Best Thread Kits for Sewing By Hand Or Machine

Whether you’re a devoted hand sewer, someone tied to their embroidery machine, or someone who picks up a needle just to sew a button, it's a good idea to keep a set of reliable spools in your home. Thread kits, which can include dozens of color options, are more economical than buying individual spools. They’re also a great way to build up your thread collection, if you’re starting to sew for the first time. From all-purpose threads to ones for embroidery machines, our picks will help you make the best choice for your sewing projects.

Established in 1812, Coats & Clark has long been a top, trusted manufacturer of textile and crafting products. This thread kit reflects the same high-quality, honed technology, and consistency for which the company is known. Suitable for sewing projects or quick mending jobs, the polyester threads are offered in a range of spool quantities and colors. You can purchase as many as 50 spools at once—the most economical pick, which provides you with hues to match almost every fabric you have. The spools come in a convenient cardboard box with a transparent front and Velcro closures, so you don't have to dig around a basket for the right color.

If you’re building your thread collection with extra care toward color, this set from Connecting Threads is a great option. Each five-pack of spools is sold to feature shades in the same color family, from a range of berry purples to rosy pinks to forest greens. Each spool holds a generous amount of 100% cotton thread—1,200 yards, to be exact—that has a slight shine. The threads aren't fuzzy and sew easily, with little tendency to knot, break, or skip stitches.

This is a convenient kit to keep around for emergency button pops and other small fixes. You get 24 miniature spools of polyester thread that's ideal for hand sewing. Each spool measures .75 by .50 inches, and there's a well-curated range of bold and neutral colors to match most fabrics. This set also includes three needles and a needle threader—essentially providing you with all you need for a quick-and-easy hand-sewn alteration.

If you love having tons of different colors at your fingertips, we recommend this kit, which provides you with 63 shades of common hues. You get a great range of yellows, blues, greens, pinks, neutrals, and more. Because this is two-ply, not three-ply, thread, it is best for embroidery machines rather than sewing machines. All spools are even labeled with color codes for Brother machines, enabling convenient setup. Although this is polyester thread, it is soft to the touch and sturdy—enjoy marathon sewing sessions without encountering breakage.

If 63 spools sounds like overkill, this set might be more your speed (or perhaps more within your budget). It includes durable polyester thread in 40 color varieties, including close to a dozen neutrals. Like Simthread's product, this is a standard 40-weight thread that's perfect for embroidery projects, from freehand to machine work. We also like that it comes with mesh sleeves to store spools, which allows you to pull individual strands out without unraveling the entire spool.