Best Thread for Janome Sewing Machines: Sewing, Quilting and Embroidery

Our verdict

Top Picks

Janome’s instruction books name a thread weight, not a brand, so the best thread for your Janome sewing machine depends on the job: piecing a quilt, sewing a garment, free-motion quilting, or running an embroidery design on a Memory Craft. The instruction books point to the weight that matters: the HD-3000’s chart lists cotton or synthetic thread in sizes #50 to #80 for medium fabrics and #40 to #50 for heavy ones, and names no brand. This guide compares nine threads you can buy on Amazon today, from all-purpose polyester to fine bobbin thread and Janome’s own embroidery bobbin thread, and sorts them by what you sew.

Price tier legend: $ = entry level, $$ = mid-range, $$$ = premium, per spool and relative to the products in this guide. Spool lengths differ a lot, so a $$$ spool can cost less per yard than a $ one.

Compare the picks

Compare the threads

The table lists the exact spool each review links. Weights are as each maker numbers them; Gütermann uses its own “No. 100” scale rather than a weight. “Not published” means neither the maker nor the Amazon listing gives the figure.

How We Matched Thread to Janome Machines

What decided the picks

• Weight against Janome’s chart: Janome’s HD-3000 instruction book lists #50 to #80 cotton or synthetic thread for medium fabrics and #40 to #50 for heavy ones; every top thread here is a 40 or a 50 except Gutermann, which uses its own scale, and the two finer ones (80 wt and #90) are bobbin threads.
• Machine and fabric fit: whether the maker, the listing or Janome owners name the thread for the job (garments, piecing, quilting, embroidery) and for Janome machines.
• Fibre: cotton for piecing and quilting cotton fabric, polyester for garments, stretch and embroidery.
• Lint: owner reports of lint under the needle plate, and the makers’ own lint claims, named as claims.
• Spool length and colours: how many yards you get and, where the maker publishes it, how many colours.
• Availability: in stock on Amazon, new, with a seller we could verify on the day we checked.

Where the information comes from and what Janome owners report

Where the information comes from

Weights, fibres and lengths come from the makers’ pages (Aurifil, Mettler, Superior Threads, Gütermann) and the Amazon listings we link. Janome’s guidance comes from its HD-3000 instruction book. Two independent side-by-side comparisons, run by their authors, cover threads in this guide: Guilty Quilty Studio pieced the same blocks with Aurifil 50 wt and a rival cotton, and Stitched in Color ran seven threads on a longarm, including So Fine! and King Tut (Aurifil supplied its own cones for that test). Neither names a Janome: Stitched in Color used a longarm, and Guilty Quilty does not say which machine it used, so the results may not carry over to a home Janome. We found no lab test of thread on Janome machines, so where a review rests on owner reports, it says so.

What Janome owners report

The richest owner thread is an r/quilting post from a new Janome 6700P owner whose dealer said the machine “can be picky with Gutermann and Coats and Clark” and suggested Glide, Janome, Madeira or Isacord instead. The replies did not back the dealer on Gutermann: one 6650 owner had “no troubles with Gutterman”, though several said it sheds more lint than Aurifil. Aurifil came up most; the poster summed up, “Most people are saying Aurifil.” Coats & Clark fared worst: one owner said “my machine did not love it”, and another, who owns five Janomes, called it “the worst in terms of lint, IMO”. A 6650 owner described her machine as a “thread diva” that runs well only on Aurifil, but that is one machine; the same thread shows other owners running Gutermann, Mettler, Glide and WonderFil without complaint.

Detailed Reviews

Aurifil Mako Cotton 50wt, Best Cotton Overall

Evidence: Independently reviewed, same series. Guilty Quilty Studio: 50 wt, spool or cone size not stated.

