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Cotton Thread

Many heirloom monogrammers find that rayon or polyester thread has too high a sheen for their projects, and are interested in using cotton thread to simulate the look of older pieces.

Standard rayon and poly thread is manufactured in 40 weight, and the industry standard for digitizing stock designs is to create densities that sew properly with thread of this weight.

Cotton thread is often found in 50 weight. A higher thread weight translates to a thinner thread. If you use 50 weight thread on a design that is digitized for 40 weight thread the result will be a reduction in density. You can compensate for this by using your embroidery/resizing software program to increase the density throughout the design. These density settings can sometimes be counter-intuitive - a lower setting will produce a higher density - so a sew-out to establish the correct formula is essential. The sew-out will also confirm the amount of density increase that is necessary.

When used in an embroidery machine, cotton thread produces more lint than rayon or poly, so be prepared to clean out any buildup under the machine's throat plate and in the bobbin area on a regular basis.