Best Serger Thread: What To Use Serger Thread & Brands

After you have invested in your first serger, the next step is to become familiar with its operation. The first thing that has to be done is research into which type of serger thread is ideal for usage, as this will allow you to maintain your machine operating at its full potential and produce work of the highest possible standard. Here is the information you need to know in order to select the appropriate thread for your projects using a serger, as well as the brands that I recommend.

Do sergers use special threads?

There is a certain kind of thread that is required for serger machines. This thread is known as:

• Thread for sewing that is finer than regular thread in order to prevent unneeded bulkiness. When a seam is serged, there is additional thread used, and particular threads for sergers help decrease bulk.
• Superior quality, with the goal of minimizing the accumulation of lint.
• Cones, which are big spools, contain at least 1,000 yards (920 m) of thread and can contain as many as 12,000 yards altogether. Cones are available for purchase.
• Designed to be utilized in groups in order to produce stitching with several threads
• It might be made of polyester, nylon, cotton, or a combination of these.

The same as when you buy sergers themselves (or pretty much everything else), the higher the price of the thread, the higher the quality it will be. However, this is not the only consideration that goes into deciding which thread you should use with your serger; there are others. The type of thread that will work best for your projects will be determined by both your financial constraints and the applications you have in mind for it.

What is the best serger thread?

There are a variety of threads for sergers available for purchase, but not all of them are created equal. A high-quality thread is recommended for use in your machine to reduce the risk of the thread breaking, fraying, skipping stitches, and requiring additional lint cleanup.

But how can you determine which serger thread is of high grade and which thread is of lower quality? Examine the thread for your serger for a number of characteristics that might help you decide whether or not it is the right sort to use. The highest quality serger thread should:

• Have a minimal amount of fuzz, which is defined as short thread fibers poking out of it. When you use thread that has a fuzzy appearance, it may cause lint to accumulate in your machine, which will need you to clean it.
  not contain lumps and have a thickness that is constant throughout. If you don’t pay attention, you’ll wind up having to deal with broken thread and tension problems.
• Maintain a state free of knots and tangles.
• Have a high breaking strength to ensure that it is both sturdy and long-lasting. The average speed of a serger’s
• stitch is around 1,500 stitches per minute. This puts an additional strain on the threads.
• More expensive than low-priced thread of poor quality.

One hundred percent polyester makes up the serger thread that is most readily accessible. Spun polyester is inscribed on the cones the vast majority of the time. However, there are two further kind of polyester threads: filament polyester and core-spun polyester. The production of spun polyester threads is less expensive, and as a result, the price of spun polyester threads is often cheaper than the price of other types of polyester threads. A filament or core-spun polyester thread is significantly stronger than a spun polyester thread. Spun polyester threads are not as robust.

Unfortunately, spun polyester thread has amounts of lint that range from moderate to high. However, we are required to deal with it and clean our sergers on a regular basis.

Permit me to show you this picture. In it, you’ll see that there are several distinct threads. The black and red threads are spun polyester, while the green thread is core-spun polyester, and the latter has far less lint.

Additionally, there are polyester threads that are wrapped in cotton. This thread’s strength and suppleness come from its polyester core, while the cotton covering makes it resistant to heat and ensures that it mixes nicely with textiles made of natural fibers.

Although it is not as strong as polyester thread, 100% cotton thread is an excellent choice for serging textiles made from natural fibers of light to medium weight. However, cotton threads frequently produce a large amount of lint.

If you discover that increasing the tensions on your serger or switching the needles does not result in better stitch quality, then you should experiment with using a different kind of thread. It is possible that you may be pleasantly surprised by how well it performs with another variety.

In addition, one type of cloth may work better with a certain thread than another.

If the thread is becoming low on the cone (or spool), and it starts to get wavy, you should not use it on the serger any more. The uneven texture of this thread may make it difficult to sew. This thread may be utilized for hand stitching projects.

It is important that I point out that ornamental threads such as metallic thread, rayon thread, even lightweight ribbons, and yarns may be used on a serger; however, this is only possible when using the looper attachment.

