Tips for Using Cotton Thread

Using 30-weight cotton thread in your machine in place of your standard embroidery thread should not cause concern. No adjustments are usually necessary. In the event that you do experience an increase in thread breaks, there are a couple of simple steps you can take to reduce the frequency.

First, simply change your needle. Use a standard embroidery needle in a size and type (ballpoint or sharp) relevant to the fabric that you are stitching on. Cotton by nature is not quite as strong as polyester the more popular choice for embroidery.

Second, simply reduce the machine speed slightly. Reducing the speed can reduce thread breaks.

Lastly, if thread breaks persist reduce the upper tension slightly.

If stitching with cotton thread, always pre-wash your fabric before embroidering. Unlike polyester embroidery thread, cotton thread will pick up any dye released from your fabric when laundering. If your white stitches turn up pink you will not be a happy camper! Likewise, cotton thread will also bleach. Most embroiderers are used to a quality polyester embroidery thread that is unaffected by chlorine bleach and sun rays. This is not the case with cotton thread.

The Whitework Holiday #12428 collection is designed to be stitched using 30-weight cotton embroidery thread. This collection has everything that you want in a holiday collection: the raised feel of dimensional embroidery the heirloom look of a classic Christmas as well as the ability to fit into today's modern decor.

This embroidery collection includes a project for creating a throw pillow. But this is not just another throw pillow project. There are two very important aspects to these instructions.

First, it uses what we call "the cheater's way" of adding a square embroidered border. Lining up corners can be tricky so skip the hassle and simply piece them together! Not only does it make for a very attractive border but also your pillow top is pieced and appears to be more complicated to make.

Second, the instructions explain how to create perfect pillow corners. Nothing is more frustrating than spending time creating the perfect embroidery for my pillow top, sewing it up then inserting my pillow form only to have ugly pointed corners. There is a simple method to tailoring the corners that will eliminate these atrocities!

Even though this collection is designed to be stitched using 30-weight cotton embroidery thread, there is no reason you couldn't use your standard embroidery thread. The 30-weight cotton thread is thicker than standard embroidery thread and therefore creates more of a dimensional feel. It also has a matte finish that creates an heirloom look. The bottom line is there are no rules! This is your hobby... have fun with it and try new things.