What Thread Should You Use on Your Featherweight?

Hello everyone, Carmon Henry here. From time to time, I see this question raised on our Singer Featherweight 221 & 222K Sewing Machines Facebook group: What thread should I use on my Featherweight? One sewist prefers Coats and Clark; another prefers Wonderfil or Aurifil. Who is right?

They both are!

The real answer lies with tension. Because thread quality and length of fibers vary from brand to brand, a high-quality thread like Wonderfil needs to have the tension set with that particular thread in order to have a nice stitch. If you have your machine set up to sew with Coats & Clark and then switch to a smooth, fine thread like Wonderfil, your tension will change significantly and your stitch formation will reflect this. 

As the bobbin thread passes under the bobbin tension spring and the upper thread passes between the upper tension discs, the waviness and thickness of the thread will affect both upper and lower tension.

This is one of the main reasons we found it necessary to provide an affordable Bobbin Tension Meter to accommodate various brands and weights of thread. The bobbin tension meter allows you to easily adjust the bobbin case tension regardless of thread type, so don't be afraid to try out other thread brands and make the appropriate tension adjustments! 

Click here to learn how to adjust Featherweight bobbin tension with the bobbin tension meter.

So whatever thread brand you use, keep in mind that not all threads are created equal, but most all can be used in your Featherweight with the proper tension. 

The only other questions you'll want to consider are the following: 

First, what type of project are you working on? Is it heirloom? Will it be passed down to future generations? If so, we recommend a high-quality thread.

Second, what is the fiber content of the fabric? As a general rule, you do not want the thread to be stronger than the fabric it is holding together. The reason for this is because a popped seam is much easier to repair than a frayed seam. For example, if you are using polyester thread on an all-cotton fabric quilt, then each patch may be prone to fraying as it is used, laundered and loved over time. (Compared to a quick pop of a few cotton threads breaking at the seam allowance, which you can easily and quickly repair by hand.) 

Over all, our recommendation is to stick with a 50 or 60 wt. cotton thread. We personally use Wonderfil 60-wt 2-ply 100% Egyptian cotton, spun exclusively from premium Giza fiber—the highest caliber extra-long-staple Egyptian cotton. Cotton thread may have slightly more lint (again, more or less depending on brand and quality), but keep a lint brush handy and give your bobbin case area one drop of oil each time you change your bobbin, and you'll have no issues at all.

Choose Your Wonderfil Thread

Get it by the spool - Create smooth, even stitches! Wonderfil thread is prized for its extreme softness, strength, and unparalleled luster, and the uniformity in diameter makes this thread the perfect choice for premium machine piecing as well as hand appliqué. Available here in six basic colors. 

Get a spool + prewound bobbins - Spend less time winding and more time sewing with our Wonderfil thread spool and 10 matching prewound bobbins. The spool and the prewound bobbins are wound with the same amount of thread so your spool and bobbin run out at the same time, making thread changes easy.

Get the Featherweight Bobbinator - Turn your bobbin into a spool of thread! Select a prewound bobbin with your chosen thread color, slip it into the Bobbinator, and you have a compact, self-contained spool ready for hand sewing, English paper piecing, appliqué, or any small project where dragging out a full spool feels like more than the moment calls for.

Keep Your Thread Flowing Smoothly

Also, don't forget that if you are using a cross-wound spool like most Wonderfil, Aurifil, or Presencia, etc., it is necessary to use a Thread Stand or a Thread Post.

Why?

Because modern cross-wound spools were not designed to work on your vintage Featherweight. Instead of spinning on the machine (like a vintage spool would), modern cross-wound spools are designed to feed the thread off the top of the spool (or off the end when used in a machine with a horizontal spool pin).

When these modern spools are forced to spin on your Featherweight, the spool jerks as it rotates, creating extra tension. Picture this: more tension, less tension, more tension, less tension with each jerking motion. The result: uneven stitches. This is amplified even more with synthetic threads (like polyester) which have more stretch and elasticity.

So you can see why modern cross-wound spools need some kind of adaptor to work well on your Featherweight! We offer two adaptors: the Thread Stand and the Thread Post.

The Thread Stand adapts modern cones and spools to work on your Featherweight by lifting the thread off the modern spool. The result: a smooth thread path, consistent tension, and even stitches. Click here to read more about the importance of using a Thread Stand on your Featherweight. 

The Thread Post converts your Featherweight's vertical spool pin into a horizontal thread delivery system, letting modern cross-wound spools unwind smoothly—so your thread flows evenly from the first stitch to the last. 

Shop all Thread Products for your Featherweight here.