The Complete Handbook of Thread & Floss
A practical reference for selecting, using, and maintaining thread and floss across fiber arts, textiles, and specialized applications
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
The technical reference for anyone who works with thread and floss. Specifications, selection, troubleshooting, and business opportunities—no marketing, all practical knowledge.
About this book
Thread and floss aren't interchangeable commodities. Polyester behaves differently from cotton under tension. A thread's twist affects how it performs in a needle. Storage conditions degrade fibers in predictable ways. Yet most buyers and makers treat thread as a consumable—grabbed off the shelf by color alone.
This handbook is for professionals, businesses, and serious hobbyists who need to understand why a thread breaks, when to switch materials, how to read specifications that actually matter, and where the money is in this category. You'll learn the fiber science behind thread behavior, the technical specifications that predict performance, how to diagnose common problems, and the business models—from retail to consulting—that makers and resellers use to build sustainable operations.
Whether you're an embroiderer scaling production, a textile studio evaluating suppliers, a retailer stocking inventory, or an entrepreneur looking for entry points into the thread industry, this reference provides the concrete knowledge you won't find in manufacturer marketing or generic sewing guides.
Reader Reviews
Shirley Thompson
★★★★★Finally, a thread book that treats the subject seriously. I've been embroidering for fifteen years and I kept hitting problems I couldn't solve—thread breaking mid-project, tension issues, confusion about why some polyester works and others doesn't. Chapter 1 alone explained more about fiber behavior than I'd learned from a decade of trial and error. The troubleshooting section saved me money by helping me understand which thread failures are fixable and which mean switching materials entirely. This is the reference I've been looking for.
Betty Young
★★★★★Solid technical information, especially on fiber properties and storage. I use this for my textile business and it's been helpful for inventory decisions and supplier evaluation. My one complaint is that Chapter 6 on business opportunities feels a bit thin—I was hoping for more depth on pricing models and margin analysis for resellers. Still, the chapters on selection and troubleshooting are worth the purchase price alone.
George Brown
★★★★★I run a small embroidery service and this handbook has already paid for itself. The chapter on installation and tension alone helped me cut my thread breakage by almost 40% once I understood how spool orientation and unwind speed actually affect stitch quality. The specifications section is incredibly useful for evaluating new suppliers—I now know exactly which metrics matter and how to read a datasheet instead of just trusting brand names. Highly recommended for anyone who treats thread as a real material, not an afterthought.