FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
HOW ARE THE PRINCESS THREADS ANY DIFFERENT FROM THOSE OF OTHER MANUFACTURERS?
Our system was designed from the start to meet the needs of the enthusiastic hobby machine embroiderer – a system that provided a sufficient number of shades to meet virtually all requirements, yet compact enough to be affordable and manageable. It’s no good having lots of beautiful thread choices if you can’t put your hands on the one you want. So, our threads are divided up into 12 separate themed packs of 10. Each spool-end indicates the location within its box and the back of each box gives the layout of the full collection. A simple idea, but one that saves so much time and frustration.
IN WHAT SIZES ARE THE THREADS AVAILABLE?
The threads are on spools of 1,000m, with a slotted flange at each end which prevents the mess of a spool unwinding. In most cases they are also available on even more economical 5,000m cones coming soon to the website.
WHAT MATERIAL IS USED FOR OUR THREADS?
Our threads are all 40’s rayon. We do not supply a polyester range.
WHICH IS BETTER – POLYESTER OR RAYON?
There is no definitive answer for this. The adage of ‘horses for courses’ applies. Rayon tends to have a brighter sheen than polyester and emphasises natural shading in a stitchout as angles and fill types are applied. However, rayon has less stretch than polyester and will tend to break more easily. On the other hand, because of the stretch element in polyester thread, you may find that there is more puckering in the finished design as the thread stretches during embroidery, then contracts back afterwards. If you have heard of or tried the ‘embroidery decoupage’ technique, using a burning tool, as promoted by Jenny Haskins, you will also know that this method cannot be used with polyester thread, because it melts in the process, whereas rayon doesn’t.
DOES THE THREAD BREAK?
I was once asked this question while showing at one of the sewing exhibitions and I think the lady was a little surprised when my immediate reply was:-“Yes, of course it does. All threads break.” When we watch our machines stitching out and see how hard the machine, needle and threads have to work, how many needle penetrations there are, how fast the modern machines embroider and how many different and challenging fabrics and stabilisers they now have to cope with, it is quite amazing that we are not dealing with thread or needle breaks every few minutes! Having said that, it is of course annoying, time-consuming and frustrating if this does happen. As stated above, generally polyester will be a little stronger than rayon. However, whatever thread you are using, regular breakages are usually solved by a) changing the needle b) re-threading both top and bottom c) cleaning out both top and bottom d) adjusting the top tension e) walking away and having a cup of tea/coffee!
When we were preparing to market our thread range, they were tried out extensively on all major brands of machine and often more than one model of a particular brand. We only experienced a slight problem with one machine, which was resolved by tension adjustments. There is always the possibility of a ‘rogue’ spool of any brand of thread and there is also the strange phenomenon of a particular machine, for no reason that can be ascertained, not coping with a particular manufacturer’s thread. I know from experience that this also applies to, for example, machine knitting yarn. If there is a real problem of this nature which, with the best will in the world, cannot be resolved, we have always had a generous warranty – please see our terms and conditions and FAQ 8 below. We are pleased to say that we have had very, very few returns under the terms of this guarantee.
ARE YOUR THREADS COLOURFAST?
Our threads are manufactured to be completely colourfast and from the beginning we also carried out our own range of in-house tests. However, depending on your method of laundering very occasionally you may encounter a problem. We would therefore advise that you do a trial stitchout and launder on a sample of same or very similar fabric. Indeed, we would recommend this whatever thread/fabric you are using, just as you would probably make several samples to check out a new design or colour combination. Princess Embroidery’s liability for any defective product is limited to refund or replacement of the faulty spool and not for any consequential loss.
HOW DO YOUR SHADES COMPARE TO OTHER MANUFACTURERS’?
For a number of reasons, you may wish to compare our colours to those in other ranges. We have therefore included on our website a comparison chart including Princess, Sulky, Madeira and Robison-Anton rayon threads, in a PDF file which you can download and print out. We all know that shade comparison is difficult and subjective and that printed or on-line colour blocks can only provide a rough approximation. We also know that a huge element of the beauty of our embroideries comes from the complex and ever-shifting shading that comes with every movement of the eye or fabric or stitch choice and angle. It is also not always possible to find the same colours in different manufacturers’ ranges, however extensive that range may be. We have compiled our chart by painstakingly matching actual thread wraps, rather than printed blocks and hope that most comparisons are very close. We hope you find this chart useful.
HOW DOES YOUR MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE WORK?
If you purchase either a 3-set starter pack or the complete Princess collection and you are not happy when you receive it, you may return the threads to us within 28 days for a full refund. We would expect you to return the goods to us in the same condition in which you received them so that they are resaleable. We accept that you may have tried a few threads and we will still accept a return provided that you have not tried more than 5 threads and you tell us which ones when you return them.
WHAT IF A THREAD PROVES FAULTY AFTER THE 28 DAY PERIOD?
Any faulty thread will be replaced FOC within 3 months from purchase. The faulty item must be returned for evaluation, but we suggest that you first ring us to see if we can resolve the problem another way. If you experience any genuine problem at any time – please feel free to contact us.