How do you get the thread you want?

Quite some time ago a fabric store near me discontinued their supply of a certain manufacturer’s thread. I had previously found the thread worked well in my machine, and there were many colors available. They sold their stock on hand for pennies on the dollar. Not surprisingly, I stocked up on as much as I thought I could afford.

As a side note, yes, there is debate on which thread is best. I figure it’s always a balance between cost, durability, quality of thread, and how the thread behaves in any given machine.

I used just that thread I had bought on closeout for a long time. Then I started running out of my favorite colors. After searching for a while I found another manufacturer that I liked as their thread seemed to work well in my machine(s). When we moved (again) I had a hard time finding thread from that manufacturer (no, Mettler neither gives me money, nor thread, nor anything else).

By this point the sewing industry was well established on the internet. I found a company that sold a color card for my favorite manufacturer’s thread. For those who don’t know, a color card shows all of the thread colors that the manufacturer produces in that line. While one can print color cards, there is always the possibility that the printer isn’t printing exactly the right color. This manufacturer put actual samples of thread on the “card”.

So I ordered a color card with the manufacturer’s thread line. When I received it I had a great time looking at the different size spools available and deciding which colors I would “stock” in my thread collection. I wanted to have a range of thread colors on hand for whatever project I came up with. And I wanted to be able to start the project right away, no waiting for a thread shipment, or running to the fabric store!

Time passed, as it always does. As I changed my mind on which colors I wanted to stock in my collection, I would erase the marks from one color number, and transfer them to another color. It got messy after a while. I wanted a new color card. I searched the internet, but found no color cards from my favorite manufacturer. Huh. I guessed I could get along with what I had.

Again time passed. It got to be time for me to buy thread again. When I went to a site where I have bought thread before, I discovered that my favorite manufacturer had completely revamped their numbering system for my favorite thread! Again, I searched and searched for a color card. This time I was successful, and found a place I could purchase the new color card.

When I store something I like to have a place for everything, and then I put everything in its place. Some people might call it a little OCD. Whatever the case, the color card had a comparison for the old and new color numbers. I printed up new labels for my thread racks. Then I did an inventory of thread that was running out. Time to order! Now that I have my thread, it’s back to sewing.