A practical selection map for MeiSi, XIANGE, NANMEI and WEIXIN waxed threads from a leather artisan’s perspective.

Choosing thread is not only about colour and thickness

When a leatherworker tries to choose leatherwork thread from several waxed thread lines, the first question is often very simple:

Which one should I choose?

At first glance, this may look like a question about colour, thickness or price. But in real leatherwork, thread is part of the construction and the visible language of the finished object. The character of a stitch depends not only on technique, but also on the thread itself: its material, structure, profile, surface treatment and behaviour in the hand or in the machine.

This is why I do not like asking which thread is “the best”.

A better question is:

Which thread belongs to this object, this leather, this stitch spacing, this sewing method and this visual character?

That is the question I want to answer in this article. This question also connects with a broader topic I have written about before: how a craftsman’s view of thread changes with experience.

What this article is — and what it is not

The MeiSi Store Journal already contains detailed articles on each individual thread line: MeiSi Linen, MeiSi Super Fine, XIANGE Twist, XIANGE Braid, NANMEI Braid and WEIXIN.

This article has a different purpose.

Here, on my own studio blog, I want to look at the same six thread lines not as separate product descriptions, but as a practical selection map from the perspective of a leather artisan.

This is not a manufacturer’s technical classification. It is my way of reading these threads through the practice of leatherwork: how I separate them, where I see their strengths, and in what kind of work each thread begins to make sense.

The goal is not to rank them from best to worst. The goal is to make the differences readable, so a maker can choose more consciously.

Why I use expanded thread names

Short product names are convenient, but they do not always explain much.

For example, XIANGE Braid and XIANGE Twist share the XIANGE name, but they are not close alternatives in the way I choose thread. One is braided, the other is twisted. Their construction is different, and their role in leatherwork is different.

For that reason, I prefer to use expanded names in this article. They are longer, but they are more useful because they immediately show three important things:

Material — linen or polyester.
Structure — twisted or braided.
Profile — round or flat.

A name such as NANMEI Flat Braided Waxed Polyester Thread already tells us much more than “NANMEI Braid”. It tells us that the thread is polyester, braided, waxed and visually flatter in profile.

A name such as XIANGE Round Twisted Waxed Polyester Thread points to a completely different logic: polyester, twisted, waxed and round.

For conscious selection, this matters.

The six thread names used in this article

Short name	Expanded name
MeiSi Linen	MeiSi Round Twisted Waxed Linen Thread
MeiSi Super Fine	MeiSi Super Fine Round Twisted Waxed Linen Thread
XIANGE Twist	XIANGE Round Twisted Waxed Polyester Thread
XIANGE Braid	XIANGE Round Braided Waxed Polyester Thread
NANMEI Braid	NANMEI Flat Braided Waxed Polyester Thread
WEIXIN	WEIXIN Round Twisted Waxed Polyester Thread

A quick conscious selection map

This table is not meant to replace detailed technical descriptions. It is a first orientation point — a way to understand which thread direction makes sense for a particular kind of work.

Choose this thread when…	Thread
You want a classic natural linen stitch	MeiSi Round Twisted Waxed Linen Thread
You want linen, but with a smoother, more stable and more controlled finish	MeiSi Super Fine Round Twisted Waxed Linen Thread
You want polyester stability with a linen-like visual character	XIANGE Round Twisted Waxed Polyester Thread
You want a compact round braided structure with technical and decorative presence	XIANGE Round Braided Waxed Polyester Thread
You want a larger, flatter and highly visible hand stitch	NANMEI Flat Braided Waxed Polyester Thread
You want a stable synthetic twisted thread for hand sewing	WEIXIN Round Twisted Waxed Polyester Thread

This table should not be read as a hierarchy. It is not saying that one thread is better than another.

It is saying that each thread has a different logic.

If you want a natural linen character, MeiSi Linen or MeiSi Super Fine will usually be the most relevant direction. If you want polyester stability but still prefer a stitch that visually sits closer to linen, XIANGE Twist becomes important. If the braid itself should be part of the visual value, XIANGE Braid is a separate direction. If you need a large visible hand stitch for rugged or expressive leatherwork, NANMEI Braid belongs to that world. If you want a stable twisted synthetic thread for hand sewing, WEIXIN has its own place.

