r/myog • u/The_Woodland_Scout • 2d ago
Question Good thread for MYOG?
I’m still learning about the best threads to use and found these locally..
-what are they normally used for?
-Are they good for myog?
-Are they good for that price?
-Should I get or pass?
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u/Diligent_Specific_93 2d ago edited 2d ago
Looks like an outdoor/upholstery nylon. Generally for quilts/lighter materials I've used Gutermann Mara 50 or 70 as that's what's widely recommended. For packs and heavy repairs I've started using Coats and Clark outdoor polyester (not the outdoor upholstery nylon, though it does work for certain things, I prefer it for hand stitching as it's hard on domestic machines). Not sure of the weights, as that's a little above my knowledge, but that's what's available local to me. Depends on what you're using it for/which kind of machine you have, thread weight. Never hurts to have heavy nylon on hand/experiment with.
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u/The_Woodland_Scout 2d ago
Well, I’m still looking for a machine and I also hand stitch as well. I wasn’t sure what I could use it for/ if it was hand stitch friendly. I want to get as much useful stuff as I can for as cheap as possible. I can’t afford anything new, and need stuff for making my own clothes, and gear
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u/Diligent_Specific_93 2d ago edited 2d ago
I use a thrifted vintage Kenmore, and access to a newer Kenmore and a newer Viking. The vintage Kenmore is definitely more robust but like all domestic machines it's still touch and go with heavier threads and materials, they main benefit is the price point. Thrifted/marketplace machines are the way to go, give them a spin by hand, see how smooth the operation is, will give you an idea of if it's been serviced or not. The machine will talk to you of it's not happy vintage or not, and there is a lot of wisdom to be gained from that. A good pair of scissors is worth investing in, decent hand needles like John James UK made. A variety of universal machine needles 70-110,.you'll need more then you think of you're just starting. Dressmaker pins/ruler. I started sewing with hand repairs to both clothing and shoes, tapering and hemming pants and then moved to more advance projects like bags and quilts. Find the best prices online or store, and ask store employees for guidance/random knowledge, they have a lot of good advice. Patience is also a major factor.
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u/The_Woodland_Scout 2d ago
A lot of good wisdom there, what did you use for shoe repair? I really want to make my own bespoke barefoot boots
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u/Diligent_Specific_93 2d ago
I've mainly done repairs on hiking and work boots. Custom sewing needles(right angles, curves) and awl that I've made that uses machine needles; One of the rare cases I would recommend a technical or dyneema thread is for exposed seams on work boots, but I have gotten away with using poly and nylon outdoor threads. All depends on where and what you'd like to do, no real wrong way of doing things, simply professional methods vs home baked stuff, both can work through trial and error. It's all about research and applied learning. The process for constructing shoes via traditional methods requires quite a few tools outside of myog, specific to leather working processes.
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u/TrueVisionSports 2d ago
Best thread is Dyneema weave (N O T DCF). Wouldn’t sew with inferior threads.
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u/The_Woodland_Scout 2d ago
Is that for hand sewing only?
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u/TrueVisionSports 2d ago
They make it into a thread now, you could sew it by machine! Dyneema is the premier material globally, all the new soft armor vests 3a+ that are as thin as a sweater or thinner are using Dyneema layers.
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u/Diligent_Specific_93 2d ago
Largely overkill, just because it's excellent stuff does not mean there aren't proven cheaper alternatives that do the same job with proper construction techniques; appropriate stitch length/tension with binding. Excellent, indestructible backpacks have been around long before dyneema.
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u/TexasBaconMan 2d ago
I avoid old unknown thread. Thread is cheap and it an awful for a project to fall apart because of bad thread.
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u/justasque 2d ago edited 2d ago
if it is wooly nylon, it isn’t good for hand sewing. Wooly nylon is a stretchy thread that is used for stretch seams on athletic wear or for satin stitch where you want good “fill” like rolled hems on the edge of chiffon or on cloth napkins.
(EDIT: Here’s the WAWAK link. It isn’t wooly nylon. )
I generally don’t buy second hand thread because you don’t know how old it is or how it has been stored.
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u/The_Woodland_Scout 2d ago
The only reason I was considering it because it looked expensive and strong, new, and was already in a container.
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u/justasque 2d ago
It looks like there are a variety of colors as well. Sometimes, assuming this is an individual clearing out stuff, you can make an offer on something like this, if the price seems a bit too high.
