Thread is the material that binds every panel of cloth, every layer of canvas and every detail of a suit into a single garment. A tailored jacket carries tens of thousands of stitches, and although each strand is finer than a millimetre, the quality of the thread and the way it is worked determine the strength of the seams, the refinement of the buttonholes and even the softness of the lapel edge. Mon Amie would like to look closely with you at this smallest of details — one that is present everywhere.
What is thread, and which types does tailoring use?
Sewing thread is not one single thing. Within a suit, the tailor calls on different threads for different jobs:
- Cotton-wrapped polyester (core-spun): strong and elastic, used for load-bearing seams — side seams, shoulders, the trouser seat.
- Silk thread: softly lustrous and supple, used for hand-worked buttonholes, button shanks and decorative stitching such as the pick stitching along the lapel edge.
- Cotton basting thread: the temporary white thread, easy to snap, used to position the layers during construction and removed at finishing.
- Buttonhole twist: a tightly plied silk, reserved for Milanese buttonholes and hand-sewn cuff buttonholes.
Thread fineness is measured in Tex or ticket number: the finer the thread, the more the seam sinks invisibly into the cloth — but the more precise the machine setting and the steadier the hand it demands.
Why thread affects both durability and refinement
Seams are where a suit takes strain every time you reach, sit or lift a suitcase. Poor thread rots before the cloth does: the jacket still looks fine while the stitching gives way at the armhole or seat — a classic fault of careless production. Yet thread that is too strong on a delicate cloth is dangerous in the opposite way: under sudden stress the fabric tears before the stitch breaks, and a torn cloth is far harder to repair than a re-sewn seam. A good tailor therefore matches thread to cloth: heavy flannel takes one thread, a featherweight fresco another. Colour matters too — thread matched to the fabric on every seam, including inside the lining, is a quiet mark of thoroughness.
Reading a tailor's skill through the stitches
When you hold a jacket, a few things are worth checking yourself:
- Stitch density: a well-sewn seam runs at 8–12 stitches per inch, perfectly consistent, never dense in one stretch and sparse in another.
- Buttonholes: a hand-worked buttonhole has purls hugging the edge tightly and a tidy reverse side; cheap machine buttonholes are stiff and frayed.
- Pick stitching on the lapel: a row of tiny hand stitches about 5–6 mm from the edge, slightly alive rather than machine-perfect — absolute uniformity usually betrays imitation "hand" stitching by machine.
- Inside the jacket: lift the lining and see whether thread ends are knotted and buried; stray tails poking out are the signature of rushed work.
Common misconceptions about thread
- Assuming all thread is the same, so only the cloth is worth comparing when ordering a suit.
- Believing hand stitching should look as regular as machine work — in hand sewing, the faint breathing rhythm of the stitches is the craftsman's fingerprint.
- Trimming loose threads or pulling at a slack buttonhole end yourself, which unravels the whole hole; bring it back to the tailor instead.
- Ignoring thread when altering clothes: repairing a fine suit with cheap thread is like patching silk with twine.
A word from Mon Amie's artisans
A Mon Amie tailor spends thirty to forty-five minutes working a single cuff buttonhole by hand in silk twist — and a jacket carries four on each sleeve. Our advice: the next time you try on a suit, do not only study the silhouette in the mirror; turn back the cuff and look at the base of the buttonholes. The place few people ever inspect tells you most honestly about the attitude with which the suit was made.
Thread is small, yet it is what holds an entire suit together through the years. Book an appointment to see our hand stitching up close at the workshop, and explore Mon Amie's bespoke service.