Technical orientation map

The next table gives a more technical overview. I keep it intentionally focused on the parameters that help a leatherworker choose: material, structure, available thicknesses, colour range and sewing method.

Short name	Full name	Material	Structure	Thicknesses, mm	Colours	Sewing method
MeiSi Linen	MeiSi Round Twisted Waxed Linen Thread	Linen	Round twisted linen thread, 3-ply	0.35 / 0.45 / 0.55 / 0.65	65	Hand
MeiSi Super Fine	MeiSi Super Fine Round Twisted Waxed Linen Thread	Linen	Round twisted linen thread, 3-ply; polished three times and treated with a specific waxing process	0.35 / 0.45 / 0.55 / 0.65	97	Hand / machine
XIANGE Twist	XIANGE Round Twisted Waxed Polyester Thread	Polyester	Round twisted polyester thread, 3-strand	0.35 / 0.45 / 0.55 / 0.65 / 0.8	84	Hand / machine
XIANGE Braid	XIANGE Round Braided Waxed Polyester Thread	Polyester	Round braided polyester thread, compact braid	0.45 / 0.55	48	Hand
NANMEI Braid	NANMEI Flat Braided Waxed Polyester Thread	Polyester	Flat braided polyester thread, 16-strand	0.65 / 0.8	64	Hand
WEIXIN	WEIXIN Round Twisted Waxed Polyester Thread	Polyester	Round twisted polyester thread, 3-strand polyester filament	0.35 / 0.45 / 0.55	69	Hand

I do not include spool length in this table. For an online store, spool length is important product information. For this article, however, it is secondary. My purpose here is not to compare packaging formats, but to help read the thread itself: what it is made of, how it is constructed and what kind of stitch direction it suggests.

The linen pair: MeiSi Linen and MeiSi Super Fine

I do not see MeiSi Linen and MeiSi Super Fine as two completely different thread philosophies.

For me, they belong to the same linen direction. Both are round twisted linen threads. Both carry the natural visual character of linen. Both make sense when the stitch should remain connected to a more traditional leatherwork language.

The difference is not that one is “good” and the other is “better”. The difference is in the level of finishing and in the kind of work each thread is most logically suited for.

MeiSi Round Twisted Waxed Linen Thread is the classic linen option. I would place it first when I want a natural linen stitch for hand sewing: wallets, straps, cases, small leather goods and other work where the stitch should feel traditional, tactile and warm rather than technical.

It is important to say this clearly: I do not treat MeiSi Linen as a weak or unfinished thread. It is already a strong and beautiful linen thread for hand stitching. In many leatherwork projects, especially hand-stitched ones, this is exactly what is needed.

MeiSi Super Fine Round Twisted Waxed Linen Thread stays within the same linen logic, but moves it toward greater refinement and control. The manufacturer describes it as polished three times and treated with a specific waxing process. I understand this not as heavy traditional waxing in the beeswax sense, but as part of a finishing system that helps the thread behave more smoothly and predictably.

This matters because hand sewing and machine sewing are not equally forgiving.

In hand stitching, the maker controls the thread directly. The hand feels tension, friction and resistance. Small natural variations in linen can often be managed stitch by stitch. Sometimes they even remain part of the living character of the material.

Machine sewing is different. The thread must pass through guides, tension points and the eye of the needle repeatedly and consistently. In that situation, surface smoothness and dimensional stability become much more important. A thread that is perfectly acceptable in hand stitching may need additional refinement to behave reliably over longer controlled sewing runs.

This is where MeiSi Super Fine makes practical sense to me. It is not a correction of regular MeiSi Linen. It is a more refined version of the same linen direction — smoother, more controlled and more suitable when consistency over distance becomes important.

So, if I simplify the choice:

MeiSi Linen is the classic hand-stitching linen baseline.

MeiSi Super Fine is the more refined linen option when I want a cleaner finish, a broader colour range and a thread that is more logically suited to controlled long-distance work, including machine sewing.

XIANGE Twist: polyester behaviour, linen-like appearance

XIANGE Round Twisted Waxed Polyester Thread occupies a very specific place in this selection map.

