Waxing thread for handsewing?

[Shyla]

I was making Ciero's shorts, and I got to stitching the waist band. Since I was using a longer thread than for my MH stuff, it kept tangling and snapping. Not even thinking about it, I stopped and waxed the thread. Problem solved, sewing finished. Took a few pics, Stop, wait, wait, wax is oil. Stripped him, waited for the fray check to set (5 days for this brand), washed the heck out of the shorts. Still don't trust the shorts to keep on him. -.-; two stupid rows of stitching.

I hadn't really thought twice about doing this. It's supposedly the norm for most handsewing and it really does help tons with snapping, twisting thread. I wash all the clothes I make before I do the final dress up, usually a nice long soak in really hot water and dish soap, with a cold water rinse with fabric softener. But I managed to stain their hooves on my clean desk, so paranoid.

Thoughts? Do you do it? Do you know a nightmare stain story from doing it?

[WhiteDove01s]

Honestly, the only time I've sewn with waxed thread (and that came pre-waxed, with beeswax not paraffin) was for leathercrafting back in the day. When I was learning to hand sew, my gran taught me a sort of rule about thread length I've always stuck with. Hold the spool at the middle of your chest, grab the end of the thread with your other hand and hold your arm out straight. You should never use a thread longer than the length of your arm. And even when you use it single ply, you pull enough of the unknotted end through the needle to where it's really more like half the length of your arm that you're working with. And that it's always better to work with more short thread than one long thread, even if rethreading is a nuisance. After those lessons, I never really had tangles... so I never looked up a way to prevent them. This is the first I've heard about waxing thread for fabric sewing.

That said, if it's an older method I missed... maybe it depends on the wax? Paraffin wax is oil, yes. But I'm honestly not sure how beeswax would be classified or if it would cause staining (thanks for giving me a new thing to test! XD) and until very recently I'd think it'd be more likely used for anything of that sort. Beeswax also has a lower melt temp so would probably be easier to wash out after sewing. Someone who's actually used this on sewing's going to have to weigh in, I'm afraid, because that's about all I can theorize. XD

[Greyhaunt]

I use either beeswax or Thread Heaven for most all of my sewing/beading and I've never had any sort of issue with the doll being stained in any way, nor have I ever heard of staining from either of those products anywhere else. And I handsew 99% of what I make I think you can let your doll wear the shorts safely.

As for the hooves that got stained - could have been anything. I tend to be paranoid about anything with color touching the dolls like writing on paper, color that has been put on paper like the priority mail boxes. I know someone who had a vinyl doll head mailed to her and the ink from the writing in the priority mail box stained it! But vinyl is much more stainable than resin and harder to clean off. I now try to always wrap a papertowel around any parts not being used even if they are just sitting on the table - that or white tissue paper. Which is all utterly off topic LOL.

[Shyla]

I won a bet with myself! I said Greyhaunt would know. It's 100% beeswax for sewing so whew, all clear. ^.^ Thank you kindly.

off topic= I was laying out paper towels, until i remembered the unbleached canvas I had picked up for dolly corset making, also sealed the hooves with brush on matte. /end off topic

Whitedove, my grandmother never mentioned waxing thread, either, but she did teach me the arm's length. Wise women, nod, nod. I'm going to hazard a guess that on my end, it was because my grandmother rarely hand sewed, or wasn't expecting me to. I use a bit longer thread than the arms length, which I think is a holdover from learning embroidery from my aunt who I learned the waxing from.

I don't see much mention of the practice in modern tailoring, (around the time machine use became the norm), but for period clothing or hand quilting you fall all over references to it.

[victoriavictrix]

If you are looking for something really tough to sew with, check your local fishing outlet for something called Fireline and get the lightest version. Beaders like to work with it because, since it is intended for fishing and to be stretched, reeled up and unreeled, it doesn't tangle nearly as badly as conventional thread or "invisible thread."

Thread Heaven, which is a tangle-preventer like beeswax, is a silicon lubricant and perfectly safe to use around your dolls.

[Greyhaunt]

LOL- well I hope you won something good in that bet

Actually, I learned about thread conditioning first through beadwork - which is why I have lots of little blue containers of thread heaven around my apartment - but I did see a lot of references to it in sewing when I delved into hand sewing techniques more.

Hmmm, I've never tried sewing with Fireline (I have lots of it for beading) VV. I need to give that a try!

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

I learnt the very useful tip of using beeswax to make it easier to thread a needle via beadwork. Coat the end of the thread with beeswax, smoosh down flat with your fingernail, and it threads a lot easier. Cutting the end at an angle also helps. Of course, a needle threader helps even more

I've got a few boxes of thread heaven around the place, too (and my nymo thread mostly gets used for hand sewing dolls clothes these days)