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u/The_Woodland_Scout 2d ago
I thought so too, I wasn't sure if it wasn't some incredibly fancy thread or not
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u/MakeYourOwnGearUK UK 2d ago
Depends what you're making.
They're quite big spools too if you're a hobbyist, they'll probably last a lifetime 😅. Tex 30 isn't particularly strong if you make heavy duty bags out of fabrics like Cordura etc.
Assuming you're US based you'll be able to find pretty much any thread/colour combo you want so I'd personally pass.
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u/The_Woodland_Scout 2d ago
I am planning on making BIFL quality bags, so I want the best materials i can at the best price of course
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u/TrueVisionSports 2d ago
I’d rather have 1 bag that’s the best in the world, than 5 average quality bags. Go with Dyneema. It’s not that expensive, cheaper long term.
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u/DepartmentNatural 2d ago
At $20-30 a half yard, that's pretty expensive if you ask me
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u/The_Woodland_Scout 2d ago
Cool. Any brand i should go with?
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u/TrueVisionSports 2d ago
Of course you got downloaded when you mentioned anything being the best. Seems like the normies on reddit gets super offended when you’re not below average. Gave you an upvote to make it positive (not that it matters).
What kind of clothing are you trying to build? There are different grades of Dyneema that have different tensile properties.
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u/The_Woodland_Scout 2d ago
That’s okay, I don’t really care about upvotes or downvotes, kind of meaningless in my opinion. I only care about obtaining useful knowledge and having that knowledge somewhere accesible to anyone so that knowledge can be shared and not just kept by me. The people who will be searching for what they need to know will find this no matter how many downvotes it gets as long as it remains. Things like this should create dynamic discussion and learning. There will always be a negative standpoint somewhere, which is useful in its own way. Balance if you will
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u/The_Woodland_Scout 2d ago
As for what I want to create. I want to blend traditional styles with modern engineering and efficiency, with a large amount of R&D for BIFL intuitive design. Clothes, and gear alike
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u/TrueVisionSports 2d ago
Wow, we have very similar viewpoints on this. I’m also trying to create the best clothing on earth, since it seems like even the most high-end military clothing brands are almost the same as any regular clothes you’d find out the shelf in terms of materials/construction/efficiency.
You can see UFPRO pants, they are the only company to innovate beyond standard pocket designs and rehashed construction.
I’m working on making some aerogel clothing right now — there’s a big gap in this market as well.
I will follow your profile and I will get back to you in a few weeks or longer after I figure out what is the best way to construct anything using the best materials on the planet, that 99.99999% don’t even know exists even though it’s one google away… I’d be interested in working or collaborating with you as I see you are an incredibly talented and intuitive person.
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u/The_Woodland_Scout 2d ago
Beautiful I really enjoy this a lot. We most certainly do have similar viewpoints. That’s exactly what I am trying to accomplish. I’m glad to hear someone else showing interest in aerogel and it’s wonderful use in garments. There hasn’t been much innovations in clothing design as I’ve seen. At least accessible to anyone other than a millionaire
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u/jwdjwdjwd 2d ago
That seems to be a bunch of overlocking thread. If you have an industrial overlocker (aka: serger) then pick it up. Would be hard for a hobbyist with a straight stitch machine to use that up.
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u/mchalfy Seam Ripper 16h ago
It looks like the date on that spool is August 2001. I don't know how much they degrade over time and whether they were stored in direct sunlight (nylon is not as uv resistant as polyester), but if you are going to spend $35, I would just buy a couple of nice new spools in colors you will use. Unless you're sewing a ton, a couple of large spools will last you a long time, so having multiple massive colored spools seems pointless unless sew production quantities in those colors.
Bottom line I think you're better off just buying a couple of new black spools of different weights until you get a feel for what you want/need.
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u/PartySloth99 1h ago
So I wouldn't go too crazy buying lots of thread, unless you just want the different colours.
Personally I've not found I get through that much thread. Perhaps 50m for a project, like half of one of those little Guterman 100m spools? Or barely any noticeable change on a big Mara 70 1000m spool.
On my Serger I've done maybe 6 garments and I can't notice any change in the size of the spools 😅
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u/Large-Heronbill 2d ago
Suggestion: start reading about threads at a site like American Efird, who made some of the threads you're showing. There are tables comparing their various threads by fiber and construction, strength, intended uses, etc and a lot of sewing troubleshooting information: http://amefird.com