Different Types Of Serger Threads For Different Projects

Not only can the quality of the thread for a serger vary, but also different kinds of thread are required for various sorts of tasks. After you have located a thread (or thread brands) of good quality, it is time to select a thread that is appropriate for the requirements of your project. The following is a list of some of the most popular threads that you may use with your serger for various applications.

Cone Thread (Polyester Or Cotton)

Because of its portability and cost-effectiveness, serger cone thread is likely to be the type of thread that you use the majority of the time, unless you are working on specialized tasks that call for a certain sort of thread. This type of thread is generally your all-purpose thread for sergers, and it is the kind of thread that you will use for seaming, completing edges, and other similar tasks.

Cone thread is often available in far larger numbers than standard machine thread is, which is due to the fact that the process of serging consumes an ENORMOUS amount of thread. When shopping for household usage, you should look for cone thread in the vicinity of roughly 3,000 yards.

Cone thread has a number of advantageous characteristics, one of which is that it is cross-wound on the cone. This ensures that the thread will unwind from top to bottom when the cones are used for serging without requiring the cones to spin. For high-speed stitching, a thread that is cross-wound assures that the thread will flow evenly and smoothly from the top.

Take a look at your serger; each and every serger has this enormous thread stand with a large telescopic pole; why is all of this required? Because sergers are highly sensitive to tension, having the right thread delivery is very important, and the thread has to come off the top of the cones, the thread is delivered in this manner.

Cone thread is almost always made of polyester because of the material’s ability to maintain its color, its strength, and its low lint production rate.

Cotton, on the other hand, may produce cone thread, which is both resilient and pliable. However, it generates a greater amount of lint than polyester cone thread, which is why the latter is preferred.

Every type of serger machine is compatible with the serger thread that comes on cones. However, if you buy really large cones that contain 12,000 yards of thread, it’s possible that the spool holders on the serger won’t be able to accommodate them. Make use of a separate cone-thread holder, which may be bought separately. You may either put them in a large cup or simply put them on the table behind the serger.

But is it required to purchase serger thread on cones? No, you may also use short spools of all-purpose thread, which is a better option in certain circumstances, such as when a precise color match is required and you won’t be employing that color again. When using an all-purpose thread, you have access to a larger range of color options. However, it is recommended that you use the spool that has a cross-wound thread that can be readily unwound from the top of the spool. To ensure an equal feeding, use a spool cap.

However, if you want to get exact and consistent results, it is still best to use serger threads that come on cones. The thread that comes on cones was created with sergers in mind especially.

What is the difference between serger thread and embroidery thread? 

Embroidery thread is not designed to be used in sergers and, if fed through one, it is likely to become tangled or even snap. Because embroidery thread is often considerably finer than serger thread, it enables the creation of intricate motifs but may not be as long-lasting. The colors of embroidery thread are typically more vivid and eye-catching than those of the thread used for sergers.

You may use embroidery thread in the loopers of your serger, but if you want the best results, you should use special thread designed for sergers in your machine instead.

In addition, serger thread is made to withstand the friction that develops while the thread is passed through the loopers. This friction is what causes damage to embroidery thread.

Wooly Nylon Serger Thread

Woolly nylon thread is a stretchy type of serger thread that, when used to create a serger stitch, results in a very appealing finish. It performs exceptionally well on stretch textiles, particularly spandex, which is frequently utilized in the production of lingerie and swimwear. It is incredibly durable because to the fact that it is constructed entirely of nylon. Even if I tried, I couldn’t crack it. Nevertheless, you can observe that it has an oddly hazy aspect.

The seams that are going to be worn adjacent to the skin will benefit greatly from its nice soft texture.

Best Serger Thread Colors

The only thread that may possibly show on the right side of your item is the thread that is in the left needle, and this only occurs when the tension settings on your serger are not exactly perfect. This is something that you will soon discover as you continue to work with your serger. However, you will seldom (if ever) be able to see all of the threads that are utilized for the 4-thread overlock seams (of course, this is assuming that you are sewing with a fabric that is opaque).

Keeping this in mind, it is not required to acquire four cones of the same color, provided that the color is not one of the more often used colors such as white, neutral, or black.

