Sewing emergencies are not uncommon households. It could start with just a simple hole in one of your socks and escalate into a tear. If you’re prepared and have a handy sewing kit at home, you could easily do repairs on torn clothing so that it wouldn’t be put to waste all too easily. But have you checked your sewing kit if it will help you be prepared for bigger sewing crises? Imagine going home to your dog on the couch chewing on it and creating a tear? Or how about your kids going crazy and impatient inside the car that their baby seats end up scratching and ripping the upholstery on your car seats? Are you prepared for those nightmare scenarios? You might be end up standing up and looking inside your sewing kits and think about all of the money you would need to spend on those upholstery repairs just because you don’t know how to do it yourself, right? Well, if you have the right upholstery sewing threads in your arsenal, then maybe you wouldn’t have to worry at all.
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Knowing Your Threads
No, it’s not about knowing the thread count of your upholstery! It’s about knowing your threads – what kind they are, what they are used for, how they are made. It’s okay if you’re not very knowledgeable about the different kinds of thread available in the market. Just knowing the basics would actually be a ton of help and it would also help you save a few pounds. There are all-purpose threads available in the market. This is probably one of the most common household spool of thread people usually encounter. However, for tears on heavier duty material, this might not be the best thread to use. For lighter fabric, you can use embroidery threads which are more affordable and give you more sheen. If that doesn’t give you what you want, there are also quilting threads for all your quilting needs. For your heavy duty sewing however, you would want to get your hands on upholstery sewing threads which are more durable and even stronger than your normal threads. This kind of thread doesn’t break easily thus giving you more uses for your fixed up upholstery on your furniture or car seats.
Nylon, Polyester and Poly Cotton
Repairing your upholstery properly by yourself would also require for you to know the best material your thread will be made of. Upholstery sewing threads typically come in three different kinds of material; Nylon, Polyester or Poly Cotton. All are synthetic threads, but what exactly are the differences among the three?
Nylon Threads
This is a good choice for when upholstering heavier types of fabric like leather. Among the three choices, nylon has the highest resistance. Because of its lubrication, it could withstand higher temperatures and doesn’t easily break or stain.
Polyester Threads
If you want a thread with a better sew ability, then we suggest you get polyester. Even though it is highly durable, it is also elastic at the same time making it easier to weave in and out of the fabric.
Poly Cotton Threads
This kind of thread combines the natural with synthetic properties. With cotton, the thread maintains its toughness while maintaining a certain authenticity to it. Cotton also gives it higher resistance to heat while its polyester properties gives the thread high durability and can even be stretched better.
Application
Because of its increasing popularity and the need for upholstery repairs, you could actually already use the different kinds of upholstery sewing threads on your handy sewing machines. This gives your upholstery work a cleaner look and of course it would mean an easier job for you. But if you’re still down doing the old fashioned thread in the needle and sew by hand, it’s also easier to do now that there are different kinds of threads available for your perusal. Just choose the right kind based on the fabric or material you’d use, and it would just be a breeze after that.
When you master the art of upholstery sewing repair, you would be able to save a lot of money by not having to throw your furniture or car upholstery easily. In fact, even if you have it repaired by professionals, it would still cost you a larger amount of money compared to when you do it on your own. The first step is just knowing the basics so that you could use the proper kind of upholstery sewing thread for your needs. Once you pin that down, your sewing crises and emergencies could easily be taken care of without having to worry about having to spend so much money. In the end, it will all be worth it and you could confidently have your dogs or rowdy kids jumping up and down your couch without worry.