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TEX Thread I don't get it ??? What is it? What sm to use it with?
tgm and Kittys   Advanced Beginner WI USA Member since 3/8/10 Posts: 6951	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 2/7/13 11:53 AM I received an E-mail from one of our SM dealers & in it is quite an article on TEX Thread & that we all need to know what it is & when to use which weight of it. .........I had never heard of it. ... Is it for our regular sm kids? Is it something new? ......... My sm are all mechanical & mostly vintage kids so not sure if this new to me thread is something to look into or what. ??? Thank you for the info..... ------ I am a gal from Kalamazoo.... oh what a gal... smile.... It is in Michigan... la la la ...love that Glen Miller classic! Home of Abigail The Babykins & Lil Mittee kitty >^,,^ Be Still, & Know That I am, God + Please say a prayer for my poor feet. ... + ..one month down .. 6 weeks more to go.. They are healing. Thanks everyone for your prayers. 5/8/13 smile
TessKwiltz   Intermediate TX USA Member since 9/21/07 Posts: 1319	Login to reply to this post In reply to tgm and Kittys << 4 members like this. Date: 2/7/13 12:17 PM tgm, TEX is a new standard for thread weight. Up to now, there hasn't been an industry standard so it's hard to compare threads from different companies. One company's 40 wt doesn't in any way relate to another company's 40 wt. Bob at Superior Threads explained it well in his recent newsletter: The Tex system (most likely derived the word textile) was created as a new standard of consistent thread measurement and intended to replace all other methods of measurement of threads. It hasn’t quite achieved that goal because quilters love the weight standard and the number standard (for example, 40 wt. or #50) and embroiderers are used to the denier standard (120d/2). Because the International Organization for Standardization (IOS) has adopted the Tex system, it will probably continue to gain in popularity so it would be advantageous to understand it. Tex is an accurate measurement and is considered a direct numbering system, meaning the higher the Tex number, the heavier the thread. On the other hand, the weight system, most popular in the U.S., is not a direct numbering system because the larger the number (30 wt., 40 wt., 50. wt., 60 wt.), the finer the thread. That can be confusing. The Tex standard uses 1,000 meters of thread per gram as the starting point. This means if 1,000 meters of thread weighs one gram, it is Tex 1. If 1,000 meters of thread weighs 25 grams, it is Tex 25. Although this appears to be a very accurate measurement, it is necessary to remember that 1,000 meters of cotton will not weigh the same as 1,000 meters of like-diameter polyester. Therefore, when comparing thread sizes based on the Tex or any other standard of measure, for exact accuracy, compare cotton to cotton, poly to poly, and silk to silk. We use the Tex measurement on some of our newer threads and on all our industrial (apparel and upholstery) threads. Fine Tex Threads . . . . . . Tex 9 to Tex 20 Medium Tex Threads . . . Tex 21 to Tex 45 Heavy Tex Threads . . . . . Tex 45 and higher There's a link in the newsletter to a pdf with TEX values for all Superior thread. Edited for typos -- Edited on 2/7/13 12:18 PM -- ------ Tess On threadpainting flowers: "How many colors are in a flower? ... How many do you have?" - Ellen Anne Eddy
quiltingwolf Advanced MD USA Member since 12/15/02 Posts: 5023	Login to reply to this post In reply to TessKwiltz << Like this post Date: 2/7/13 12:20 PM This is good to know I thought 50 weight was 50 weight was 50 weight ------ quiltingwolf.blogspot.com
tgm and Kittys   Advanced Beginner WI USA Member since 3/8/10 Posts: 6951	Login to reply to this post In reply to TessKwiltz << Like this post Date: 2/7/13 12:35 PM Interesting............ I am going to bookmark that article. Thank you for posting ... very helpful... ------ I am a gal from Kalamazoo.... oh what a gal... smile.... It is in Michigan... la la la ...love that Glen Miller classic! Home of Abigail The Babykins & Lil Mittee kitty >^,,^ Be Still, & Know That I am, God + Please say a prayer for my poor feet. ... + ..one month down .. 6 weeks more to go.. They are healing. Thanks everyone for your prayers. 5/8/13 smile
Jennifer Hill Advanced AB CANADA Member since 4/11/02 Posts: 1480	Login to reply to this post 1 member likes this. Date: 2/7/13 5:16 PM There is also a comprehensive article about the various thread measures available for download at the Coats & Clark website. Jennifer in Calgary
PattiAnnJ   Advanced OH USA Member since 12/3/06 Posts: 4991	Login to reply to this post 2 members like this. Date: 2/7/13 6:12 PM Is this a brand of thread, or an overview of threads in general? Whatever happened to buying thread for machine sewing in the color of your choice, making a bobbin and being happy with your ability to make whatever suits you? There is just too much drama over this and that. Mostly to make a buck. Use what makes you happy!
