Thread Reviews

I am looking for a thread to use for the Play with Color quilt.  I usually use Isacord, but thought it might be neat to try something new.  So, I found a bunch of other threads and bought/requested samples.  I figured, if I'm stitching out samples of all those threads, why not stitch out samples of other threads I have too.  So the next few days, I'm going to do a bunch of thread reviews.

My husband did some pictures for me, and he grouped them by color, so that's how I'll review them.

Metro Embroidery Metro
Sulky Rayon
Sulky Holoshimmer
Mettler Polysheen

For all samples I used my Bernina 430, freshly cleaned and oiled, with upper tension set at 2 and a 80/12 Universal needle, Seralene in the bobbin, unless otherwise noted.

Test Design Name: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Thread Name: Metro (the green/blue in the design)

Brand: Metro Embroidery
Yardage: 1000 meters
Material: 100% polyester
Where did I buy it: http://www.metroemb.com/store/

Cost: $0.89 + $0.89 shipping (Shipping was $1.78 for two spools)
Cost per yard: 0.178¢

Overall Impressions: My machine hated it.  The sample 5" square wasn't even completed I was worried I would break my machine it was clunking so bad.  It was horrible.  I had done multiple samples at this point with Seraline in the bobbin. I changed it to Isacord, didn't work, wound a bobbin to use the same thread (like I usually do on quilts) and it didn't work.  I adjusted the top tension looser and tighter; still horrible noises and horrible stitches. I rethread top and bottom. I even re-cleaned and oiled the newly prepped machine.  This thread was NOT working for me.  If you enlarge the sample, you can see the bottom right has horrible tension problems with the white thread (which is insanely thin) masking the color, and even after many tries at fixing it the top right has blue Isacord dots. There was also terrible eyelashes on the back, which I haven't gotten in forever with any thread.  The design is very choppy because the thread stitched so unevenly it was hard to control.
Pros: 
1) Super fast shipping. I ordered on Wednesday and got it on Friday. 
2) Incredible price. One of the least expensive threads I've ever seen.
3) Beautiful on the spool, incredible shine.
4) Available in big (1000 m) or bigger (5000 m) spools.
Cons: 
1) My machine hated it. I thought I was going to have to take it in for repairs it sounded so bad (but it recovered with a new thread.)
2) Could never get tension right.
3) Skipped stitches
4) Made in China
Will I buy it again: NEVER.  Probably won't even use it.  I really wanted to like this one because of the low cost, it would be great for Play In Color, but it was awful.

Test Design Name: Freehand feather

Thread Name: Rayon

Brand: Sulky
Yardage:  250 yards
Material: 100% rayon
Where did I buy it: Joanns
Cost: $4.99 (I don't know, but I'm sure I used a 50% off coupon, that's the only time I buy thread there.)
Cost per yard: 2¢ (1¢)

Overall Impressions: Shiny, but not for me.  I found it difficult to work with, my machine didn't purr nicely (though what I thought was 'bad' was nothing compared to when I got to the Metro thread- I used this one first)
Pros: 1) Available locally
2) Lovely sheen.
3) Thread didn't build up too badly with travel stitching
Cons:1) Didn't run smoothly in my machine
2) Skipped stitches
3) Expensive-ish
4) Small spool size
Will I buy it again: No, but I might use what I have.

 

Thread Name:Holoshimmer
Brand: Sulky
Yardage: 250 yards
Material: Polyester Film
Where did I buy it: Joanns
Cost: $4.99 (I used a 50% off coupon)
Cost per yard: 2¢ (1¢)
Test Design Name: Giant Snail

Overall Impressions: This stitched out much smoother than I thought it would. And I LOVE how much sparkle it has. I was pleasantly surprised.
Pros:1) Super sparkly
Cons:
1) A few skipped stitches
2) Very specific, can't use this a lot.
3) Expensive-ish
4) Small spool size.
Will I buy it again: If the project calls for it, yes.

Test Design Name: Amazing Daisies

Thread Name:Polysheen
Brand: Mettler
Yardage: 220 yards (200 meters)
Material: 100% Polyester
Where did I buy it: It came with my machine. (Available at Fabric.com)
Cost: Free for me; $2.28 at Fabric.com
Cost per yard: 1.04¢

Overall Impressions: No complaints here.
Pros:
1) Lovely sheen
2) Very nice stitch out
3) The threadplay on travel stitches looks great
4) Ran through my machine really nicely.
Cons:
1) Not enough yardage on the spool.
2) A bit expensive for poly.
Will I use it again: Yes, when I know that I only need a small amount of one color.  I won't use this for my Play in Color quilt.