Frequently Asked Questions

A BERNINA® sewing machine will sew with almost any thread, but remember that your time and talent, as well as the fine quality of the BERNINA® machine, deserve top quality thread for the best results. Select quality thread brands like Mettler, Isacord, Madeira, Sulky and YLI.

We suggest Mettler's Metrosene long staple polyester for most of your garment construction sewing. When piecing 100% cotton fabrics for a quilt or quilted garment, Mettler Silk Finished Cotton is an excellent thread choice. Both threads are high quality with a consistent diameter, even with darker dyes, and the long staple means that there is very little fuzz build-up on the thread path and inside the machine.

For embroidery, we suggest Isacord Polyester thread, Mettler Polysheen Polyester thread, Mettler 30 wt and 60 wt cotton thread, and Yenmet Metallic Wrapped Polyester Thread. YLI and Superior also make good quality embroidery threads as does Sulky.

Sewers are sometimes thrifty and are tempted to buy the cheaper, lower quality polyester core/cotton wrapped threads. These are made with shorter staple fibers and will deposit more fuzz in your machine in the bobbin area, the thread path, and tension disks. With these threads, you need to be careful with dye bleeding, stretching when the seam is formed, inconsistent diameter, and relaxation/shrinkage with laundering. The worn-out cliché, "You seldom get more than you pay for", really does apply when it comes to threads.

When the machines are checked and "sewn in" by a BERNINA® Authorized technician before being delivered to the customer, they are adjusted using top quality thread. If you use lesser quality brands exclusively, you might need to have your machine readjusted for those threads and use a larger needle to compensate for the inconsistent diameter.
Additional thread information can be found at www.berninausa.com. Select Sewing Studio > Basic Training for a downloadable PDF document.