Jennifer Hill Advanced AB CANADA Member since 4/11/02 Posts: 1480	Login to reply to this post In reply to PattiAnnJ << 3 members like this. Date: 2/7/13 10:45 PM It's a general overview of modern threads. If you are happy with the thread you are using, it probably won't make much difference. But there is no one thread that is best for every type of sewing even a home stitcher might contemplate. I use entirely different threads for hand quilting vs machine quilting, embroidery, garment sewing, embellishment, and/or heavy duty repairs. Like everything else, the best results occur when using the most appropriate materials and tools for each job. Jennifer in Calgary
tgm and Kittys   Advanced Beginner WI USA Member since 3/8/10 Posts: 6951	Login to reply to this post In reply to Jennifer Hill << 1 member likes this. Date: 2/7/13 10:50 PM Found this & am bookmarking it too. Thank you. I wonder what weight the clear thread comes under? ... I will have to read more of the articles. ------ I am a gal from Kalamazoo.... oh what a gal... smile.... It is in Michigan... la la la ...love that Glen Miller classic! Home of Abigail The Babykins & Lil Mittee kitty >^,,^ Be Still, & Know That I am, God + Please say a prayer for my poor feet. ... + ..one month down .. 6 weeks more to go.. They are healing. Thanks everyone for your prayers. 5/8/13 smile
Miss Fairchild   Advanced USA Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 6999	Login to reply to this post In reply to PattiAnnJ << Like this post Date: 2/8/13 1:03 PM Echo. While there are certainly no Thread Police, I'm not such a purist as to worry about what TEX is. Superior Threads has some nice thread, I'll admit, but it seems as if you want to know anything, it has to be about their threads and theirs alone. And, of course, you pay for that "knowledge" when you buy it. I grew up in the dinosaur thread age, when thread was cotton and pretty much 50 weight; other weights were for embroidery or topstitching. Machines were geared for this type of thread. Try using a cheapo Walmart thread nowadays on a vintage machine and you will wind up with bird's nests. Back then, it was an easy choice. Today's threads are too confusing because each manufacturer has its own standard for what they consider to be "quality". They start talking about spinning, yarns, tensile strength, etc.--too complicated! As long as the thread doesn't fray, doesn't break easily, and my machines "like it", why bother with the technical stuff? ------ "We don't impose our rhythm on Nature. The key is to respect and live within Her." Jean-Charles Boisset, Winemaker "And no, now that you asked, I didn't enjoy that play one bit, and I'd like a refund" Signed, Mrs. Lincoln My Etsy shop: auntmaymesattic My blog: auntmaymesattic.wordpress.com Avatar: First place award for jacket at county fair
dscheidt Member since 6/8/09 Posts: 250	Login to reply to this post In reply to Miss Fairchild << 3 members like this. Date: 2/8/13 4:01 PM Quote: Miss Fairchild Echo. While there are certainly no Thread Police, I'm not such a purist as to worry about what TEX is. I grew up in the dinosaur thread age, when thread was cotton and pretty much 50 weight; other weights were for embroidery or topstitching. Machines were geared for this type of thread. Try using a cheapo Walmart thread nowadays on a vintage machine and you will wind up with bird's nests. Back then, it was an easy choice. Today's threads are too confusing because each manufacturer has its own standard for what they consider to be "quality". They start talking about spinning, yarns, tensile strength, etc.--too complicated! As long as the thread doesn't fray, doesn't break easily, and my machines "like it", why bother with the technical stuff? tex is merely the SI unit of thread weight. It's not a conspiracy by some mysterious thread police to make you go and throw your thread away and buy new magical 'tex thread'; there's no such thing, it's merely a measurement system that's rational. That means it's very easy to compare different threads. You don't need to know what the construction is, whether the weight quoted is metric ticket, cotton ticket, whether it's the combined weight of the strands of thread or the single strands that make it up.

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