Aurifil’s 50 wt is a 2-ply Mako cotton that the maker calls “our most versatile and most popular Cotton thread”, available in 270 colours. In the r/quilting thread on the Janome 6700P it was the brand named most often, with owners of the 6600P, 6650 and 6700P reporting it runs well; one owner said a four-pack lasted “through 6 quilts” with “very little lint, breakage, or tangling”. Guilty Quilty Studio pieced identical rail-fence blocks with Aurifil 50 wt and WonderFil Konfetti and found both “worked equally well in my machine” with about the same lint, most of which came from the fabric; a bobbin of Aurifil also lasted longer, which the tester put down to its having one strand fewer (2-ply against 3-ply). One owner in the Janome thread finds it breaks in free-motion quilting, and Stitched in Color reported “Constant breakage” running it on a longarm, so pair it with a polyester for heavy free-motion work.

Specs (linked: 1,422 yd large spool, Natural White 2021)

• Weight: 50 wt, 2-ply (maker)
• Fibre: 100% cotton (listing); Mako Egyptian cotton, mercerized (Guilty Quilty Studio)
• Length: 1,422 yd
• Needle: 80/12 Microtex, Universal or Quilting (maker)
• Colours: 270 (maker)

Gutermann Sew-All Thread, 1,094 yd, Best All-Purpose

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/quilting, Janome 6650 owner: Gutermann, line and spool not stated.

Gutermann Sew-All is a polyester thread made, per Gütermann, with its “Micro Core Technology” for “all fabrics and seams”, sized “No. 100” on the maker’s own scale for Universal needles 70 to 90. The listing calls it “Perfect for use on natural and synthetic fibers”, and polyester has a little stretch, as Suzy Quilts notes, which suits garments. On Janome machines the owner record is mixed but mostly positive: one Janome 6650 owner reported “no troubles with Gutterman”, and another owner in the same thread had used Gutermann “in the past without issue”, while others found it “linty” next to Aurifil and Mettler cotton. The 1,094 yd spool is the large size; Gütermann’s EU page lists 1,000 m in 10 shades, versus 400 for the 100 m spool, so colour matching may mean buying the small spools.

Specs (linked: 1,094 yd, Nu White)

• Weight: No. 100 (Gütermann’s scale; weight in wt not published)
• Fibre: 100% polyester
• Length: 1,094 yd
• Needle: Universal 70 to 90 (maker)
• Colours: 10 shades at 1,000 m, 400 at 100 m (maker, EU)

Mettler Silk-Finish Cotton 50, 547 yd, Best Cotton for Garments

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/quilting, Janome thread: Mettler 50 wt cotton, spool not stated.

Mettler’s Silk-Finish Cotton 50 is mercerized, which the maker says makes it “more tearproof, low-shrink and iron-proof”, and it comes in up to 273 colours. The listing pitches it for “heirloom quilts, custom garments and creative projects” and says the “Manufacturer recommends needle size 80-90”, which sits inside the #11/75 to #14/90 range Janome’s chart gives for medium fabrics. One owner in the Janome thread, comparing it with Gutermann, said “I like Mettler 50 wt cotton or that fancy aurofil 50 wt cotton- less lint”, and a former Janome seller said “I like and use Mettler threads”; neither named the spool. It is 3-ply where Aurifil is 2-ply, and the 547 yd spool runs out sooner than Aurifil’s large spool.

Specs (linked: 547 yd, Antique White)

• Weight: No. 50, 3-ply (maker, linear density Nm 82/3)
• Fibre: 100% mercerized cotton
• Length: 547 yd / 500 m
• Needle: 80 to 90 (listing)
• Colours: up to 273 (maker)

Superior Threads So Fine! 50, 550 yd Spool, Best Fine Polyester

Evidence: Independently reviewed, same series. Stitched in Color: 50 wt, 3,280 yd cone, on a longarm.

