Poly thread question

I have learned to use cotton thread for piecing and poly for FMQ and long edges like the binding. I see in Joann's there is a generic 100% polyester thread on a cone....$2.89 for like 3000 yds. But looking at name brands , their 100% poly is like 800 yds for about $8....or there abouts possibly less yds.

Anyway, my question is this...what's the difference? Is generic polyester same as name brand polyester? There is nothing else to discriminate in the content...they both just say 100% polyester. Granted there is one from Germany and one from Italy, the generic is USA or Mexico.

Coats and Clark poly covered poly...again, like 300 yds for $4-ish. I was told years ago that cotton covered poly was the best for reducing fluff and it was try, but they dont' seem to make that anymore or at least don't sell it at Joann's and I can't find it anywhere else.



I know poly has a tad of stretch where cotton doesn't which is why they say cotton for piecing (don't want any stretching there) and poly for FMQ and binding lengths as a tad of stretching there is helpful.

And I know it is the machines preference as to what it "likes".

So...what's the diff? Is one poly better than the other and if so, why? Is polyester polyester and you are just paying for the name? Thanks for any input!

Coats and Clark still makes.their poly covered poly. It goes by the name of coats and Clark dual duty xp. This is the thread that I use for 99.99% of all my quilting including piecing and fmq. I don't buy into the hype that poly thread will cut the cotton fabric. Maybe in 50 years but I won't be around then so it doesn't matter! I have found the cotton covered poly to be really linty and I don't have this issue with the poly covered poly.

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Originally Posted by Auntpiggylpn

Coats and Clark still makes.their poly covered poly. It goes by the name of coats and Clark dual duty xp. This is the thread that I use for 99.99% of all my quilting including piecing and fmq. I don't buy into the hype that poly thread will cut the cotton fabric. Maybe in 50 years but I won't be around then so it doesn't matter! I have found the cotton covered poly to be really linty and I don't have this issue with the poly covered poly.

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ISn'tthe XP say poly covered poly tho? I thought it did and I couldn't figure why? Why cover poly with poly? I used to use Cotton covered poly for my clothing sewing but with quilting...thought different and I haven't been able eto find it anyway. I didn't know about the poly cutting cotton... hum...
And to.. the price...I want the best to last the longest, but C&C is so expensive and as much that is used for a quilt...it just costs so much!'I get lint with every kind I have used!!!!

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Originally Posted by coffeebreak

ISn'tthe XP say poly covered poly tho? I thought it did and I couldn't figure why? Why cover poly with poly? I used to use Cotton covered poly for my clothing sewing but with quilting...thought different and I haven't been able eto find it anyway. I didn't know about the poly cutting cotton... hum...
And to.. the price...I want the best to last the longest, but C&C is so expensive and as much that is used for a quilt...it just costs so much!'I get lint with every kind I have used!!!!

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Yes, it does say Poly covered Poly. I get the 500 yd spools at either Joann's or Hancock Fabrics whenever it is 50% off or I will use a 50% off coupon so it is about $1.50 - $2.00 spool. I stock up on it and it is on sale frequently. http://www.joann.com/coats-clark-dua...ds/xprd840929/

I have never used any of the other threads mentioned in this post but this thread is something that I can pick up locally, I can actually take my fabrics into match the color and there is no shipping charge. It may not be as cheap as the other threads but the benefits that I just listed make it worth it to me. I come from a long line of C & C users and I guess I don't want to break tradition!

I don't understand the difference either, and I really like cone thread! I'm also a big fan of coats and clark XP and my machines seem to love it, so who am I to buy them more expensive stuff?? :-) I am so happy they like the cheaper brands!

I used to use C &C dual duty until I got a new machine last year. Its not an expensive machine $200 brother. I have tension issues if I use it on cotton fabric, go figure. Im like you I'm not a brand chaser with thread. I use cotton thread from connecting threads, the price is right and my machine loves cotton thread. C & C make a cotton thread called star quilting thread, I buy that too on sale. here in Germany 99% of the time all you can find is poly thread. The German quilters I know only use poly thread for piecing and quilting and one is an award winner of shows in the states. I say use what works for you, I think to that it's crazy to spend $8 a spool you throw half of it in the garbage during the process... Happy quilting

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Originally Posted by Auntpiggylpn

Yes, it does say Poly covered Poly. I get the 500 yd spools at either Joann's or Hancock Fabrics whenever it is 50% off or I will use a 50% off coupon so it is about $1.50 - $2.00 spool. I stock up on it and it is on sale frequently. http://www.joann.com/coats-clark-dua...ds/xprd840929/

I have never used any of the other threads mentioned in this post but this thread is something that I can pick up locally, I can actually take my fabrics into match the color and there is no shipping charge. It may not be as cheap as the other threads but the benefits that I just listed make it worth it to me. I come from a long line of C & C users and I guess I don't want to break tradition!

