As someone who has become quite familiar with embroidery equipment, I would like to impart my knowledge on those that love to embroider with some sound advice on embroidery threads.

Thread, like fabric, is made from either synthetic or natural fibers, or both, and each has its own appeal.

Rayon thread is the most popular choice overall because of its attractive high sheen, widespread availability, and consistent trouble-free performance.

Most rayon threads are available in a standard 40 wt. and a thicker 30 wt. (in terms of thread sizing, the higher the number, the finer the thread).

Polyester thread is economical and colorfast, even holding up to chlorine bleach. Brands include Coats America Sylko, Isacord, Janome (acrylic), Madeira Neon

I really like the  polyester threads that carry the ZOOM label as theydisplay the sort of tensile strength that any consumer should look for, while searching for a dependable thread. Not one of them will break easily, as it gets threaded through any material.

In addition, each of them will maintain the desired amount of colorfastness. In other words, anything that has an embroidered design, one made using materials that carry the ZOOM label, will not bleed, when it gets washed.

This is important, because many hours of work have gone into the completion of that design and the longer the colourfast the better.

Cotton thread is often overlooked for use in automatic embroidery machines. However, it performs beautifully and has a lovely, soft sheen. It’s available in weights up to a very fine 100, Of course, even those who love embroidering the most can not spend all of their time pursuing that craft.

Silk absorbs dyes more brilliantly than all other fibers, and is truly the aristocrat of specialty threads. It combines the strength of polyester and the stability of cotton but as you can imagine is costly.

There are numerous special-effect threads, from a fuzzy acrylic/wool-based variety, which creates an old-fashioned crewel-like effect, to fluorescent neon threads. Some threads change colors when exposed to sunlight, and others glow in the dark.

Choose your threads carefully depending on what you are using to embroider. Silk may be better for nmachines but can be awkward to use by hand.