Overlocking supplies
What you need alongside an overlocker: thread, needles and tools.
Bobbin's checklist
Overlockers run from cones of thread. Tilly and the Buttons shows a quick way to change thread colour without rethreading through every looper, done before a cone runs out.
Overlockers run from cones of thread. Tilly and the Buttons shows a quick way to change thread colour without rethreading through every looper, done before a cone runs out.
£Essentials
- Four cones of overlocker thread: one for each needle and looper.
- The needles your manual specifies: many domestic overlockers take standard household needles; check yours.
- Tweezers: for threading the loopers.
££Useful extras
- Seam sealant: stops thread chains unravelling.
- Cone thread nets: stop thread slipping off cones and tangling.
- Woolly nylon: for soft rolled hems and swimwear.
£££Maintenance
- Lint brush and the oil your manual specifies: overlockers make lots of fluff.
- Spare knife blade: a blunt blade chews the fabric edge instead of cutting it cleanly.
Skip for now
- Sewing over pins: it damages the knife.
- Mismatched thread weights in loopers without testing.
Sources
All checked 1 November 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.