Talk:Thread (textiles)

Gauges

A number of other gauges are used more and less commonly in describing thread sizes. The article could benefit readers greatly by describing them and giving conversions.

1. Simple metric
2. Cotton count (almost always used for home sewing)
3. Linen count
4. Hong Kong Ticket
5. US commercial sizes, most commonly used for both single thread and serger machines, as well as and shoes (e.g. 69), although sometimes used for hand leather goods and beadwork
6. A French system somehow based on some unit of length per weight now used pretty infrequently except for high end leather goods, but was once more widely used (e.g. http://www.sajou.fr/en/360-fil-au-chinois-thread-n532-057-diam-waxed-cable-linen)

The article should also mention units like hanks and skeins; and the various methods thread might be made form single filaments, or staples spun into yard and then plied into thread (Cotton count is very descriptive as to number of plies). Dropping this here as a note to myself and anyone else interested in expanding the article. It's presently not very useful. Nuttish (talk) 13:50, 8 October 2014 (UTC)

Sundry issues

1. This article is skewed towards sewing. It would be useful to discuss other uses of threads within textiles.
2. As with many aspects of textile technology and other technologies frequently associated with women, referencing is challenging, because the best informed references are often practitioner blogs rather than peer-reviewed literature. Assistance with referencing would be valuable.
3. The name of the article should be Thread (textiles) rather than Thread (yarn) as most people who use threads and yarns often do not see threads as a subset of yarns. I cannot see how to change this.

Marynz (talk) 21:12, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

I agree with the point about the article title, and have moved it. Thread is not a subset of yarn, and the article makes this clear. Tacyarg (talk) 17:49, 23 March 2026 (UTC)

Thread and Yarn are interchangable in usage in language. One is not a subset of the other, no matter how you look at it.

The article is skewed towards sewing, as the writing assumes (mostly) that "thread" is sewing associated. It isn't.

The article as it stands should be titled "Sewing thread" Walter Who mentioned Pearl Harbour? Ego 18:37, 23 March 2026 (UTC)

Hi. I don't believe "yarn" and "thread" are interchangeable. For instance, in "yarn shop". But I agree that "sewing thread" would work as a title for the existing version of the article. Tacyarg (talk) 22:44, 23 March 2026 (UTC)

"Thread shop" works too, so I disagree there. Re the title, I'm not going to change it atm or ask for a change until I can see a consensus. Lets see if any lurkers reveal themselves ;)

I'm not convinced of the value of the two tables in the article, poorly sourced and sketchy in the extreme regarding yarn counts, yarn and material properties "Nylon is usually stronger than polyester" is an example. However it usually takes me days to work up the stones to make major changes to an article, so nobody panic. - Walter Who mentioned Pearl Harbour? Ego 23:40, 23 March 2026 (UTC)