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Years (and years!) ago I had a SInger 2010 machine (still have and use it!) and it kept getting fluffed up to the point it would jam. I was just using the 2/$1 threads from the dime stores. I called a machine repairman out several times and he'd clean it and fix it, and the last time he was t here, he told me the reason for my constant problem is the fluff from the thread. He recommended I use CC Cotton covered Polyester...polyester for the strength, cotton for the no fluff smoothness. I did and I felt bad that I never saw the repairman again! I was CC CP user only and never a problem with it. Now with my Singer quantum 9960 I have a thread issue. LOT of fluff no matter what thread I use! So I just always clean it after 2-3 days of use and am looking for the thread that is best for quilting instead of clothing making. JOann's does have the DD XP but I was looking for the cotton covered and they don't carry that. If poly cuts the threads of cotton material, and I tend to believe in using same thread for fabric (cotton thread on cotton fabric) and I have heard cotton for piecing and poly for FMQing...that is where I am at now. I still haven't learned the weight issue on threads!
I buy the 100% cotton from Connecting THreads....1200 yds for $2.50. Shipping is $5 for the amount I buy or free if over $50...which is what I want to do once I figure this out...just buy $50 worth of threads and not have to worry about it for better part of a year!
Buy hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! IF CC still works...that is all that matters. I want the CCP mainly to stop the massive fluff issue I have!

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Originally Posted by HdWench

I don't understand the difference either, and I really like cone thread! I'm also a big fan of coats and clark XP and my machines seem to love it, so who am I to buy them more expensive stuff?? :-) I am so happy they like the cheaper brands!

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That's my other main goal...expense. I love the cone poly spools for FMQ as I never have to change a spool during the whole quilt if the color matches! And the constant "making things match"..by the time I get the blocks together, I'm sick of t hinking that way!!!LOL! Another has recommended CCXP so I think I will give it a try. IT is just that 100% cotton spools of 1200 yards are only $2.50 at Connecting Threads and they have so many colors...the CC at my Joann's are very limited! And I haven't found cotton or Coats and Clark in Cone anywhere! I have such a massive fluff issue on my machine...trying to calm t hat down but still stay within "good" lines with what goes on with a quilt construction!

understand Cheri - I used to buy that all the time too Cotton covered Poly! I didn't notice at J's the other day did they stop making that?

:-Debbie

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Originally Posted by Davidsgirl08

I used to use C &C dual duty until I got a new machine last year. Its not an expensive machine $200 brother. I have tension issues if I use it on cotton fabric, go figure. Im like you I'm not a brand chaser with thread. I use cotton thread from connecting threads, the price is right and my machine loves cotton thread. C & C make a cotton thread called star quilting thread, I buy that too on sale. here in Germany 99% of the time all you can find is poly thread. The German quilters I know only use poly thread for piecing and quilting and one is an award winner of shows in the states. I say use what works for you, I think to that it's crazy to spend $8 a spool you throw half of it in the garbage during the process... Happy quilting

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Throwing in the trash...yeah...that is never considered! All the little snips of ends and long trails of thread...we never think of that when considering expense!! My Singer 9960 likes the cotton covered...what little I have left from back int he day when my Singer 2010 LOVED it. Maybe you could ask your quilt winner her opinion on this. I have heard that expert quilts don't use polyester cause they say it cuts the cotton threads on the fabric. But then I have learned that the needle being ball point is so sharp and pointed that that stops the thread cutting issue. I like Connecting Threads cottons, maybe I will try their polys. I just see these poly cones at Joanns for $1-$2 for 3000 yards. I have been using that and don't see any problems, but wonder about the longevity of it once the quilt is made and used and washed.....I still haven't found the diff between the name brand 3000 yd spools of 100% poly and the generic of same!

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Originally Posted by HdWench

understand Cheri - I used to buy that all the time too Cotton covered Poly! I didn't notice at J's the other day did they stop making that?

:-Debbie

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The one in my town, at least doesn't carry it. I look every time I go...and that used to be twice a month or more! I have searched online and not found it either. My old Singer loved it and NO FLUFF! My new SInger... loves it (I have a small stash left from before) and I am not sure on the fluff yet, as I have been using it with my quilts that I have been using fleece for the back instead of cotton and that makes alot of fluff, but I'd bet it is mostly the fleece, not the thread.

If the thread you are comparing is all the same thickness the I don't know. A lot depends on how your machine handles the different brands. I am lucky in that my machine is not very picky. So I buy brand-name thread when it is on sale.