Threads

The question I posed last week about choosing a stronger, harder wearing thread than cotton embroidery floss for my jeans patching received quite a bit of traffic over on facebook. The discussions on both Odd Bird Studio and in the Slow Fashion Style group contained a wealth of information I will attempt to summarize here.

Stitches used to patch high stress areas will be subject to the same stress as the damaged section of clothing. Over time cotton thread, including Sashiko thread, will fray from continued friction and break from stress. Suggestions:

1. Employ a heavy-duty, waxed cotton thread that will resist chafing and fraying from friction. And accept that the waxed coating will break down through repeated washings of the clothing.
2. Embrace the limits of the materials and add stitching and additional layers of patches as necessary. 
3. Consider the mending process a ritual to be practiced at a regular interval, such as weekly.

The orange-ish thread used to stitch the seams of jeans is a strong, heavy-duty polyester or cotton/polyester blend designed to withstand abuse. The synthetic component lends strength and elasticity to the thread making for longer lasting stitches. However, some folks find synthetic threads uncomfortable against the skin. Many of the following suggestions are cotton coated polyester. The skin will be exposed only to cotton, but the friction of skin against the strong thread may still cause irritation. Suggestions:

1. Gütermann jeans thread, 100% polyester, and Coats & Clark jeans thread, cotton/poly
2. Heavy duty button & carpet thread, cotton/poly (sometimes called button & craft thread)
3. Gütermann top stitch or extra strong, 100% polyester
4. Dental floss. Possibly not the most aesthetically pleasing choice, but it is strong and the waxed variety will prevent friction fraying.

I have yet to employ any of these threads or methods, but I did pick up a few spools of what was available locally, Coats & Clark button & craft thread. The plan is to employ these heavy-duty cotton covered polyester threads and approach mending these jeans as ritual. I will re-stitch the frayed areas of the crotch patch, using smaller stitches which I hope will act as reinforcement, and then work on the large patches needed on the knees and thighs. I am going to attempt darning for the first time, too, on a couple of spots on the thighs that have rubbed through the weft threads.