A question I'm asked often is "what type of embroidery thread should I use"?

 There are basically 2 types of embroidery thread for most embroidery, rayon and polyester, with #40 being the most common size for embroidery machine use. They both have their purposes and are designed for different uses. Rayon is beautiful, has a wonderful sheen and great for heirloom quality work. It tends to be a bit more delicate than most polyester threads. Polyester thread is made stronger to be heavily laundered and is used most on sport uniforms, work uniforms, and items that will be worn and washed frequently.

Rayon Thread:

There are so many brands of embroidery thread, it's hard to choose which one to use. I've been machine embroidering for over 10 years, have 3 machines and have tried just about all the threads that have been made. I have found that Salus Rayon #40 Embroidery Thread is one of the best threads available.

Salus Rayon #40 has a beautiful shine, sews beautifully, looks wonderful, and my favorite part...it rarely breaks while embroidering. It is made for commercial machines so it just glides through the home embroidery machines. It it available in over 430 colors in either 1,000M 1,100 yard) mini-kingspools, or the XL 5,000M Kingspools at a very affordable price. I also like that it is wound on cones here in the USA!

It works beautifully on all makes and models of machines including but not limited to Brother, Babylock, Deco, Bernina, Janome, White, Simplicity, Pfaff, Viking and Singer. A 10 cone thread stand makes it easy to change colors with either size cone.

Another Great Rayon #40 Thread is Isafil Rayon made by Ackermann, the makers of Isacord. The colors are gorgeous and lay so nicely on the fabric. Sulky by Gunold is a leader in the industry and many designers will use it. They are great threads, but a bit more pricey than the Salus threads are.

Polyester Thread:

Salus also has a very nice Polyester #40 thread at a great price. It is available in over 240 colors on the 5,000M kingspool, and will soon be available in the 1,000M mini-kingspool, which I will exclusively sell!

Isacord Poly is the favorite of poly threads for many designers. Made in Germany it is a very strong thread, though it doesn't have the shine the rayon threads do, or that some of the other poly threads do. Gunold, the makes of Sulky, also have a very nice poly embroidery thread.

There are a lot of other brands that might be less expensive, but may not produce the results you want for the time and money that you put into your embroidery. Having a good quality embroidery thread is what will ultimately make or break your embroidery project.

Embroidery Machine Thread