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 Introduction
| Thread Size & Strength |
Grade of Cotton Fiber |
Finishes | Summary
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Over-Dyeing or
Piece-Dyeing Assembled Garments |
Introduction
The question of
what thread to use in garments prepared for dyeing after they are
assembled is being asked more frequently. Careful consideration
should be given to this question because not all thread types will
dye the same resulting in a contrasting thread when compared to the
product it is being sewn into. Most products being piece dyed
are 100% cotton fabrics which generally should be sewn with 100%
cotton sewing threads. But what size, type, finish, and color
thread should be recommended?
Below is a list
of factors that should be considered when selecting 100% cotton
threads.
Today, it is far
more common to assemble garments with polyester sewing threads
rather than cotton sewing threads because cotton sewing threads are
much weaker than polyester threads of the same size, and they are
generally are available in a larger color spectrum. However, when
you are constructing 100% cotton garments that will be Over-dyed or
Piece-dyed, then you MUST use 100% cotton sewing threads.
Generally, because cotton has a much lower tenacity than polyester,
a larger cotton thread will be required to attain the same seam
strength. For example, a T-40 Perma Core has an average break
strength of 4.6 lbs., where a T-80 Anecot-Plus soft cotton thread
breaks at approximately 4.4 lbs. Notice that the cotton thread Tex
size is twice the size of the core thread even though they are
approximately the same strength. This is due to the difference in
tenacities between cotton fiber and polyester fibers.
100% Cotton
sewing threads can be made from either Pima (SAK) cotton or Peeler
(CP) cotton. SAK cotton threads are stronger than CP cotton threads
of the same size and are recommended where you need a higher
strength thread to replace a polyester thread when Over-dyeing
assembled garments. If these grades of cotton threads are mixed on
the same garment that is being over-dyed, these two types of cotton
may dye a slightly different shade especially on light pastel
shades. If you are sewing a T-Shirt that will be over-dyed, we
recommend that you use a T-30 Anecot Plus to replace a T-21 spun
polyester or T-18 Wildcat Plus. Obviously a T-30 size thread will
require a slightly larger needle than a T-21 or T-18, which may
contribute to more needle cutting. However, a T-30 Anecot Plus
thread will generally be required to give adequate seam strength.
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Anecot X-tra |
T-50, T-80,
T-105 |
Most durable
100% cotton thread for overdyeing
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Anecot Plus |
T-30, T-40,
T-50,
T-60, T-70,
T-80,
T-90, T-105,
T-135
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Pima (SAK) for general Over-dyeing applications |
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Anecot |
T-30, T-40,
T-50, |
Peeler (CS)
for general Over-dyeing applications |
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T-60, T-70,
T-80, |
- Lower
tenacity than Anecot Plus, but less expensive |
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T-90, T-105 |
- Not as
durable as Anecot Plus or Anecot X-tra |
Cotton sewing
threads are usually available either
慡oft?or
慚ercerized?
Mercerization increases the thread抯 affinity for dyes and even makes
the thread stronger. However, most fabrics that are used to make the
garment are not made from mercerized cotton yarns; therefore, 憇oft?
cotton threads are normally used.
慡oft?or
慚ercerized?threads can be ordered either
憂atural?or
慴leached
white? If the garments are made from bleached fabrics then most
manufacturers will use bleached sewing threads. Most of our bleached
100% cotton sewing threads also contain an optical brightener. If
bleached threads without an optical brightener is needed, then this
will have to be specially processed, which will take more time to
manufacture.
Many manufacturers
prefer using natural cotton threads so they can segregate the 100%
cotton thread from the 100% polyester threads on the sewing floor.
This is because both
慴leached white?100% cotton threads and 100%
polyester threads are both white and can easily be mistaken for one
another. Polyester sewing threads will not accept the 100% cotton
dyes used in the over-dyeing process.
From the preceding
comments, you can see that there are a variety of cotton threads
available, and each variation may slightly change the shade when piece
dyeing. We suggest that you test your components to insure you will
obtain the desirable results.
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