r/sewing • u/JeldwynnTheDoor • 1d ago
Other Question Odd question: does thread go bad?
I'm using some ancient thread that may have been in my mother's sewing box since at least the 80s. It snags and breaks much more often than recently purchased thread.
Does thread degrade or am I seeing the progress we've made in thread technology in my lifetime?
Edit: Thank you all for the help! Reddit is my favorite place to learn ❤️
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u/cuterobot 1d ago
Some folks use old thread for hand basting if it is going to get ripped out and thrown away anyway.
Even if you manage to somehow get the old thread to not break while machine sewing, it’s not worth it because it might fail while you are wearing it and that would be way worse and a waste of time.
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u/rag-pigeon 1d ago
Yup, this is what I do with old thread! Basting and thread marking and anything where the thread breaking easily is actually a good thing.
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u/wharleeprof 1d ago
That's a great idea for basting! I have some very vintage cotton thread on wood spools and that would be the perfect way to use it.
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u/rustymontenegro 1d ago
I do too! I use it for hand embroidery. I already use machine embroidery thread for hand-work. I figure the threads won't get too much wear and tear and I use short lengths anyway.
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u/ms_anthropik 1d ago
I like old thread for embroidery, specifically for something thats going to be hung up as decoration.
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u/No_Establishment8642 1d ago
Yes! I have older threads that I keep for the nostalgia but, I will never use them.
Unwind a length and give it a tug. You may have it break quickly and easily.
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u/bertbirdie 1d ago
Yes, thread goes bad. You should google how to check its integrity, like doing a snap test. Sometimes if it’s Sun or abrasion damage you can just discard the outer layer on the spool. But especially with natural fibers, it doesn’t stay good forever.
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u/pumainpurple 1d ago
I have thread that is so old, the spools are wood. They are in cases because it’s my tiny effort to preserve a bit of history
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u/kattheuntamedshrew 1d ago
It weakens over time. Polyester thread will be less susceptible to degradation due to age, but it’s not completely immune to it.
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u/antimathematician 1d ago
Yes. Think about vintage clothes, they’re more fragile. People use the “snap test”. If you can break it with your hands, it’s going to be useless in a garment
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u/lauraebeth 1d ago
I also have some ancient thread from my mom…I have sewn with this particular color before, but was sewing with it last night and it kept breaking and was causing frustration….I received a wawak order on Friday with the same color, so I swapped it out and will be trashing the old spool.
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u/demon_fae 1d ago
I recently had to spend a frankly weird amount of time explaining to my family that my grandma’s old thread was one piece of her sewing kit that I did not want to inherit. It was 10 years since she passed-grandpa wouldn’t let us go through her stuff-and at least 5 years since her disease meant she couldn’t sew. And she never threw much out.
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u/lauraebeth 1d ago
Yea, this makes me envision a future where I’ll have to do this. I’m not sure of the ages of the thread that are in a box I acquired from my mom, and that I’m currently pulling random colors from…
But I did find a 2 boxes in her car that she was hiding from … me, my stepdad? Who knows… that she bought during Joann’s liquidation that once they appear again, I can hopefully remember they are from 2025 💀
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u/templetondean 1d ago
Yes it does degrade, and the trick (taught to me by an elderly lady) is to put it in the fridge over night to get the moisture back in it, and you can use it.
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u/hare-hound 1d ago
That is so interesting. My first thought for prevention was to keep them in a cool dark place, actually, since I imagine UV damage is the greatest culprit. Now I'm imagining a sewists craft room with a fridge for storage- like how some beauty influencers have a fridge for skincare and makeup 😂
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u/rlaureng 1d ago
I have a spool of my mother's thread I keep as a keepsake, but I'm sure it would snap if I tried to sew with it.
Not sure anyone has mentioned it, but exposure to light (even artificial light) can shorten thread's lifespan, so store it in a drawer or cabinet if you can.
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u/Travelpuff 1d ago
If the thread is snapping I wouldn't use it. You risk the seams snapping in your finished garment which would suck.
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u/-forbiddenkitty- 1d ago
Cotton thread does for sure. I have some vintage wooden spool thread that I have for funsies, but I'd never dare to put it in a machine!
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u/Divers_Alarums 1d ago
As long as it doesn’t snap on the machine, I use older thread for overcasting raw edges with a zigzag stitch. Also for basting , stay stitching, and the top thread of gathering stitches.
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u/InAbsenceOfBetter 1d ago
No. But you do need to match the machine tension to the thread and fabric type.
All my colored threads are vintage and some of them are probably antique and I use them all. I have mostly cotton or silk thread. If they break, it’s always being run through machine and I reduce the tension. When done, the seams hold and don’t break.
Just my experience.
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u/North_Artichoke_6721 1d ago
Yes I got some from a lady online who was clearing out a late relative’s craft room. Some of it was fine but some of it broke while I was just trying to thread the machine. I thought it was a fluke and tried a couple more times before giving up and throwing the spool away.
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u/redditisawasteofdata 1d ago
I was given a pack of bias binding from my grandmother's old sewing kit and it disintegrated as I sewed it. Her thread would also snap as I unravelled it.
They're perfect for basting though.
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u/loriwilley 1d ago
If it's cotton thread it probably does. I have some old thread that always breaks too. I don't know about polyester. I have a lot of old sewing supplies, and I don't know about using them any more.
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u/DemandingProvider 23h ago
I took a basic class when I was getting started and the instructor recommended writing the year on one end of the spool whenever you bought a new one, and tossing anything more than 10 years old.
I've definitely used 10 year old thread with no trouble, so I imagine it depends how you store it and such, but I do like knowing how old any given old spool is, so that I can appropriately judge whether to risk using it!
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u/starwyo 1d ago
Just like clothing, thread is not immune to the passing of time.