Links to Sewing Supplies
Copyright 2005 Ronald B. Standler
Table of Contents
Manufacturers
Retail stores: Notions (e.g., thread, needles, etc. auf deutsch = Nähzubehör )
Retail stores: Fabric
Manufacturers
Pfaff sewing machines
Schmetz needles
There are different measurements for sizes of sewing needles in metric and American (i.e., Singer Sewing Machine Company) practices:
| metric | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 100 | 110 | 120 |
|---|
| american | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 19 |
|---|
The diameter of the needle in millimeters × 100 is the metric size, so a size 65 needle has a diameter of 0.65 mm.
The relationship of one American size per 0.05 mm is true only from 0.6 mm to 1.1 mm.
Thread
I do not like the standard cotton/polyester thread commonly available in the USA, as it is not durable.
Instead, I prefer 100% polyester thread from any of the following manufacturers in Europe:
- Gütermann in Germany
- Mettler in Switzerland
I particularly like the heavy-duty thread intended for buttonholes and top-stitching
(in German: "Knopfloch- und Zierstich-fäden") that is sold:
- Gütermann catalog-Nr. M1003 (30-meter spools)
- Mettler Cordonnet catalog-Nr. 1146 (50-meter spools)
Gütermann recommends needle size 120 with top-stiching thread,
while Mettler recommends at least size 110.
reißfestes Garn
Alternatively, I use extra-strong 100% polyester thread:
- Gütermann M782 (100-meter spools)
- Mettler Nr. 8290 (125-meter spools)
Gütermann recommends needle sizes 100 to 120 with extra-strong thread,
while Mettler recommends at least size 90.
Retail Stores: Notions
There are two large chains of retail stores in the USA that sell fabric and notions (e.g., thread, needles, sewing accessories):
- Jo-Ann has some Gütermann thread
- Hancock has some Gütermann and Mettler threads
There are two big mail-order notion (e.g., thread, needles, sewing accessories) stores in the USA:
There are many small mail-order notion stores that sometimes
have a better selection of speciality needles or thread:
- Faden Versand and
Nähpark
in Germany has more colors and larger spools of Gütermann and Mettler (Amann) thread
than the manufacturers import into the USA
- Nähzentrum
in Germany has Schmetz needles
- John Hittel in Kentucky has wholesale prices for thread
- Create for Less in Oregon has top-stitching and extra-strong threads from Gütermann and Mettler
- Sewing Supply Warehouse in Florida has Schmetz needles and Metrosene thread
- Quilting Wearhouse in California has extra-strong Gütermann thread
Retail Stores: Fabric
I tend to use heavy-duty fabrics. For example, I made a book bag out of Nylon Cordura® 1000 denier fabric that lasted
through three years of law school with virtually no detectable wear, while many of my classmates purchased a new book bag every year.
I made a car seat cover and a bedspread from cotton duck cloth, a light-weight canvas. These kinds of fabrics are not sold
in local fabric stores whose customers mostly make clothing, curtains, etc.
American fabric stores give the density of the fabrics in "ounces per square yard", which is often -- and improperly --
shortened to "oz." To obtain the density in grams per square meter, multiply "oz/yd2" by 33.8
I order most of my fabric from stores that specialize in outdoor fabrics:
- Rainshed in Corvallis, Oregon
- The Green Pepper in Eugene, Oregon
The following fabric stores have interesting websites, but I have not ordered from them:
The following stores have closed-cell Neoprene and polyethylene foams, used for cushioning delicate objects:
http://www.rbs0.com/sew.html
webpage created 9 Sep 2005, revised 13 Dec 2009
return to my personal homepage