Different types of sewing threads and their manufacturing procedures.

1. Sewing Threads
Assignment 1 Apparel Merchandising
Saranya N
16BFT1006

2. Sewing threads are one of the most needed trim without which sewing function is not
possible. There are many types of sewing threads available in market depending on the quality
and usage requirements. When the characteristics vary even the manufacturing procedure vary.
Types of sewing thread:
 Linen Thread
 Silk Thread
 Soft Cotton Thread
 Mercerized Cotton Thread
 Glaced Cotton Thread
 Viscose Thread
 Polyester Thread
 Nylon Thread
 Aramide Thread
 PEFE Thread
Characteristics of each thread:
LINEN THREADS:
This is one of the oldest of the known sewing thread varieties. Linen threads have high
strength and so this gives good seam strength. These threads are used at a large rate to sew
canvas, course fabric and much more. Linen threads are used as a substitute of synthetic threads.
SILK THREADS:
Silk threads are natural threads that are obtained directly from silk worm. They are
sourced either as continuous filament or broken filament silk. This is the most expensive thread
because of which its usage is restricted to only expensive garments. Comparatively silk has
higher strength, extensive luster and good qualities.
SOFT COTTON THREADS:
These threads undergo bleaching and dyeing and sometime even lubricants are used to
make it more frictional resistant. At times after washing and wetting in water the garments may
develop shrinkage and seam puckering.
MERCERIZED COTTON THREADS:
The threads are round in shape and have higher strength and brightness. This is because
they are finished by caustic soda solution with tension.

3. GLACED COTTON THREAD:
Glaced cotton sewing thread is made by using surface coating on normal soft cotton
threads. As a result of this surface coating the threads become stiff, smooth and they increase the
frictional resistance.
VISCOSE THREAD:
Viscose threads are brighter than ordinary threads which make them used more in
embroidery works. They are made from continuous filaments or staple fibers. Their strength and
stability are comparatively less.
POLYESTER THREAD:
The most widely used synthetic threads are the polyester threads. They are strong, low
cost, have elastic properties and have good fastness property while washing. It can be washed up
to 150˚C without any shrinkage. Its usage is wide as its cost is low.
NYLON THREAD:
Made from hexamethylene diamine and adipic acid, nylon threads are not widely used
due to its high extensibility which causes seam puckering after sewing and shrinking. The main
usage of these threads lies in sewing knitted fabric, extensible seam and swimming wear.
ARAMIDE THREAD:
Aramide threads are the costlier threads after silk. They find their application in special
garments like fire fighting garments. Their usage is restricted due to its high cost. Its commercial
name is Nomex.
PEFE THREAD:
They are used to protect against flame, melt and chemical garments. They are used
limitedly due to their higher cost.
MANUFACTURING PROCEDURE:
COTTON:
Cotton threads trace their origin from cellulose in plants and are used to stitch fabrics like
linen, rayon, cotton etc. Plant-based fabrics have shrinkage properties and even cotton possess
the similar properties. Cotton threads don’t shrink and so used for woven fabrics but not for
stretchy knits. Cotton is used to make basting thread so that the pieces of garments are held

4. together temporarily until the garment is sewn. Cotton threads are inexpensive and are loosely
twisted so that they can be broken down and pulled out when permanent stitching is in place.
Cotton is picked from fields which are later converted into bales. The bales are actually
an accumulation of dirt, seeds, broken pieces and other impurities. As a first step in thread
manufacture they are cleaned by opening the bales and cleaning them by a comb-like structure
after which they become laps. These laps are fed into carding machines where they are separated
into fibers and further cleaning, combing and sorting are done so that they can be processed into
thread.
In the process of processing, cleaned, combed and sorted cotton is fed through a series of
rollers by drawing them as a narrow string of cotton. Now the fibers are slightly twisted and a
roving is formed after which it is twisted again. Now they are spun to form a single thread that is
wound and twisted to form a thread.
By this method cotton threads are manufactured.
These threads undergo bleaching and dyeing and sometime even lubricants are used to
make it more frictional resistant and as a result they are formed as soft cotton threads.
They are finished by caustic soda solution with tension to form mercerized cotton
threads.
Glaced cotton sewing thread is made by using surface coating on normal soft cotton
threads.
Now after all these procedures, they are wound into bobbins or cones.