So Fine! is a 50 wt, 3-ply filament polyester that Superior Threads sells for “quilting, general all-purpose sewing, and garment construction”, with “Ultra-Low Lint” as the maker’s headline claim. The listing adds that it is “excellent for sewing, serging, quilting and for your bobbins”, so one spool can run top and bottom, as Janome’s manual suggests for general sewing. The only independent report we found is from Stitched in Color, which tried seven threads on a longarm and chose So Fine!: “So Fine is the only 50 wt thread I’ve tested which is appropriate for longarming”, with no “breakage or difficulty setting the tension”. That test used the 3,280 yd cone on a longarm, not this 550 yd spool on a home Janome; the thread is the same 50 wt. Superior sells the linked spool on Amazon itself.

Specs (linked: 550 yd spool, #454 Sandstone)

• Weight: 50 wt, 3-ply (maker)
• Fibre: 100% filament polyester
• Length: 550 yd
• Needle: not published on the pages we checked
• Colours: not published on the pages we checked

Superior Threads King Tut 40 wt, 500 yd, Best 40 wt Cotton

Evidence: Independently reviewed, same series. Stitched in Color: 40 wt, 2,000 yd cone, on a longarm.

King Tut is a 40 wt, 3-ply extra-long staple Egyptian cotton that Superior describes as “low-lint” and gassed to burn off fuzz. At 40 wt it is thicker than the 50 wt piecing threads, which is the point: quilting stitches show more. The listing advises “For best results with home machines, use sewing needle #90/98”, the heavy-fabric end of Janome’s chart (#14/90 to #16/100), and the HD-3000 manual says its built-in needle threader suits thread sizes 50 to 90, so you may need to thread a 40 wt by hand. Stitched in Color ran the 2,000 yd cone on a longarm and called it “Lustrous and easy to use. Expensive. Thicker than I’d like.” One former Janome seller in the r/quilting thread said “I like king Tut also”; a Suzy Quilts reader uses it for machine quilting.

Specs (linked: 500 yd, #971 White Linen)

• Weight: 40 wt, 3-ply
• Fibre: 100% extra-long staple Egyptian cotton
• Length: 500 yd
• Needle: 90 to 98 for home machines (listing)
• Colours: not published on the pages we checked

Glide Thread No. 40, 1,000 m Spool, Best for Free-Motion

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/quilting, Janome 6700P thread: Glide, spool not stated.

Glide is a No. 40 trilobal polyester, and it is one of the four brands the 6700P owner’s dealer recommended for that machine. Two owners in the same thread use it for quilting: one who pieces with Aurifil said she finds Aurifil “breaks a lot when doing free-motion so I use Glide thread for that”, and another uses “aurifil or glide for quilting”. Polyester has a little more stretch than cotton, as Suzy Quilts notes. The listing gives little beyond its title, so the needle size and colour count are not published there. Glide also comes in 5,000 m spools on Amazon, which suit a thread stand or longarm better than a home spool pin.

Specs (linked: 1,000 m, #10002 Super White)

• Weight: No. 40
• Fibre: trilobal polyester
• Length: 1,000 m
• Needle: not published on the listing
• Colours: not published on the listing

WonderFil DecoBob 80 wt, 2,187 yd, Best Bobbin Thread

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/quilting, Janome 6700P owner: WonderFil 80 wt prewound bobbins, line not named.

DecoBob is a 2-ply, 80 wt polyester “treated to behave more like cotton and eliminate stretch”, per its listing, which names “Precision piecing, stippling, general sewing, machine embroidery” and “bobbin thread” among its uses. An owner of a 6700P in the r/quilting thread switched to WonderFil and praised its “class 15 80wt prewound bobbins” for “less bobbin chicken” and flatter seams; she did not say which WonderFil line. Janome’s manual says that “In general” you should use the same thread in the needle and bobbin, so a fine bobbin thread under a heavier top thread is a choice to test on a scrap and adjust tension for, not the default. The 2,187 yd spool is the 2,000 m size WonderFil lists; one listing bullet says 6,500 yd, but the title, item length and maker’s size list all say 2,187 yd.

