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Old October 17th 15, 11:10 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.sewing
David Scheidt
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Posts: 6
Default Has anyone ever MacGyvered way to have regular sewing machine hold thread cone?

Joy Beeson wrote:
:On Fri, 16 Oct 2015 09:29:32 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

:
: I saw a real "MacGyver" way on pintrest
: they put the cone in a reusable plastic cup
: with a lid with thread coming out the hole in lid
: then thread the machine as u usually do.

:I have a cone hanging point down over my sewing machine -- I fastened
:some twill tape to it, then threw a loop of tape over the curtain rod
:and pinned it to the tape sewn to the bottom of the cone.

:About thirty years ago I was in a garment factory for a few minutes
:and noticed that all the thread fed to the sewing machines was on
:cones in racks that held them point down over the sewing machines.

:But it might be that the thread itself isn't suitable for sewing
:seams.

:My cone is a cheap two-ply thread that I use only for basting and
:break-away seams -- I used it, for example, to re-attach a pocket
:after patching the fabric under it, in case the pocket got caught on a
:doorknob again.


The important thing to remember with cone thread is that it's cross
wound. Thread is wound on to spools, cones, reels, bobbins, whatever,
in one of two ways. It can be plain wound, the way your machine
winds bobbins, straight on, from bottom to top, then back down, etc.
Or it can be cross wound, where the thread is wound on at angle to the
spool, and the thread makes a sort of X pattern on the spool. Plain
wound thread should be pulled straight out the side of spool. Cross
wound thread should go straight up (or down, if you're hanging from
your curtains...) off the cone or spool. If you don't pull it
straight up, you can end up with an extra twist in the thread, and can
have all sots of sewing problems.

Most modern thread, and anything on a spool longer than about 1000
yards, is cross wound because it's faster and thus cheaper to do it
that way. Winding thread onto spools is a big part of the price,
particularly in smaller consumer put-ups. Not taking it off the spool
properly is one of the problems people ometimes have with old
machines, that don't have a spool pin or thread guides designed to do
this.

My solution for using cone threads on a domestic machine is usually to
put the domestic on my industrial's table, and use the industrial's
thread stand. I also have a generic industrial table thread stand
(cost $10 from my mechanic, holds two spools) screwed to a block of
wood. a weight or clamp holds it in place. Works great.

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sig 94
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