Technically, it is polyester. But visually, it does not belong to the same category as ordinary industrial sewing thread. Its value, for me, is that it combines polyester behaviour with a stitch appearance that can sit closer to traditional twisted linen thread.

This is why I do not treat XIANGE Twist as simply “another synthetic thread”.

It answers a particular question:

What if I want the stability of polyester, but I do not want the stitch to lose the visual language of leathercraft?

That question is important. Many leatherworkers are drawn to linen because of its natural look and its connection to traditional hand stitching. At the same time, polyester has its own advantages: stability, strength, resistance and predictable behaviour. XIANGE Twist sits between these two desires.

It does not become linen. It should not be described as linen. But it can offer a more linen-like visual character than many synthetic machine threads.

This also makes it different from WEIXIN.

Both are twisted polyester threads, but I do not see them as solving the same problem. WEIXIN is, for me, more clearly a hand-sewing-oriented synthetic twist. XIANGE Twist is more interesting as a bridge between hand and machine sewing: a polyester thread that can be used in both contexts while preserving a more traditional stitch appearance.

It is also important not to confuse XIANGE Twist with XIANGE Braid only because they share the XIANGE name. In my selection logic, they are not close alternatives. XIANGE Twist is round and twisted. XIANGE Braid is round and braided. Their construction is different, and that difference matters in the finished stitch.

I would consider XIANGE Twist when I want polyester stability, a round twisted structure, a stitch that does not look too industrial, the possibility of both hand and machine sewing, and a visual result closer to linen than to a standard synthetic sewing thread.

In one sentence: XIANGE Twist starts from polyester, but tries to preserve something of the visual language of traditional twisted leatherwork thread.

XIANGE Braid: when the braid itself matters

XIANGE Round Braided Waxed Polyester Thread is a different direction again.

The word “braid” can be misleading if we place all braided threads into one group. XIANGE Braid and NANMEI Braid are both braided polyester threads, but they do not create the same impression.

XIANGE Braid is round, compact and visually intricate. Its structure is part of its value. When you look closely, the braid itself becomes visible as a small technical pattern. The thread is not beautiful only because of its colour or thickness. It is beautiful because of the way it is constructed.

This is why I understand its use beyond strict leather sewing. A round braided thread like this can make sense in bracelets, decorative knotting, macrame and other work where the thread or cord remains visible as a design element.

In leatherwork, I would not choose XIANGE Braid when I want the quiet natural behaviour of linen. I would choose it when I want the stitch to have a cleaner, more technical, more constructed presence.

It is not heavy in the same way as NANMEI Braid. It does not have the same broad, flat, large-stitch character. Instead, it feels more compact and more precise as a braided structure.

The waxing is also not visually dominant in the way many makers might imagine when they hear “waxed thread”. It does not look to me like a heavily coated thread. Its visual value comes more from the compact round braid than from a heavy waxed surface.

This makes XIANGE Braid useful when the braid itself should be part of the visual language: clean, technical, decorative, but not necessarily rugged or oversized.

In short: XIANGE Braid is the round braided direction — compact, technical and visually rich in its construction.

NANMEI Braid: large visible hand stitching

NANMEI Flat Braided Waxed Polyester Thread is the thread in this group that can be most easily misunderstood if we judge it only from the perspective of fine leather goods.

It is larger, flatter and more visible. It does not try to disappear into a thin elegant stitch line. It belongs to another kind of leatherwork language: visible, strong, practical and sometimes deliberately expressive.

For this reason, I would not treat NANMEI Braid as a universal thread for every leather project. I would not reach for it first if I were making a refined watch strap, a very clean small wallet or an object where the stitch should remain quiet and restrained.

But that does not make it a crude thread.

It only means that it needs the right context.

I associate this type of thread with heavier hand-stitching traditions: saddlery, harness work, western-style leatherwork, hunting gear, quivers, cartridge belts, motorcycle bags, outdoor cases and other rugged leather objects. In these objects, the stitch is not only decoration. It is structure. It is expected to be visible, strong and honest.

