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Go along with this, have sewn 40 plus years, unfortunately not quilting. None-the-less, all sewing gets a lot of wear and tear and bad thread will keep breaking or shred so you will know before too long if it is good or not. I personally have thread from decades ago and it works out fine. She may have been talking from personal preference too.
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I tell my students that when piecing it is a good time to use up that old thread. Use light with lights and dark with darks. I tell them they need to test it of course.
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I've never heard of such a thing. The fabric is made of thread, so how would that last if the thread won't??
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I was always told that if you store thread in a dark place! I have tons of thread could not tell you how old it is, I have brought thread and the same day use it and it breaks!!!
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please tell me how your grandmother's thread was stored? My MIL was a seamstress of wedding gowns for many, many years and when all her supplies came to me, the large spools of thread were rotted - they simply broke off in my hands. It destroyed me to have to discard so many large spools.
Originally Posted by fabric whisperer
i have threads from years and years ago ~ they have been stored properly, and are still soft and strong. You can feel when thread dries out, then it is weakened and will snap and give you all sorts of fits. But you can sometimes rejuvenate an old spool by sticking it in the freezer overnight.
I have threads that say $.15 on the ends!!! my grandmother lived thru the depression, she never threw anything out! So I have thread that she bought at Woolworth's in probably the 40's and 50's, and because of the way she stored it, I am still working on using it up :) |
Originally Posted by babyfireo4
I would say she was helping the lqs. If thread holds the quilt together for years and years why would it even be possible for it to go bad within one year? It just doesn't add up to me :/
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I have thread that I have had for years, and even some my grandmother had. I recently had to repair a quilt I made my son 25 years ago, and the thread was still so strong I could hardly get the binding off for the repair. I buy multiple spools at a time, usually. I can not imagine anyone saying that!
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I never throw out thread, unless you stoe outside and expose it to the elements of weather, etc. it should last.
Never heard of this. |
So if you have to buy new thread for every project or quilt...does that mean it won't last more then a year in what ever you make? Crazy!!
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That's me too. Some of my thread belonged to my grandmother in law. (Along with her darning ball) I'd use the thread (silk) not the darning ball. If it breaks easily no but if it doesn't - go with it. I'm glad you asked this question. I thought I was just being cheap - er frugal.
Originally Posted by fabric whisperer
i have threads from years and years ago ~ they have been stored properly, and are still soft and strong. You can feel when thread dries out, then it is weakened and will snap and give you all sorts of fits. But you can sometimes rejuvenate an old spool by sticking it in the freezer overnight.
I have threads that say $.15 on the ends!!! my grandmother lived thru the depression, she never threw anything out! So I have thread that she bought at Woolworth's in probably the 40's and 50's, and because of the way she stored it, I am still working on using it up :) |
Originally Posted by Debbie C
please tell me how your grandmother's thread was stored? My MIL was a seamstress of wedding gowns for many, many years and when all her supplies came to me, the large spools of thread were rotted - they simply broke off in my hands. It destroyed me to have to discard so many large spools.
Originally Posted by fabric whisperer
i have threads from years and years ago ~ they have been stored properly, and are still soft and strong. You can feel when thread dries out, then it is weakened and will snap and give you all sorts of fits. But you can sometimes rejuvenate an old spool by sticking it in the freezer overnight.
My grandmother-in-law stored hers in a tin like a cookie tin. I think it just has to be kept out of direct sunlight. I could be wrong. Naw Jus kidding. I have threads that say $.15 on the ends!!! my grandmother lived thru the depression, she never threw anything out! So I have thread that she bought at Woolworth's in probably the 40's and 50's, and because of the way she stored it, I am still working on using it up :) |
I would hate to admit how long I have had some of my thread. Last year I finished a spool that was wooden. If thread goes bad in one year, what does that say about the projects we are using it in. I know that eventually it wears, but my DGD is wearing some of her mothers cloth.
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Originally Posted by snicktrain
Originally Posted by Debbie C
please tell me how your grandmother's thread was stored? My MIL was a seamstress of wedding gowns for many, many years and when all her supplies came to me, the large spools of thread were rotted - they simply broke off in my hands. It destroyed me to have to discard so many large spools.
