When testing sewing machines earlier this year, I bought some Serafil thread for bagmaking on the advice of the good people at The Sewing Machine Shop where I bought the new machine. They didn’t have the grey I like, or any grey, so I bought white.
Serafil is described on the Amann Group website “Industrial polyester sewing thread for leather.” They are based in Bönnigheim, Germany. The company’s website says
“The AMANN Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality sewing and embroidery threads. Since 1854, AMANN has combined innovation and tradition to produce premium products.
We supply customers worldwide in the textile and fashion industry, footwear and leather sector, automotive industry, home interior, as well as the technical textiles and workwear sectors.
As a technology leader, we believe in individual solutions and intelligent products created by innovative people.”
I find this so interesting as I had never heard of Serafil or this company before. They show some colors on their website, but I wasn’t able to see a full list of the colors they offer.
The biggest problem with Serafil is the limited colors. I happened to see that Wawak has Serafil in white and blue, but I would like to have a larger selection. I would like to have it, NOT buy it!
I have been using it on and off for various bags and have noticed a few things. I don’t want this to be a list of things I dislike about the thread, as I do find Serafil useful.
In general, the thread flows through my machine smoothly. It doesn’t cause problems with threading or tangles, barring operator error.
One is that it so thick it doesn’t work well with the lock stitch I have been using instead of a backstitch for bags. The lockstitch creates a big messy knot when used with the Serafil. This isn’t a problem as I just use a backstitch.
However, it is great when I have to sink threads. I don’t have to tie 3 knots like I do with Auriful. One knot works and the thread goes through the fabric easily.
Since it doesn’t come in as many colors as Aurifil, I do use Aurifil when I am topstitching as I did for the front panel of the Pandora Charisma #2. I also want to match topstitching thread to the fabric color so wobbly stitching doesn’t scream out at someone looking at it.
The Serafil doesn’t work well with piecing. It isn’t terrible, but thinner Auriful works better. This means that leaders and enders when I am sewing bags with Serafil isn’t possible. It is possible, but doesn’t promote the good outcome I want for my quilts.
I can’t really tell if it will improve the longevity of my bags. I’ll have to wait and see. I feel like it is better to use it for bags as they get more wear. At this time I don’t have other data.
