Hey Everyone, welcome back to Cool Tool Thursday.

Wow, I don’t know where the time goes but it seems like I was just writing last weeks post about the cool Fasturn Fabric Tube Turner.

Seeing how I wrote all about The Thick and Thin of Thread on Tuesday for Technique Tuesday I figured I would stick with the thread theme for today as well.

I have found over the years that every machine can be a bit touchy about thread – my own included. When I really become aware though is at workshops that I am taking and teaching. As we all know thread is wound on the spool and of course winds off the spool. Thread is unravelled from the spool in a different way than it was wound on so it tends to get a twist in it as it comes off the spool. And sewing machines do not like twisted thread. Sometimes having a twist in the thread will result in the thread breaking.

How to combat the thread twist

At a workshop in Coff’s Harbour, Australia I had a rental machine and for the most part it worked great but at times it would give me some grief and my top thread would keep breaking as I was trying to quilt. Very frustrating indeed. Something I am pretty sure we have all experienced.

The instructor I had suggested that I get a stand alone thread stand like this one for the thread. Luckily one of the shops at the market had one and he even put it together for me. By putting the spool of thread on the stand there was more distance between the spool and where the thread is threaded into the machine. This extra distance allowed the thread to untwist before going through the machine. Worked like a charm.

Another suggestion was to put the spool of thread in a cup on the floor to give even more distance for the thread to untwist before going into the machine. I have done this as well especially at the end of the spool when it seemed to be giving me so much grief. Putting the stand alone thread stand on the floor works as well.

So the next time you are having issues with thread give the stand alone thread stand a try – might be all you need to make life good again.

Happy Quilting!

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