Buying thread from craft or fabric stores

[hockeyref]

So I know that I can buy a great deal of the stuff (foam, chenille, beads,etc) for tying at the Joanne's fabric, or Michael's crafts here in Western PA... My question is what kind of thread could I buy there that would be suitable? I mean really, they have all sorts of sizes and types of thread - and there is always some sort of sale going on...

 

[gentleshepherd]

I have used thread from stores like these, you can get some pretty cool colors. I try to find the thinnest thread and then run it through a stick of beeswax to give it some tacking to stick to your hooks and keep the color in.

I also have used the embroidery floss also.

But as a former small business owner I still do try to keep my purchases with small store owners. If we don;t support the little guys, the big guys can pretty much dictate to us what our taste will be.

This is something that I do for all of my purchases 1st.

 

[whheff]

If you have a copy of "Midge Magic" by Holbrook and Koch, they tie many flies with Coats and Clark thread. The appendix
in the back of the book has the color and number of the threads they use. Also embroidery floss too.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

ref - sewing thread is typically no substitute for tying thread, because it is too thick for most applications. It can be used for ribbing, body material, etc, though. The cost of a spool of tying thread isn't much more than a spool of sewing thread, and you only need a few different colors to cover a lot of ties.

Black, white, olive, tan, brown, and pale yellow would be a good selection to start with. My favorite for all but the really tiny stuff is Danville 6/0 Flymaster waxed thread.

Besides the hook, thread is the most important part of a fly - not the place to cheap out, IMHO.

Here's a really good article on thread that may help you out.

H.A.

 

[ryguyfi]

The other problem with the thread you find in craft stores is that the spool is the wrong size for your tying bobbin. I'm the HA too though, it's what holds your flies together so not something even i skimp on and I'm as cheap as they come.

 

[jayL]

I have tried the craft store thing many times. Aside from yarns and chenilles, I've never had success with any craft store products. Perhaps I'm doing it wrong.

 

[gfen]

I buy alot of junk at craft stores, but I've never bothered with the thread. There's plenty of advantages to buying proper fly tying thread, and its not that expensive.

 

[afishinado]

I agree that a craft store is not the place to buy your tying thread. But I have found the the "Coates & Clark" metallic thread is great for ribbing on flies and also works very well for metallic trim bands for rod building. It rocks when compared to the Gudebrod stuff that most builders use.

 

[JeffK]

Other than floss and thread for the Midge Magic flies (fantastic patterns BTW), the only thread I get from a crafts store is the dark brown thread I use as ribbing on March Brown nymphs.

Look for mottled yarn for sculpin patterns too.

Occassionally you can find some of the old Kreinik silk flosses in a craft store, but that is getting almost impossible since the big box stores don't keep much old stock around. This is something the local store may have.

I have experimented with all sorts of stuff from a crafts store other than the usual foam, pom-poms (just glue a small pom-pom to a hook for a quick egg), and glass beads, and most stuff doesn't pan out. But it is fun trying.

 

[mcwillja]

I second the coats and clark recommedation as well as the embrodery floss mention. I have used and caught fish with patterns tied with that stuff. Especially the embroidery floss. It makes great midge larva imitations IMO.