Sewing With Cotton + Other Natural Threads | All Your Questions Answered

About three years ago, we started to question the logic of using plastic threads to stitch together our beautiful (and often expensive) natural fabrics. We knew why we were doing it—because polyester thread was said to offer the best and most durable results, and alternatives were hard to find. But as advocates for slow fashion and reducing plastic use, it didn’t sit right with us. So, we set out to uncover why polyester thread is so ubiquitous and whether effective alternatives exist.

If you are contemplating making the move away from polyester thread but have a few questions then this blog is for you!

WHY IS POLYESTER THREAD THE 'GO-TO' THREAD?

Polyester sewing thread became the industry standard because it’s strong, durable, and has good elasticity, making it suitable for a wide range of fabrics and garment types. Plus, it’s a lot cheaper to produce than natural alternatives.

These qualities became especially important as synthetic fibres became more common in garments (up to 65% of all fibres used in the textile industry are now synthetic*), and the demand for faster, cheaper production methods increased. Polyester thread's strength, durability, and low cost made it best suited for meeting these heavy industry demands. However, these demands are not the same in domestic and slow fashion environments, where natural materials and a focus on sustainability can take precedence.

*Source Common Objective

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH POLYESTER THREAD?

Microplastics, non-renewable resources, polluting manufacturing processes, toxic chemicals, lack of safety testing and opaque supply chains. All these concerns are equally relevant when talking about any synthetic component be it fabric, interfacing, elastic, plastic buttons, zippers or in this case - polyester thread.

Whilst thread may seem like a small component, when you consider that it can take up to 100m of thread to sew just one standard t-shirt it stops looking small pretty quickly. When Kowtow, a small to medium fashion brand recently switched to cotton thread they saved 10 million metres of polyester thread going out into the globe.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF USING NATURAL THREAD?

Circularity

Clothing disposal is a real and growing problem. Using natural threads allows you to create a garment that could not only be disposed of in your own garden but actually feed your plants, how cool is that? In addition, by keeping the amount of plastic in our garments to the bare minimum (if any at all) we are setting them up for easier and safer recycling and re-use in the future - a key ingredient for establishing a healthy circular fashion economy.

They Look Better

Natural threads blend in better with natural fabrics - this creates a more cohesive looking garment, even making exact colour matches between thread and fabric less important. Many large fashion brands use cotton wrapped polyester threads for exactly this reason, they look better and age more naturally.

No Melting

We’ve all had one of those experiences. Natural fibres require higher iron settings and this can lead to melted, damaged and shiny polyester stitching, affecting both the finished look and the durability of the garment.

Dyeability

If you want to over-dye or refresh your garment in order to keep it longer synthetic threads won't take the dye in the same way as your fabric leading to a less polished, satisfying look.

Transparent Manufacturing Process

It’s difficult to find any polyester threads with a transparent supply chain. In contrast it’s possible to know exactly where and how cotton and Tencel™ threads were created - from fibre to thread. Check out the origin story from our newest thread supplier Sewpure™ for an incredible example of transparency through the supply chain.

Safer

All our threads are Oeko-Tex Standard and/or GOTS certified. This is both better for your health as well as that of the planet. The creation of polyester thread requires many hazardous and toxic chemicals and we have seen few/if any polyester threads that come with any form of safety testing or certification to ensure these chemicals are not remaining in the finished product.

CAN I USE VINTAGE COTTON THREAD?

Whilst we are usually all about repurposing what is already available this is one area where we do advise caution.

Cotton threads earned a reputation for being weak because they were. Once polyester threads took over the marketplace advances in natural thread production halted. Now that more people are seeking plastic alternatives advances in technology mean that modern cotton threads are much stronger than their vintage counterparts. In addition, as cotton is a natural material it will degrade over time (this is a good thing!) but it does mean that older threads may not perform as well as new ones.

We would still use older threads for purposes such as decorative stitching, embroidery, even sewing on a button but for actually holding the seams of your garment together we recommend using a modern, quality thread.

WILL MY SEAMS BE STRONG ENOUGH?

This is the biggest concern we have encountered and one we have spent a great deal of time researching.

Our personal experience of using our cotton and Tencel™ threads over the last few years has proven to us that these threads are more than capable of meeting our needs but it’s useful to gain some intel from someone inside the industry.

When we posited this question to Julie Moore, the creator of Sewpure™ organic cotton threads, she gave us an incredibly detailed and educational response which we felt compelled to share with our customers.

This response was echoed to us from the manufacturer of our Tencel™ thread who noted that the only issue manufacturers had was when they subjected the threads to harsh, abrasive denim distressing techniques post-production. And during a discussion with Kowtow they shared that there were no obvious differences in garment performance when using cotton threads vs polyester threads with their natural fabrics.

 

ARE NATURAL THREADS BAD FOR MY MACHINE?

No! All our Organic Cotton and Tencel™ threads are of industry standard quality and have been tried and tested in domestic and manufacturing environments. You may find a slight increase in the amount of lint produced, most notably with cotton threads, but provided you dust out or clean your machine reasonably regularly (as we are told to do anyway) this will not cause any issues and hey, at least that lint is biodegradable right?

 

CAN NATURAL THREADS BE USED IN MANUFACTURING?

Yes! In fact, our Sewpure™ and Tencel™ threads were specifically designed with industrial manufacturing in mind and have been successfully implemented by various brands.

