PRINCIPLES OF SEWING

TECHNOLOGY-III
LECTURE # 10

By
Khurram Iftikhar
 THREAD TYPES
• Ideally a sewing thread should combine the best
properties of sewability and durability, and
whereas there are many threads available which
approach this, certain compromises have to be
accepted due to various technical limitations.
• However, for practical purposes sewing threads for
the clothing industry can be divided into three
broad groups:
• Cotton
• Synthetics
• Core spun
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 COTTON

• Threads made from cotton fibers have excellent

sewability because the fibers are very supple
and are not seriously affected by the heat
generated by needles during sewing.
• On the other hand, cotton threads are not
highly durable and some of the softer types
have a tendency to shrink when the garment is
washed.
• Mercerized cotton threads sew well and have a
lustrous appearance, but it shrink slightly when
wetted.
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 SYNTHETICS
• This is a large group of threads made mainly
from nylon, polyester rayon and polyamide
filaments or fibers.
• These threads are very durable and are not
affected by moisture or the chemicals used in
washing powders or dry cleaning solvents.
• In addition, they have excellent dimensional
stability and a high level of resistance to
abrasion.
• Synthetic threads are available in a number of
different constructions and finishes, which
enhances their performance for special sewing 4

applications.
 CORE SPUN
• This thread has a continuous filament
polyester core wrapped in cotton fibers,
which produces a strong thread with
excellent sewability.
• Core spun threads have good elasticity and
a high resistance to heat and shrinkage,
but cost more than regular threads because
they have to be dyed twice, first for the
polyester core and then for the cotton
wrap.
• An advantage of core spun threads is that
fiber threads can be used due to the 5

superior strength of the polyester core.

 OTHER FIBERS

Two other natural fiber threads which have

limited applications are silk and linen.

Silk – These threads are strong, with good

elongation and a highly lustrous appearance.
Silk threads have good sewability but the
high cost restricts their use for mass
production sewing.

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 OTHER FIBERS

• Linen – Once widely used for sewing

tents, shoes, leather etc., threads spun
from flax have been mostly replaced
by synthetics.
• A summary of the main
characteristics of various types of
threads is given in Table but selection
also has to take into account the
fabric and its finish, needle size,
stitch type, seam construction and the
sewing speed.
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MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF VARIOUS TYPES OF
THREADS

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 THREAD SIZE

• There are many systems for defining

thread size but the most widely used is
the Tex number system.
• This is based on the gram weight of
1000 m of yarn, so a fine thread would
have a low Tex number and a thick
thread would have a high number.
• Thread manufacturers using other
systems will normally provide the Tex
equivalent values.
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 COSTS

Price is not necessarily the sole

criterion for purchasing sewing threads
because it is performance which really
counts.
Trouble-free sewing combined with
durability is essential to prevent
constant work stoppages caused by
continual breaks, and to avoid
consumer dissatisfaction with seams
that open during normal wear
conditions.
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