especially when it's hot and that the norm in FL.

I used C&C for years when I was sewing clothes. I started buying Gutermann because at that time it was considered a good thread. That is before I learned about all the others. I have Superior Bobbin thread but haven't bought any of their other threads since I still have a bunch of thread I need to use up. I did find out that my machine(Brother Innovis) does not like Dual Duty , will tolerate C&C cotton thread , likes Gutermann thread. But the thread cutter on my machine won't cut the bobbin thread . My vintage 401 doesn't care what thread I put in it. It sews without a problem .

I have also noticed a difference in the quality of C&C thread, first in their handquilting thread which tends to fray -- I have been buying Gutermann threads for awhile now and am more pleased with the quality

This has been disproved by too many machine and thread manufacturers. It's simply not true. A knowledgeable dealer or tech would never tell a customer only one type of thread has to be used on a machine.

I had the same problem with my gfg, I finally switched to guterman an have not had any problems since. I thought maybe my spool was old but now I know it was not just me.

I don't quite understand how any decent quality machine can 'refuse' to operate with any but one specific brand of thread. Perhaps the needle is at fault, rather than the machine. At present, I have two working machines (one 'high-end' and one which many would consider 'low-end') and neither has given me any trouble, with any the the threads I've tried. I do make it a habit of using the same weight thread on top and bobbin, so that may have something to do with the machines' willingness to play nicely. :thumbup:

I sent an email to Coats and Clarks with questions about their thread. I didn't get a satisfactory answer back. I asked them if there was a difference in quality between their thread sold in Walmart and their thread sold in JoAnns. I also asked them why the spools were different in those two stores.

Their spools in JoAnn's is on one of those more modern spools with the groove around the edge where the thread is caught in. The spools at WalMart had the old fashioned slit in the edge where the thread is caught. They never answered that part of my questions. I wonder if since the spools are different, perhaps the thread is different too.

I told them the reason I needed to know is because Walmart is very close by where I can drive myself, and JoAnn's is a long distance, where my husband has to drive me 'cause I don't know my way around that part of the city.

I used to really like C&C, but I am slowly changing to all cotton thread of a better brand; some of the brands mentioned here at the forum. I heard somewhere reading the posts that polyester thread is so strong it can cut through the cotton material in time. It makes sense that cotton thread would be more pliable.

If you run your threads through beeswax, the thread won't tangle at all. Been doing this since Grandma showed me this trick.

Along those same lines...bought a ream of copy paper at WalMart. I thought it looked smaller but couldn't put my finger on it. It was still $2.50, as always the best price around. When I got home I realized why it looked smaller. It was smaller. By 20%. A huge difference. The last time I bought it, it was 500 sheets for $2.50. Now 400 sheets for $2.50. Also noticed all the ice cream containers are not 1.5 quarts instead of 1.75. Remember when they were 2.0 quarts or half-gallon containers?

I think the quality went downhill after the move of manufacturing to Mexico. I have and use a lot of the older Coats & Clark thread including some with price of 79 cents for large spool without problems but have had problems with fraying and breakage on the few new spools I've bought recently.

Hate to sound like a dummy, but is the Aurofil all the same or is there a particular weight? Do they make hand quilting and machine quilting?

Hi, bearisgray
I have been using Coats & Clark thread recently and it has worked good on my mine and they have even came out with lot more colors that was the reason I ended up using C&C, for me it has come a long way.

I have a Babylock Esante, and my dealer said not to use C&C thread. I asked why, and she said it's a bad thread. I asked what I should use, and she said, "Anything else. Doesn't matter what brand, just not C&C." She said her husband, who is the one who repairs and tunes the machines, uses C&C to test the machines. He said it's so bad, that he can tell what might be wrong by the way the thread behaves. I was kind of upset by all that. I've used C&C for many years, sewed all kinds of clothes and household items. It was always the only thread I'd ever used. I do seem to have more problems with breakage and shredding, tho. Maybe she is right. I'll have to use other brands more often and check it out.