We’ve consulted closely with our thread manufacturers and spoken directly with production managers, including Kowtow, who shared insights on their experiences using natural threads. Provided machine speed and tension is appropriately adjusted (a lower speed in industrial machines is recommended compared to when using poly thread) natural threads are capable of achieving excellent and durable results.

  

DO NATURAL THREADS BREAK MORE?

The most common reasons for thread breaking in a machine include: poor quality thread, tension, threading issues or a worn out needle. Provided you are using a high quality natural thread (such as the brands we stock), using them for the appropriate purpose and following the general advice of using a sharp needle, testing tension and regularly cleaning and machine maintenance there is no reason for these threads to break any more than standard threads.

** Pro Tip: Whilst sewing with Scanfil thread on her industrial machine Kathryn noticed a change in her stitch tension. As the spool is positioned vertically rather than horizontally on an industrial machine she discovered that the thread was snagging on the edge of the wooden spool. This was easily fixed by smoothing the edges of the spool with sandpaper or a nail file.

Find out more about troubleshooting thread tension and breaking issues in this super useful video from a sewing machine technician.

   

CAN I SEW JEANS AND OTHER HEAVY WEIGHT FABRICS WITH NATURAL THREAD?

We have had several customers who have sewn jeans and trousers using our threads and have also used it ourselves on heavier weight fabrics with no issues during sewing or wear. We recommend Scanfil 30/2 cotton thread and Tencel™ Tex 60 for use on heavy weight fabrics such as canvas and denim. 

Did you know?  Our Tencel™ thread was specifically designed for jeans manufacturing and cutting edge sustainable shoe brand Orba Shoes use a specialty weight organic cotton thread sourced from Fibreactive Organics (creators of Sewpure™ threads).

 

CAN I SEW STRETCH FABRICS WITH NATURAL THREAD?

All our elastane-free knit fabrics can be sewn using our organic cotton threads because they don't need the extra stretch provided by polyester thread. The right stitch, such as an overlocker or zig-zag stitch, will give the fabric sufficient elasticity.

If you're making a garment with negative ease (a tighter fit) where the seams will be under more strain, we recommend using Tencel™ thread. Tencel™ is also a good choice for merino fabrics and knits that include elastane.

See our Thread Guide at the bottom of the page for more details about thread weights and their recommended uses.

 

HOW DO I TOPSTITCH WITH NATURAL THREAD?

Our Scanfil 30/2 weight thread and Tencel™ Tex 60 are the ideal weight for topstitching. Kathryn used Scanfil to topstitch her Thompson Coat in one of our heaviest fabrics (Sera Weighty Cotton) and it looks sensational. The look of natural threads is often desired above the look of polyester for decorative and topstitching purposes, even commercially.

You can also topstitch with any standard weight thread by using two threads together. Simply thread your machine as normal using two spools/cones/bobbins and feed both threads through your needle. Practise your tension on some scrap fabric until you get the desired look.

 

CAN I OVERLOCK WITH NATURAL THREAD?

Yes. We would recommend our Scanfil 50/2, Sewpure™ Tex 40 and Tencel™ Tex 40 for overlocking and coverstitching.

  

HOW DO I CHOOSE THE RIGHT COLOUR?

We have matched all of our fabric with a suitable coloured thread, you will find links to the recommended thread on each fabric product page.

When you match your thread and fabric composition the threads actually blend in with the fabric more ‘seamlessly’. You may actually find that an exact colour match is less critical to achieve an equally polished look.

 

CAN I USE CONES ON MY DOMESTIC MACHINE?

Buying cones of thread rather than spools is a great way to save money and reduce waste. You can use a cone of thread directly on your domestic sewing machine by using a thread holder like this (there are many varieties available online, even fancy handmade ones, or you can fashion your own using household objects!) Alternatively it is quick and easy to use your machine to wind a few bobbins from your cone that can then be used on your overlocker, coverstitch machine and regular sewing machine.

 

HOW SHOULD I STORE MY THREADS?

We recommend storing your threads in a cool, dark and dry environment (protected from sun, moisture and dust) for maximum durability and performance. Remember, seemingly small factors can have a surprisingly big impact.

 

SEWING THREAD GUIDE

Brand	Weight	Fibre	Creds	Recommended Fabrics	Price/100m
Scanfil	50/2	100% Organic Cotton	GOTS Oeko-Tex	Light-med weight woven natural + cellulose fabrics including delicate and sheer fabrics Light-med weight natural knits (without elastane)	$4.38/metre
Scanfil	30/2	100% Organic Cotton	GOTS Oeko-Tex	Med-heavy weight woven fabrics including denim.   Mid-heavy weight natural knits (without elastane)	$4.18/metre
Celofil	Tex 40	100% Lenzing Tencel™	Oeko-Tex FSC certified	Light-med weight woven or knit fabrics including delicate + sheer fabrics, merino and fabrics with added elastane	60¢/metre
Celofil	Tex 60	100% Lenzing Tencel™	Oeko-Tex FSC certified	Any heavy weight woven such as denim, canvas, cotton + linen or upholstery fabrics	90¢/metre
Sewpure	Tex 40	100% Organic Cotton	GOTS	Any light-heavy weight woven fabrics or natural knits (without elastane)	$1.58/metre

 

Questions not answered?

We’ll never leave you hanging so if you have any further questions or need any support email us at hello@paperscissorscloth.co.nz and we will be more than happy to assist you.

Looking for a different thread colour or weight?

We have access to additional thread stock including lighter and heavier weights and more colours, so again just get in touch and tell us what you need!