Instead, you may save yourself some bother when threading your needles (and space in your storage area) by choosing complimentary needle colors for your right needle and looper threads, in addition to using thread that matches your left needle.

Tips For Choosing The Right Color Thread

When you change the color of your fabric, you won’t need to completely rethread your serger as you would if you were working with a regular sewing machine. On the other hand, this raises the issue, “How do I choose a thread color?”

When it comes to selecting thread colors for your projects, I figured it would be helpful if I provided you a few pointers or “rules of thumb” to assist guide you until you feel comfortable making those decisions on your own.

You may select the best colors for your projects by following these color criteria for your serger thread:

Make use of colors that can be mixed. If you’re dealing with light textiles, for instance, looper threads in white or beige are your best bet. When working with dark textiles, the most versatile choice of thread will be either black or gray.
Every person who sews ought to have a basic thread color palette with four different shades of white, four different shades of neutral, and four different shades of dark (either all black or one shade each of navy, brown, and dark gray).
Choose a dark tone rather than a bright one.If you are unable to perfectly match the color of the needle thread to the cloth, you should select a darker color for the thread.

However, you should acquire spools of all-purpose thread so you can get a precise color match on smaller projects.

Best Serger Thread Brands

Since sergers consume more thread than standard sewing machines, it is more practical and economical to purchase greater quantities. Before making a purchase, it is important to think about the product’s fiber content, color, kind of thread, and quality.

When it comes to purchasing thread for a serger, I suggest getting cones rather than spools. Because of their bigger size and cross-threaded construction, they are ideal for ensuring that you achieve the finest possible results from your serger while experiencing the least amount of irritation possible.

Every seamstress looks for ways to cut costs wherever they can. However, although it may be tempting to purchase inexpensive thread, doing so is not a good idea in the long term since it is more likely to break and might cause harm to your machine. Any sewing endeavor may be made less enjoyable by using low-quality thread, which produces a lot of lint and is difficult to work with.

Sadly, we cannot tell the difference between the two by simply looking at them.

When it comes to selecting threads for a serger, the greatest piece of guidance I can provide is to go with a thread that is manufactured by a recognized brand. American & Efird, Coats & Clark, Gutermann, Madeira, and Mettler are just few of the companies that have been making threads of a high quality for a significant amount of time.

whether you want to experiment with a different brand that you find on Amazon, you should check to see whether it has a lot of positive reviews that extol the quality of the product first; otherwise, you can end up squandering your money.

My preference goes to the up-and-coming label known as New Brothhead. They have extra-large cones of high-quality thread that maintains its color, offering a fantastic value for the money. The thread is made of spun polyester, which maintains its color, does not break easily, does not shrink, and can be purchased at an affordable price. This brand provided me with a variety of colors, which I purchased.

Another brand that I like is called WonderFil. This company manufactures a variety of Specialty Threads, such as heavy metallic thread that can be used in sergers, or 100% cotton serger thread that has extremely low lint because it was processed with “double gassing.” This process involves burning off the lint from the thread two times, which results in a much softer and cleaner finish. However, it does not arrive on cones but rather on standard spools.

And whatever of these well-known brands you pick, you won’t go wrong with your purchase:

One of the most well-known and widely used types of serger thread produced by the American & Efird brand is known as Maxi-Lock Serger Thread. This thread is sturdy enough, and there is not an excessive amount of lint on it.

It’s possible that Gutermann Serger Thread is also known as Toldi-Lock. It is well renowned for its resistance to fraying as well as its ability to produce seams, hems, and finishes that are robust but flexible.

Best Serger Thread: The Bottom Line

In that case, what kind of thread works best with your serger? It is dependent on your requirements. Choose a brand that is at the top of the range if you are looking for a high-quality thread that will produce lovely seams and will endure for a very long period. However, if you are seeking for something that is less expensive but will still get the job done, there are plenty of threads available that are of high quality but sold at lesser costs. It is imperative that you read the labels very carefully in order to ensure that you get the appropriate kind of thread for your machine. As always, if you have any inquiries, we would be more than happy to assist you.