5. NYLON AND POLYESTER:
Nylon and polyester threads are mostly preferred for synthetic or stretch knits. They both
have mostly same characteristics which include high strength, devoid of shrinks and excellent
stretching abilities as well as ability to recover to their original size. These qualities make them
suitable for knits, preshrunk fabrics and sheers. Synthetic threads are marketed under a variety of
names which include polypropylene, Kevlar, Teflon, and Nomex. Production of Kevlar and
Nomex is reviewed and approves by Underwriters Laboratories because these threads are used to
stitch fire-resistant such as suits for fire fighters, racers and crib for infants.
The main source of polyester thread is petroleum from which the polyester is obtained by
cracking process during which the crude oil is broken down and are processed into a range of
items starting from gasoline to plastics including polyester, xylene, Nitric acid, glycol etc. All
these are obtained when the fluid is heated and condensed in an autoclave and the molecules are
aligned to form long molecules called polyester. The remaining parts are extruded, cooled and
cut into chips which are shipped from refinery to thread manufacturer for shipping.
The polyester chips are spun into long filaments to form polyester tow. This tow contains more
than 1,70,000 continuous parallel filaments in a long band. Now this tow is stretched until its
breaking point so that its weakness is exposed so that the weak points will be cut off and so
fibers that are 2.5-4.75 are produced. The resulting strong fibers are bonded together in parallel
until a narrow high quality fiber is obtained. These bands are further stretched and twisted into a
roving that is spun and twisted into a single thread that is made into a cheese.
SILK THREAD:
Silk is of two types, the one which uses cocoon that contain still pupa producing a soft
silk called as net silk as a result and the other that that uses cocoons that have already hatched to
produce schappe silk.

6. NETT SILK:
. In the manufacturing of nett silk, hot air is used to inhibit the growth of pupa. Now the
cocoon is unraveled by immersing in water and brushing action helps in unraveling the silk and
several yarns are wound together and a single thread is that can be up to 1000 yards is produced.
SCHAPPE SILK:
Schappe silk is manufactured by starting with soaking continued by softening, washing,
drying after which the cocoons pass through steel rollers with combs to produce bundles of long
straight fibers of silk which are combed, twisted to form a roving which is later spun to form a
single thread. Several threads like this are wound together, twisted and fed into a cone or a
bobbin.
LINEN:
Linen is manufactured from the long fibers found just behind the stem of the flax tree.
The flax tree cannot withstand harsh temperatures, so they are made to grow in cold climates.
The flax plant is cultivated, this process takes 100 days. Later it is harvested and the plant is
passed through coarse combs which removes seeds and leaves from plant. This process is called
Retting. The woody bark is removed and the inner fiber is taken out which is called the viscose.
After retting the flax plants are squeezed and allowed to dry after which they undergo a process
called breaking where they stalks are broke into shives, then the shives are scotched. The fibers
are combed and straightened in preparation for spinning. This process separates short fibers. The
long fibers are put through machines called spreader which combine fibers of same length thus

7. creating a sliver. Now this sliver is passed through a pair of rollers making the sliver into a
roving thus making it easier to spin into bobbins or cones.
COST SHEET:
SEWING THREAD RATE
PEFE Thread Rs.50/m
Linen Thread Rs.10/m
Silk Thread Rs.20/m
Soft Cotton Thread Rs.100/yard
Mercerized Cotton Thread Rs.5/m
Glaced Cotton Thread Rs.10/yard
Viscose Thread Rs.20/m
Polyester Thread Rs.8/yard
Nylon Thread Rs.5/m
Aramide Thread Rs.15/m