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thread color: how important is the perfect match?
sockiboo Beginner CA USA Member since 12/28/08 Posts: 15	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/7/12 3:37 PM i'm just curious: are you ever tempted to use a thread color and type you already have in your box, if the match is close, rather than find the *perfect* shade at the store? i recently came home with two spools that i had very near cognates to at home already--and i'll keep them, now that i've made the trip, but i wonder how much it really matters. if it's a *pretty good* match, if not perfect, and the thread type and fiber, etc., is appropriate--and, i guess, you're not doing a lot of topstitching--how many of you would just use what you already had? is this pennywise/pound foolish? (although i'm not sure it's just about the money; i also just hate having a multiplying thread box. sewing takes up a lot of space, and those spools . . . i mean, does anyone ever finish one?)
rmusic1 Advanced Beginner UNITED KINGDOM Member since 7/3/10 Posts: 705	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/7/12 3:49 PM It depends on the fabric and how you are using the thread. If you have fabric with multiple colours, I would just choose a neutral shade like grey. If you are doing top stitching I think I would go either for a matching exactly or contrast colour. I have heard that some people have only three colours of thread, black, grey and white. I have with complete success used white thread on cream cotton seams, you never saw the difference. Another thing to consider, if it is a perfect match it can be very hard to unpick when your eyes are tired in the evening!
stirwatersblue Intermediate KS USA Member since 12/13/08 Posts: 2473	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/7/12 4:36 PM It really depends on the application. I just made a reversible doublet (like a vest) for my FIL that is predominantly blue (one side) and gold (the other). I sewed almost the entire thing with black thread--it just made more sense to have a neutral like black possibly showing through on the wrong side, than a higher-contrast blue or gold. But! That project also has suede trim applied to the blue side, and I did make a special trip to buy the exact right shade of brown thread, because none of the six (!) spools of brown thread in my stash were close enough. And, btw, I have definitely finished spools of thread! Corsets take a ton of it (all those boning channels add up!). ------ ~Gem in the prairie
nancy2001   Advanced AL USA Member since 12/3/05 Posts: 6117	Login to reply to this post In reply to sockiboo << 1 member likes this. Date: 9/7/12 4:37 PM When in doubt, just use your eyes. If you're simply sewing seams, you're not going to see the thread color, so it doesn't really matter if the thread color is a bit off. If you're topstitching a garment, you are going to see the thread color very clearly, and any discrepancy, even a minor one, is going to be noticeable. If the garment is an important one, it pays to get an exact match of thread. ------ The essence of life is statistical improbability on a colossal scale. Richard Dawkins
stirwatersblue Intermediate KS USA Member since 12/13/08 Posts: 2473	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/7/12 4:47 PM Oh, and think about fabrics with lots and lots of colors--wild prints or upholstery or whatnot. You'd drive yourself crazy trying to find the perfect match for something like this: Best to just talk yourself into either a turquoise or a pink and be happy. (I am actually looking at my eyeglass cloth right now, which lives next to the computer. It's a white background with bright lime green and lemon yellow polka dots, and I'm trying to decide which of those three colors of thread I'd choose! Honestly, it's a tossup.) ------ ~Gem in the prairie
EleanorSews   Advanced MI USA Member since 7/26/07 Posts: 3761 Board Moderator	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/7/12 5:25 PM I think Nancy2001 & stirwatersblue cover it well. It truly depends on what I am making. I've used up quite a few pink and lavender threads making dress-up clothes for little girls on my list. When making seat sacks for DD's classroom, I went through all my black and dark charcoal thread before using new spools. If the fabric is a solid color and the stitching might be visible, I try to the closest match. Otherwise, I try to make do whenever I can simply because spools of thread seem to magically multiply every 5 minutes or so... ------ "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." Anais Nin "Attitude is the difference between an adventure and an ordeal." unknown
jadamo00 Advanced NY USA Member since 3/13/06 Posts: 1235	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/7/12 6:09 PM If I want to use up what's in a bobbin, I'll change the top thread to match but not the bobbin. With a printed cotton: it doesn't show. The only thing that would really show bad would be a dark thread with light or white solid cotton fabric. j.
sockiboo Beginner CA USA Member since 12/28/08 Posts: 15	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/7/12 6:58 PM this is all lovely, thank you. and rmusic1 is very right--i have sometimes wished for a slight mismatch when ripping! i think i'll be better about checking the garment/pattern to see if stitching will be visible before automatically purchasing a new spool.
Judy Kski   Intermediate FL USA Member since 10/26/08 Posts: 1018	Login to reply to this post 1 member likes this. Date: 9/8/12 2:55 PM I try to match perfectly or go a shade darker. That is what I was taught and what works for me. ------ Judy
ekFitz Advanced OR USA Member since 8/22/09 Posts: 105	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 9/8/12 5:34 PM I only use black or white unless there is a chance the thread will show and there is a high contrast (Like a kelly green - neither black nor white will blend well). I do buy special colors for top-stitching (if I don't already have the color). I buy the largest spools of black and white thread they sell and they usually last a few months. Also, with serger thread, I only have black, white, and grey. I've never bought any other colors, but I might if I want to do a rolled hem on a brightly colored garment. ------ My sewing blog - www.gravamenofthestitch.com

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