Specs (linked: 2,187 yd, DBL113 Dove Gray)

• Weight: 80 wt, 2-ply
• Fibre: cottonized polyester
• Length: 2,187 yd / 2,000 m
• Needle: 70/10 to 90/14 (listing)
• Colours: not published on the pages we checked

Isacord 40 Embroidery Thread, 1,000 m, Best Embroidery Thread

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/Machine_Embroidery: Isacord, spool and machine not stated.

Isacord is a 40 wt polyester embroidery thread (its retailer Leah Day sells it for “free motion quilting, applique, and embroidery”), and it is one of the brands the Janome dealer named for the 6700P. In an r/Machine_Embroidery thread comparing brands, the poster’s tally of replies was “6 for Isacord” against 5 for Madeira polyester; one owner said “I exclusively use isacord and I like it. Holds up decently and sews pretty well even at high speed (1200spm)”, and another has used it “for more than 30 years”. Leah Day, who sells Isacord, calls it “a very slippery thread” that can come unravelled when chain piecing, so keep it for embroidery and quilting rather than seams. The linked 1,000 m spool is the smaller size; Isacord also sells 5,000 m cones, and for a cone that size plan on a thread stand. Pair it with a bobbin thread such as Janome’s (below).

Specs (linked: 1,000 m, 0015 White)

• Weight: 40 wt
• Fibre: polyester
• Length: 1,000 m
• Needle: not published on the listing
• Colours: not published on the listing

Janome Embroidery Bobbin Thread, 1,600 m, Best Embroidery Bobbin

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/MachineEmbroidery, Elna owner: Janome bobbin thread, spool not stated.

This is Janome-branded white bobbin thread, “100% Spun Polyester, #90 weight/1600 meters”, which its listing calls “Great for embroidery bobbin thread” and “For all Janome sewing & embroidery machine”. In an r/MachineEmbroidery thread about the Janome Memory Craft 550E, an Elna owner wrote “There is a specific janome bobbin thread it comes in black and white. I was told to use it by my dealer”; she adds that Janome and Elna are “pretty much the same company”, and pairs it with Mettler embroidery thread on top. A finer thread fits more yards on each bobbin, as Guilty Quilty Studio found when a 2-ply cotton outlasted a 3-ply one. This listing is white only. For everyday sewing, Janome’s manual advice to use the same thread top and bottom still applies, so this spool is for embroidery.

Specs (linked: 1,600 m, White)

• Weight: #90
• Fibre: 100% spun polyester
• Length: 1,600 m
• Needle: not published on the listing
• Colours: white (this listing)

Choosing Thread for Your Janome

Match the weight to Janome’s chart

Janome’s HD-3000 instruction book gives a fabric, thread and needle chart: for fine fabrics such as lawn and organza, #80 to #100 thread with a #9/65 to #11/75 needle; for medium fabrics such as sheeting and broadcloth, #50 to #80 cotton or synthetic with #11/75 to #14/90; and for heavy fabrics such as denim and coating, #40 to #50 with #14/90 to #16/100. “For general sewing, use needle size 11/75 or 14/90.” Janome’s # numbers and the wt on a spool are not the same system, so treat this as a rough match: a 50 wt thread fits the medium fabrics most piecing and garment sewing uses, a 40 wt suits heavy fabrics and stitches you want to see (the chart lists quilting in its heavy row, #40 to #50 thread), and the finer threads here are bobbin threads. For more thread and needle guides, see our Needles, Pins & Thread hub.

Picks: Aurifil 50wt, Mettler Silk-Finish, So Fine! 50 for medium fabrics; King Tut 40 wt for visible quilting.

Cotton or polyester

Cotton suits cotton quilts and woven garments and presses crisply; polyester has give for knits and stretch, and Suzy Quilts notes that poly thread “sheds less lint than cotton”. If you sew both, keep one of each: a 50 wt cotton for quilts and an all-purpose polyester for clothes.

Picks: Gutermann Sew-All and So Fine! 50 (polyester); Aurifil 50wt and Mettler Silk-Finish (cotton).