Large stitches, diamond-shaped holes, heavier tools and a broader thread presence can be completely natural in this world. What might look too heavy on a fine leather accessory may look exactly right on a saddle bag, a hunting case or a motorcycle tool roll.

There is also another direction where I often see this kind of thread language: Japanese and Asian hand-stitching culture.

I would be careful not to present this as a strict historical claim. I am speaking here from observation, not from an academic history of leathercraft. But as a maker, I often see a similar combination: thicker thread, diamond-shaped holes, wider stitch spacing and extremely disciplined hand stitching.

In that context, a large visible stitch does not necessarily look rough. In skilled hands, it can become precise, rhythmic and almost graphic. The same elements that might look utilitarian in western-style leatherwork can become highly controlled and visually refined in Japanese-style hand stitching.

This is why I do not describe NANMEI Braid simply as a “heavy thread”.

It is better to say that it belongs to a large visible hand-stitching direction.

It can be rugged. It can be practical. It can be decorative. It can also be surprisingly disciplined and beautiful when the stitch is controlled with enough care.

The mistake would be to force it into a context where the thread should be thin, silent and almost invisible. NANMEI Braid does not want to be silent. It wants to be part of the object’s visual and structural language.

In short: NANMEI Braid is not a rough thread by nature. It becomes rough only in the wrong context or in careless execution. In the right context, it can be strong, expressive and very beautiful.

WEIXIN: synthetic twist for hand sewing

WEIXIN Round Twisted Waxed Polyester Thread is another synthetic twisted thread, but I do not place it in the same role as XIANGE Twist.

XIANGE Twist is important to me because it connects polyester behaviour with a more linen-like visual character and can make sense for both hand and machine sewing.

WEIXIN solves a different problem.

I see it as a hand-sewing-oriented synthetic twisted thread. Its purpose is not to imitate linen, and it is not about showing a braided structure. It is a waxed twisted polyester thread designed to remain stable and convenient during manual stitching.

This distinction matters because twisted synthetic thread can be difficult if it is not well controlled. During hand sewing, the thread passes through holes, rubs against leather, changes direction, receives tension and can twist or untwist repeatedly. If the structure is unstable, the thread may begin to open, separate or become less predictable in the hand.

WEIXIN is interesting because its logic is focused on making a synthetic twisted thread more manageable for hand stitching.

For me, this places it in a very practical category: not linen, not linen-like polyester for machine work, not round braid, not heavy flat braid — but stable synthetic twist for manual sewing.

I would consider it when I want a polyester thread, a twisted rather than braided structure, a round thread profile, a waxed thread for hand stitching, and a thread that is designed to remain controlled during manual work.

This makes WEIXIN useful for leathercraft, but also for related work where a synthetic twisted waxed thread is appropriate: bracelets, decorative objects, small craft items and other hand-made pieces where the thread must remain stable in the hand.

In short: WEIXIN is the hand-sewing synthetic twist direction — practical, stable and focused on manual control.

Conclusion: the right thread belongs to the object

The more I work with thread, the less useful I find the question:

Which thread is the best?

A better question is:

Which thread belongs to this object?

A thread is not chosen in isolation. It is chosen together with the leather, the thickness of the material, the stitch spacing, the tool, the sewing method and the visual character of the finished piece.

A thread that looks too large on a refined watch strap may be perfect on a hunting case, a saddle bag or a motorcycle accessory.

A thread that is excellent for machine sewing may not be the one that gives the most traditional hand-stitched linen character.

A thread that feels too technical for one project may be exactly right for another object where the construction should look clean, compact and modern.

This is why I do not see the six MING LANG thread lines as a simple ranking from better to worse.

I see them as different directions:

MeiSi Linen for classic hand-stitched linen character.

MeiSi Super Fine for a more refined and controlled linen direction.

XIANGE Twist for polyester stability with a linen-like visual character.

XIANGE Braid for a compact round braided structure.

NANMEI Braid for large visible hand stitching.

WEIXIN for stable synthetic twist in hand sewing.

The right thread is not the one with the best name, the largest colour range or the most universal reputation.

The right thread is the one whose material, construction, profile and visual character belong to the leather object you are making.

That is the point of choosing thread consciously.

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