Thread’s thread, right? It would amaze you what a difference poor quality sewing thread can make to your sewing machine – from bad tension to skipped stitches, even a noisier bobbin case.  Thread all looks the same at a glance, but there is a big difference.  Budget thread is often spun loosely and prone to stretching, this means that as the thread makes the quick and intricate journey around your bobbin case to form a stitch, it will stretch rather than travel, so when it’s time to connect with the bobbin, it’s in the wrong place and your stitch is skipped.  Similarly, tensions are affected, as are stitch lengths. Another big problem with threads is age – if your thread is dusty, it’s going to break as you sew, and if you have some cherished Coats thread from the war, keep it as a keep-sake but it’s too old to sew with now.  Many, many times, we’ve helped customers who are at their wits end having spent hours at home trying to diagnose what’s wrong with their machine, when all that they needed to do was upgrade their thread.  In fact, more often than not our suggestion is met with some scepticism until the re-thread is done and the results change right in front of delighted customer’s eyes.  To spot a good thread, look for a manufacturer’s name, thread colour codes and yardage stamped on the spool.  We recommend Rasant thread ($7.50 for 1000m) and Aerofil ($3 for 100m) both of which we range in our shop-front in popular colours.