Lint and why your Janome thread keeps breaking

Janome owners in the r/quilting thread linked lint to the thread brand: one owner with five Janomes called Coats & Clark “the worst in terms of lint”, and several found Gutermann lintier than Aurifil. Guilty Quilty Studio found most of the lint in its machine came from the fabric, so clean under the needle plate whichever thread you use. If thread frays or breaks, check the needle too: Janome’s chart says a needle must be large enough “to pierce the fabric without fraying the needle thread”. If stitches still look wrong, change the thread weight or needle size before you change brands.

Top thread and bobbin

Janome’s manual says “In general, use the same thread for the needle and bobbin.” Quilters often break that rule on purpose with a fine bobbin thread such as DecoBob to fit more on the bobbin; embroidery uses a dedicated bobbin thread such as Janome’s. Test on a scrap and adjust tension when you mix weights.

Spools, spool pins and colours

On the HD-3000, the horizontal spool pin takes a large and a small spool holder, and the manual says the small one “is used with narrow or small thread spools”. For large cones such as Isacord’s 5,000 m, plan on a separate thread stand. Colour range varies: Aurifil lists 270 colours and Mettler up to 273, while Gütermann offers its 1,000 m spool in only 10 shades.

Embroidery on a Janome

Embroidery owners in an r/Machine_Embroidery thread mostly run 40 wt polyester on top, such as Isacord. Janome sells its own embroidery bobbin thread (its listing: “Great for embroidery bobbin thread”), and an Elna owner was told by her dealer to use it, with Mettler embroidery thread on top. Check your Memory Craft manual’s thread section before you buy. Our guide to embroidery machine thread covers more options, and our invisible thread guide covers monofilament for quilting in the ditch. If you are still choosing a machine, see the best Janome sewing machines and the best Janome sewing machines for quilting.

Frequently Asked Questions

For quilting cotton, a 50 wt cotton such as Aurifil Mako Cotton 50wt, the thread most often named by Janome owners in the r/quilting thread; for garments, an all-purpose polyester such as Gutermann Sew-All; for embroidery, owners in an r/Machine_Embroidery thread favour a 40 wt polyester such as Isacord on top with a fine bobbin thread.

Owner reports lean yes: in the r/quilting thread on the 6700P, owners including one with a 6650 report sewing with Gutermann without problems, though several find it sheds more lint than Aurifil. One dealer told a 6700P buyer the machine can be picky with it, so try a spool on a scrap first.

You can, but one owner with five Janomes in the r/quilting thread found Coats & Clark “the worst in terms of lint”, and another said her machine “did not love it”. If you use it, clean the bobbin area more often.

They suit different jobs. Gutermann Sew-All is polyester with give, for garments and mixed fabrics; Mettler Silk-Finish is mercerized cotton, for quilts and woven garments. One Janome owner in the r/quilting thread preferred Mettler 50 wt cotton because she found Gutermann “linty”.

Janome sells its own branded thread, including the Janome Embroidery Bobbin Thread reviewed above, and Amazon lists Janome polyester embroidery thread assortments. The HD-3000 manual names no thread brand; it gives a weight chart instead.

The bottom line

Final Verdict

Start with Aurifil Mako Cotton 50wt (check price) if you piece and quilt cotton on a Janome, and keep Gutermann Sew-All Thread (check price) for garments and everyday sewing. For quilting stitches that show, Superior Threads King Tut 40 wt (check price) is the heavier cotton, and Glide Thread No. 40 (check price) is the polyester one owner switched to when cotton broke in free-motion work. Choose Mettler Silk-Finish Cotton 50 (check price) for cotton garments, Superior Threads So Fine! 50 (check price) for a fine, low-lint polyester, and WonderFil DecoBob 80 wt (check price) for longer-lasting bobbins. For embroidery, run Isacord 40 Embroidery Thread (check price) on top and Janome Embroidery Bobbin Thread (check price) underneath. Whatever you choose, match the weight to Janome’s chart and test on a scrap.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.