My friend Carole had this question:

What’s the story on thread? I’ve found some thread at a thrift store, and don’t know if I should use it. What should I do?

You should buy decent thread. It is silly to put hours into a project, using thread that is rotten or the wrong kind. That being said, the one time you can use some questionable thread, is in the bobbin, when working on a fabric collage. Since there are so many lines of stitching you can use thread from a thrift store. I like to use thread from a cone of serger thread for hand basting. Serger thread is thinner than regular thread, so it is a fine way to baste, and I often wind 6 bobbins at a time, when doing fabric collage,  then the underside of the collage, has matching thread. Since it is thinner, you can get more on the bobbin, and when you wind the bobbin – do it as slowly as the core of the thread heats up when you wind it fast, and that will make puckers in your seams. Test your thread: pull off a foot or so of thread, and yank on it. If it breaks, it’s rotten. If it’s on a wooden spool – it’s too old to sew with, but the whole thing, could be a cute decoration, if you glued it to a wreath.