Something new I learned...

I've been reading this book. I grabbed it the last time I was at the library, not really sure that I was going to get anything out of it, since I don't have an embroidery machine. And it is mostly techniques that you need a more advanced machine than mine to use, but I did learn something that has really helped me, and I wanted to share it with you.I'm sure that you have noticed that different brands of thread are wound differently. This one (A Coats & Clark Dual Duty) is parallel-wound - that is, the threads are wound parallel to each other.
This one, (a Mettler Metrosene) is cross-wound - that is, the threads cross over each other.
I never realized that this made a difference in the way that you should treat them, but I learned from this book that a parallel wound spool of thread can kink and twist (and break!!) when used on a horizontal spool. And look - Janome has a horizontal spool...
No wonder I was having such trouble with satin stitching with C&C!! I thought it was just cheap thread, but it turns out that I was doing it all wrong!!

Well, I learned my lesson!!
Since I've been spooling my parallel-wound threads on the vertical pin, I have had so much more success.