Found out how much thread waste I've been creating all these years

I was looking at a video from that restoration guy on YouTube and he mentioned professional finishers keep their thread waste under 5%. Did a quick weigh of my scraps from the last 10 books I did and I was pushing 15% easy. How do you guys track your thread usage without going crazy?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas2756d ago

That 5% number sounds like something a machine would brag about. Real hand work has waste, it's just part of the deal. On a tight headband or a tricky endband you're gonna trim off a bunch of thread to get it right. I bet I toss out more than 15% on a single book if I'm doing a silk headband with multiple colors. Chasing that low waste number is gonna make you rush and mess up the actual book. Let your scraps pile up and focus on making the stitches tight and the spine straight.

phoenix_carter6d ago

Huh, you toss out 15% on a single book? That seems like a lot even for hand work. Are you measuring that or just guessing based on how the pile looks? I keep track of mine and I'm usually around 8-10% on silk endbands, but that's counting every little scrap that falls off.