Hi everyone, can you help with this - I have temporarily run out of bobbin fill and pre-wound bobbins. What is the best substitute for bobbins?

Embroidery thread in the bobbin only if you want your work to be seen from the back as well.
Ordinary overlock polyester (nice big cone) works fab as unseen bobbin thread.
I wind my own bobbins with this thread and use it all the time.
From Bev

1 comment

by vickiannette 10 Feb 2011

thankyou, was wondering if this would be okay.

My quilt/embroidery shop told me it didnt matter what you used. The only difference was the back side of the embroidery would be heavier then if you used the lighter bobbin thread. At the time I was using my embroidery thread as top and bobbin thread. But some machines might be not work with it, they can be a bit picky when they want to.

They do sell bobbin thread if you wanted to have some on hand for the future. I'd use regular embroidery thread in the meantime.

This happened me last week and I used embroidery thread in the bobbin until I could get to the shop to get more, and the embroidery thread worked out fine!

1 comment

by vickiannette 09 Feb 2011

Thankyou, this is the answer I was after. Can't get to the shop right now as I live 200km away from the closest sewing shop. Will have to ring for some, in the meantime will do as you suggest.

My thread supplier tells me that Janomes require cotton bobbin thread, so yes, you'd need to check what your brand is fond of.

1 comment

by kttyhwk4 09 Feb 2011

your thread supplier is not telling the truth. I use RA or Brother bobbin thread and it is not cotton... The only time I use a cotton in my bobbin is usually when I'm working with cottons such as in quilt making.

What kind of machine do you have? Look in the book that came with your machine and it will tell you what to use. Certain mchines take certain thread to be happy and preform well. Suzanne