Embroidery Thread VS Sewing Thread (Here Are The Facts)

When you love to sew and to do embroidery, one supply you need to have is the thread, without it you can’t do anything, but is not only important to have enough thread for your projects, it’s also important to know more about what type of thread to have for your projects.

Embroidery or sewing with the wrong type of thread might be impossible to do, or it can not deliver the professional finish you want to achieve on your projects, for this reason it is better to know more about these two types of thread.

Embroidery Thread VS Sewing Thread are made for different use, while the first one is used to add decorative stitches or a particular design on a piece of fabric or any garment, the second is used to stitch together two pieces of fabric to make a piece of clothing or any home decor item.

The main difference between embroidery thread and sewing thread is their texture. The embroidery thread is made shinier and with a soft texture, while sewing thread is made with no sheen and strong enough to be used to stitch together two pieces of fabric and last for many years.

What Is Embroidery Thread?

Embroidery Thread can be found in different types, the most common one is embroidery floss, and is made with six strands twisted together that can be separated to be used as a single, double, three or more strands in your needle at a time. In general embroidery thread is made for decorative stitches and designs on your clothes or home decor items.

Embroidery thread is made shinier, with more colors and textures than sewing thread. It can be made of cotton, silk, wool or other types of materials.

Depending on the design you want to add to a garment, you will be using a single strand of thread when the design is delicate or fine, you will need to use two or more strands of embroidery thread in your needle when you need to cover a small or big area in the fabric.

What Is Sewing Thread

Sewing thread is made mostly to be used when stitching two pieces of fabric together on your sewing machine, this type of thread is usually made fine, so it can pass through the needle eye with ease, but it needs to be made sturdy enough to withstand the fast stitching speed of your sewing machine.

The main function of sewing thread is to sew through two or more layers of fabric, keep the fabrics attached, and the stitching need to last for many years.

Embroidery Thread VS Sewing Thread

Sewing Thread VS Embroidery Thread By Their Use, Texture, Strength and Material

Use

Embroidery thread is used for one purpose: to add a decorative stitching on a project or to be used on an embroidery project.

Sewing thread can be used in different projects as: dress making, repairing, mending, quilting.

Sewing thread can also be used on embroidering projects, but the result might not be as attractive as it should be if it was made with embroidery thread.

Texture

As the main characteristic of embroidery thread is the sheen that can be found on any type of this thread, and it can not be found on sewing thread at all.

Sewing thread is mainly made for sewing purposes, it needs to be strong and sturdy, but it doesn’t have a sheen on it.

Strength

Sewing threads needs to be made strong and sturdy to be used on high speed sewing machines, so the thread doesn’t rip or get distorted or tangled while sewing with it.

Whether you use sewing thread on your sewing machine or by hand, it’s well-known that you need a pair of scissors or a sharp blade to cut the thread.

Embroidery thread are not made strong as they are mostly used for hand embroidery, and it will be used in slow stitching and gently as you work on your embroidery projects.

If you want to add an embroidery design on your project with your sewing machine, you will need to get an embroidery thread that is made to be used with your sewing machine.

Material

Cotton is the most used fiber to make any sewing thread, and it can be used on any type of fabric, for this reason it’s known as an all-purpose thread. But sewing thread can also be made from other types of natural and synthetic fibers as well, but all of them are made strong and sturdy.

Embroidery thread is made from different fibers like cotton, silk, wool, rayon, metallic materials, and other similar materials, which give this thread its particular texture and sheen.

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Closing

Embroidery thread and sewing thread are two types of thread all sewers use on their projects, getting to know more about each one of them will help you to use them on your projects.

Happy Sewing and Happy Embroidering!

Embroidery Thread VS Sewing Thread