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I have thread that was my mother's. She was born in 1902. I have made garments with it and if the color fits, I use it. If they are weak..then I use the thread for something else. What about the quilts that have been made before us? That thread is still good. I say use what you have if it is strong.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maia B

Baloney! Clothes being washed and worn, exposed to light, mechanical stress, and extremes of temperature and humidity last years. Quality thread protected from light, dust, and temperature extremes and exposed to no stress or wear, is not going to go bad on the spool in a year, even 5 years, even longer. This is the type of thing that discredits a teacher or shop. IMO, this violates the trust of students. I've been experiencing this too, classes that are as much a commercial as a class. But to give such blatantly wrong advice just to generate sales? Blech! Bob Purcell, president of Superior Threads, teaches a thread seminar. He doesn't criticise other brands, and he says we should put quality thread collections in our wills.

Good point! I, too, have heard Bob speak, and he has not said, to my knowledge, that older thread is no good. I am using thread I have bought over the last 6 years. I DID throw away 35 year old thread when I began quilting because it was brittle and snapped easily. There is no reason to throw away perfectly good thread. I teach Learn to Quilt classes and just suggest to students that thread be kept out of direct sunlight and covered to keep dust off. You can find several types of storage boxes to keep it all neat and clean. I do hope that that teacher was simply misinformed, and not trying to "make a buck" off her students.

I have 30 year old thread that holds up very well. I buy quality threads. If it breaks easily then it is not going to work, but like everyone else says, why should it be bad if it lasts in quilts for years. I have a quilt that is over 150 yrs old and the seams are better than some of the fabric!

I have A LOT of thread. I use it, going thru a couple spools each week. I have 2 sergers and 11 machines. I machine embroidery and quilt my own quilts. All of thats takes many spools to complete. What I do is, use silicone to help old thread in the machine. When doing high speed sewing commercial sewing they place their thread in buckets of silicone lubricant while sewing. If that doesn't help I put it on the sergers. That uses it up quite.

I have some very old thread and it is mostly strong when I go to use it. Sun damage is probably what caused your cones to rot. My 99 year old mother calls it sun rot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScrappyAZ

..."And be sure to buy new thread every time you begin a project." said the instructor.

I am sure she is trying to "up-sell" the class students for the benefit of the shop...It's the old "Do you want fries with that?" suggestive selling. Your thread is fine unless stored in direct sunlight and exposed to excessive (think attic in summer)heat. If this were true, all of us would have clothes coming apart at the seams because the thread was over a year old. And goodness help us if THAT happened!

:lol:

I buy thread hopefully before I run out. LOL I have never heard this. I have thread all the way back to the 60's that was given to me & it works just fine.

I used thread from the first dress I ever made to finish a quilt for my DGD, has held up just fine. It has been at least 40 years since I made that dress.

Doreen, I tried using each and every spool, but as I said, they were almost like cobweb consistency! They were so rotted that just broke off between my fingers. It was far from 'perfectly good thread' - I'm guessing from the spools, most were nearly 60 years old. It was heartbreaking to me!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doreen

Can't believe that someone would say such a thing. Don't be being throwing out perfectly good thread! Take your chances.

Baloney!!!!! I have thread from when I was in college about two hundred (ha ha) years ago. I don't use it on quilts that will get washed and washed, but I use it on wall-hangings and such.