Ode to Thread

I love thread. There, I said it. I know that claiming to have a passion for thread is neither perverse nor earth shattering, but I do acknowledge that is is a little weird. I can't help it, though.

I love seeing all my spools of thread lined up in their storage drawer, like tiny soldiers, ready to be called into service at a moment's notice. The neat wrapping of the thread on the spool, creating a distinct crosshatch pattern is soothing to my eye. The colours entice me and cause me to dream of what could be.

I use 100% polyester Gutermann thread almost exclusively in my sewing machines. I know other sewists swear by Mettler or Coats & Clark, and I have tried both of those brands, but something about the Gutermann colours and the packaging spoke to me. I have never had any problems with Gutermann thread shredding or creating excess fuzz to gum up my machines, so I stick with this brand.

I used to buy my thread at my local chain fabric store, for an exorbitant price (100 m for $1.84 and 250 m for $3.75; or on sale, $1.00 and $2.00 respectively). Then, one day I discovered a better source.

Cleaner's Supply is an online store, specializing in all the products necessary to run a laundry and/or dry cleaning business. Although much of the inventory is of no interest to me (hangers, tags, packaging, etc), the Pressing and Tailoring sections are wonderful.

The Pressing section was where I found my sleeve board, which my husband has put through its paces with his dress shirt ironing. They also carry pressing mitts and vacuum boards (which is extremely drool worthy).

The Tailoring section, however, is where I spend most of my time. Here is the place for metal tailor's rulers, zippers, buttons, machine needles and exceptionally good seam rippers, among other things. My favourite notion in this section is (not surprisingly, based on the title of this post) the Gutermann thread. The price cannot be beat. See below for a comparison:

Local chain fabric store: $2.00 for 250 m or 0.800 cents per metre, if bought on sale
Cleaner's Supply: $3.63 for 1000 m or 0.363 cents per metre, no sale necessary

Based on the rate with which I go through thread, the savings are substantial. Not to mention, the larger spools are so much more convenient - I never run out of thread part way through a project anymore.

Unlike many online thread sources, this company sells to Canada (just be sure to click on the Canadian flag to get Canadian prices), not just the U.S. Additionally, they offer free shipping on any order over $100 and only charge $2.83 on any order under $100. The shipping times are reasonable - I have never waited more than three or four business days for any order. The customer service is great too, letting you know when the order has processed and is being shipped.

Cleaner's Supply carries 360 different colours of thread, in every shade of the rainbow. To facilitate my thread buying, I have purchased the Gutermann Real Thread Chart (which is a sturdy fold out booklet with actual samples of every thread available). This chart allows me to match thread to my fabric exactly.

At this point, I am the proud owner of 67 large spools of thread (see photo to the right). Ultimately, I would love to have almost every single colour they offer.