Z is for Z-Twisted

Today, we arrive at Z!

And with Z comes the official end to the ABC Archives series here on Needle ‘n Thread!

Pulling Z way out of the deep archives, we’re going to talk about Z-Twisted threads.

This can be a rather confusing topic, and it might not matter a lot to you. But it can make a difference to your stitches under certain circumstances.

Depending on the type of thread, the twist of the thread can be one of two types of twist: s-twisted or z-twisted.

What does this mean?

Well, the twist on a z-twisted thread looks like this:

Rayon threads, synthetics, filament silks, and pretty much any thread that can be used in a machine are z-twisted threads.

The twist on an s-twisted thread looks like this:

Cotton hand embroidery threads and wool hand embroidery threads are generally s-twisted threads, as are most stranded silks made with spun silk (as opposed to filament silk).

The twist of the thread can affect the way embroidery stitches turn out.

Now, if you only ever stitch with cotton, wool, and spun (stranded) silk, this is not something you have to worry about. The majority of stitch instructions out there are written for s-twisted threads.

But if you stitch with rayons (for example, for Brazilian embroidery) or with filament silks, or even with machine threads for tiny details, then the twist of the thread matters on certain stitches.

Any stitch that involves a sort of twisted “interlocking” between one stitch and the next – for example, stem stitch (the stitches twist together for a twisted together rope-like look) or buttonhole stitch (the edge of the buttonhole stitches results in the same type of twisted-together rope-like look) – changes with a z-twist thread.

I know! I know! This all sounds very complicated!

Does it even matter?! you might be tempted to ask.

It might not. Again, if you only ever stitch with cotton, wool, stranded spun silk – this probably will never matter to you!

In Detail!

If you’d like to learn more about z-twisted threads vs s-twisted threads, how to tell them apart, and how to handle them for certain stitches, check out these articles from the archives:

This article will introduce you to the terms s-twisted and z-twisted, and explain what they mean.

This article will demonstrate the difference between the s-twisted and z-twisted threads when they are stitched in certain ways.

I’m just enough of a thread and stitch nerd to find this type of information interesting, and I hope it is helpful for folks who are exploring a wide variety of thread types while stitching.

But I don’t want it to become a stumbling block for new stitchers! If you are working with cotton, don’t get hung up on these technicalities, because it won’t affect you, and it shouldn’t worry or trouble you!

Looking for More?

You can explore more of the ABC Archive series from Needle ‘n Thread here, at the ABC Archives Index.

More embroidery chatter coming up later this week!

Website News!

From Wednesday, June 17 – Wed June 24, we will not be shipping from the shop on Needle ‘n Thread. The shop will be open so that you can make purchases online, and any purchases made during that time will ship on Thursday, June 25th.