If she meant Aurifil, it comes in beautiful colors that are good enough to eat. However, it's only 2-ply thread. If you wrap it between your fingers and pull, it breaks very easily, way more so than Mettler. That's probably why there's a lot on the spool. It's thin. I use it for satin stitching, and it lies down beautifully, like a 60- wt thread. Harriet Hargrave says it's too weak for piecing, and I would agree.

I know that Aurifil is very popular right now, so my opinion will be less so. But you can test its strength for yourself. It breaks just about the same as Mettler 60.

hugs,
Charlotte

The computer machines didn't like it. It made a LOT of dust. And dust and a mother board are NOT friends. I found I could use C & C in my bobbin, but not on top. So that is how I have sewn for years with my Pfaff. Because usinging Gutterman or Sulky only for the amount of sewing I do, became VERY expensive. In a pinch I have used ALL C & C, but it did make a lot more dust. I have seen the C & C change over the years too. Also C & C you used to have to watch and make sure you didn't get it on a GOOD deal, because it was made in Mexico and the quality was not for machine sewing. Hope that helped.

As others have said, they too have problems with POLYESTER THREAD, any kind, doesn't matter the name brand. It's just that C and C Dual Duty was a go to thread for thousands, for years and years. It is not cotton covered polyester anymore and it breaks and frays and knots. It also has clumps in the thread and as you sew along, it jams and breaks. I've found the cheapie polyester does that too, doesn't matter the brand. Polyester is PLASTIC. That is why I stated, I search, thrift shops, estate sales and yard sales for the old Dual Duty. I buy other brands of thread if I don't have a match from my vintage collection.

Thank you for all the comments.

SittingPretty -- I have a Babylock, and it was shredding my thread. The dealer told me to use only Gutterman threa, not C&C. . It seemed to work, then off and on it would start shredding too. I had my Babylock serviced, telling them that my thread was shredding off and on. $140.00 later, took it home and it worked fine for a day, then the expensive thread started shredding again.

I was new to sewing, so blamed myself at first. Finally, I decided it had to be the machine, so took it to a different dealer and asked if they would give me a trade in allowance for it. They said no, but the sales assistant told me it had to be the way I was threading it. She carefully showed me how to thread it, and it worked great for the few minutes it was in the store.

After bring it home again, the thread started shredding again!! I took it back to the dealer where I bought it, and there was a new man working on the floor. He was determined to get to the cause of it, as my machine was NEW. Finally, he took a little tube of SUPER GLUE GEL, put a drop of it on this little piece that stuck out, (about 1/18 ") told me to let it cure for 24 hours, and it has worked beautifully for the past 2 years with any old thread, or new thread I use.


Bottom line: it was the fault of my NEW Babylock, not the thread, not the way I was threading it, and not anything I was doing wrong. Since it didn't ALWAYS shread, it was difficult to figure out when in the repair shop.

I have had good experiences with Connecting Threads cone thread but I like using variegated thread for applique and they don't have many colors. I use sulky for this as I like the shininess of the thread when doing certain machine appliqueing and I always use a coupon.

Of course the quality and amount of thread on the spool has diminished. That has happened on all the products we use for quilting. Have you compared the quality of yarns lately? Manufacturers have developed all sorts of deceptive tricks to keep the buyer from instantly recognizing the hidden ways they have developed to hide the blatant cost increase in the name of profits. Newer sewers will not catch on to this but we older gals have not been fooled.

I have a computerized machine and use a lot of C&C Star Mercerized in it -- I love the colors and have even used it in my embroidery machine when I want a flat finish. It is a bit linty, but I clean the machines frequently whether it needs it or not -- and since I sew quite a bit of fleece and flannel it needs it a lot. The only thread I consistently have problems with is Sulky -- it is always breaking on me and has in 4 different machines. Years ago I was at a quilt show and bought some giant spools of Superior at a good price and I am still working my way through them for piecing. I guess I am a thread agnostic. One of my sewing machines will even sew with wooly nylon in the top -- I use it as a decorative thread.

I used C&C thread for many years with my old Elna and Viking machines, but my new Bernina doesn't tolerate it, the thread keeps breaking.

I don't seem to have a problem with thread...I typically use older thread, C&C dual duty seems the regular.