Originally Posted by fabric whisperer
i have threads from years and years ago ~ they have been stored properly, and are still soft and strong. You can feel when thread dries out, then it is weakened and will snap and give you all sorts of fits. But you can sometimes rejuvenate an old spool by sticking it in the freezer overnight.
My grandmother-in-law stored hers in a tin like a cookie tin. I think it just has to be kept out of direct sunlight. I could be wrong. Naw Jus kidding. I have threads that say $.15 on the ends!!! my grandmother lived thru the depression, she never threw anything out! So I have thread that she bought at Woolworth's in probably the 40's and 50's, and because of the way she stored it, I am still working on using it up :) |
Can't believe that someone would say such a thing. Don't be being throwing out perfectly good thread! Take your chances.
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Sounds like they want you to spend money in their quilt shop.
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I agree with Babyo4fire. Quilts last a long long time - if the thread could only be used for a year or less, there would be no old quilts around or newer ones for that matter. I also wonder if she is getting a kick back. I have threads from 15 or more years ago and they are still good. Now I will say that the older threads probably leave more lint than the newer ones, due to changes in processing, but this doesn't mean they are not good. I have some on wooden spools, which I don't use. Have them in a glass covered shelf for display only. These are spools that have never been used. I have no idea how old they are.
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Originally Posted by ShirlinAZ
I heard that ONCE - from the shop owner's daughter who was teaching the class.
I have successfully used thread that was at least 30 years old. I never sew thread away unless it gives me trouble, and I've been sewing for 50 years. |
I do know that black thread deteriorates faster than other colors, but I would not throw any out. I think she was just trying to help out the LQS.
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I have thread older than me and I"m 54 and still will use it
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I have thread that's really old - was my great-grandmothers. Most of it is still fine. Pull on the thread and if it breaks easily then pitch it. Otherwise, I think it's good to go.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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Originally Posted by ScrappyAZ
..."And be sure to buy new thread every time you begin a project." said the instructor.
: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.
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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.
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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!
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.
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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.
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I have lots of thread and I don't just dump them. I have some threads that I have had almost every since I have been married, they work just fine.
I also have a lot of new ones for my embroidery machine and it is just to expensive to dump. If I feel the thread isn't any good, then I will toss it, but that hasn't happened very often. |
Hmmm.... With her logic, how do we explain all the antique quilts that have lasted hundreds of years. Why haven't they fallen apart due to aged thread - just ask'in LOL
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Beware!!! I have heard and read that thread does get old and brittle after several years. To revitalize your thread spritz it with water. Also why take a chance with your hard worked project using old thread. Connecting thread sells 1200 yds for $2.49 and my machine and I really like it. Since I use neutrals for peicing I do use up spools and it takes a lot of thread for FMQ so my thread is not old!!!!!!!
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Any thread stored in a very dry or damp place can get brittle. However- most of us who sew don't sotre the thread that way and it lasts. When to buy thread- ON SALE
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I have threads from the time I started sewing and quilting and I never throw way anything. I think she was helping the LQS.
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I rather akin this to the car dealership's service department or quick lube place telling you that your oil needs to be changed every 3,000 miles when your Factory Service manual recommends 6,000.
Take a peek at your oil change sticker - if the interval is less than what is recommended for your vehicle.. take note. (BTW - I'm a former Service Director for a car dealership.) Unless you have an older model vehicle or drive in extreme conditions... that 3K oil change is just lining the pockets of the owners. ;) Just like the suggestion to buy new thread is for the shop owner. |
I agree with you that she wanted to make sales/ I have thread that is over 10years old and it is perfectly alright. Besides my LQS would have told me about it if there was a problem. Not every one can afford to buy cotton all the time, that is plain stupid to throw away perfectly good stock just because some one told you too. Use your own mind about it.
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I agree with you that she wanted to make sales. I have thread that is over 10years old and it is perfectly alright. Besides my LQS would have told me about it if there was a problem. Not every one can afford to buy cotton all the time, that is plain stupid to throw away perfectly good stock just because some one told you too. Use your own mind about it.
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When my grandparents died I was given all my grandmother's sewing stuff, and some of the thread did break easily but - wait for it, the thread was from the 1920s and 1930s!
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I like that, "I have thread of all ages." And so do I.
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