FAMILY-OWNED SINCE 1977
Nearly 50 Years Behind the Machines.
The Next Chapter Is ThreadWorks.
ThreadWorks may be a newer name online, but the family behind it has been helping people sew, quilt, embroider, create, and keep their machines running since 1977.
We are the third generation of the Mulqueen family sewing business, based in Arizona. And while the way people shop has changed dramatically since our first store opened, the way we believe customers should be treated really hasn't.
Know what you sell. Give people an honest answer. Stand behind the products. And be there when someone needs help after the sale.
That is the foundation ThreadWorks is being built on.
This Story Didn't Start With a Website.
Long before ThreadWorks.com existed, there was Pat Mulqueen.
After immigrating from Ireland, Pat built his sewing-machine knowledge through hands-on experience with Singer Corporation. He learned how the machines worked, how to service them, and, maybe most importantly, how much trust goes into helping someone choose a machine they may use for the next 10, 20, or even 30 years.
In 1977, the Mulqueen family opened its first independent sewing-machine store in Tempe, Arizona.
Pat was joined by his wife Bridget and their sons Ken, Keith, and Darren. It was a true family business — the kind where everyone pitched in, customers knew who they were talking to, and your reputation mattered because the people you sold a machine to were the same people walking back through the door when they needed a lesson, a repair, a part, or some advice.
There was no complicated mission statement behind it.
Take care of people and know your machines.
That simple idea carried the family business for decades.
We Haven't Just Sold Sewing Machines. We've Lived Around Them.
Sewing machines aren't anonymous boxes sitting on shelves to our family.
We've spent decades unpacking them, setting them up, demonstrating them, repairing them, answering questions about them, hunting down parts for them, teaching customers how to use them, and helping people decide which machine actually makes sense for the kind of sewing they want to do.
Over the years, that experience has grown from traditional mechanical machines into computerized sewing, embroidery, serging, multi-needle embroidery, quilting, and professional long-arm systems.
Today, ThreadWorks carries equipment from many of the brands our family has worked with for years, including Brother, Janome, Juki, PFAFF, HUSQVARNA VIKING, Handi Quilter, and Singer.
That experience matters.
Because there is a huge difference between buying a sewing machine from a website that happens to list one...
...and buying one from people who actually understand what happens after you open the box.
THE THIRD GENERATION
Meet Declan Mulqueen, Founder of ThreadWorks
I'm Declan Mulqueen, the founder of ThreadWorks and the third generation of my family to build a life around the sewing industry.
ThreadWorks is something I'm incredibly proud to be building, but I also know that I didn't start from zero.
Behind me are nearly five decades of lessons, relationships, technical knowledge, mistakes, successes, and experience that my family has accumulated since 1977.
I grew up around all of it.
Sewing machines. Service benches. Parts departments. Classes. Customers walking through the doors. Machines waiting to be repaired. New machines being delivered. And more conversations about sewing equipment than you could probably imagine.
But when it came time for me to build something of my own, I never wanted my last name to be the only reason somebody should trust me.
While attending Arizona State University's W. P. Carey School of Business, I worked full-time in our family's service department while earning my degree in Business Management.
I worked hands-on with computerized sewing machines, embroidery systems, multi-needle embroidery machines, long-arm quilting equipment, and some of the most advanced machines our industry has to offer.
That experience shaped the way I wanted to build ThreadWorks.
Because when you've worked on the other side of the sale, you understand something important:
The customer doesn't stop needing you when the order ships.
Sometimes they need help choosing the right machine before they buy. Sometimes they need to know which accessory fits. Sometimes they have a question after opening the box. And sometimes they just need to talk to a real person who understands what they're looking at.
That's what I want ThreadWorks to be.
Why I Founded ThreadWorks
I founded ThreadWorks because I believe there is room for something better in online sewing retail.
Not another giant, anonymous website with thousands of products and nobody behind it.
And not a website that disappears the moment your payment goes through.
I wanted to take the things my family has done well for nearly 50 years — real product knowledge, personal service, technical experience, and taking care of customers — and build them into a modern company capable of serving sewists across the country.
That's ThreadWorks.
We're ambitious about what we're building.
We want an incredible selection. We want orders moving quickly. We want our product information to actually be useful. We want our educational resources to answer real questions. And we want shopping for sewing equipment online to feel easier, clearer, and more personal than it often does today.
Most of all, we strive for excellence in the entire customer experience — from the first time you visit ThreadWorks to the day your order arrives and long after.
We won't pretend we're perfect.
But we care tremendously about getting things right, and when something isn't right, we want to know about it and we want the opportunity to help.
That's not marketing language to us.
It's how I want this company to operate.
DON'T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT
Our Customers Tell the Story Better Than We Can.
Anyone can build a nice website and tell you they provide great service.
We'd rather let the people who have actually shopped with us tell you what their experience was like.
Our customers have shared their experiences with ThreadWorks — from fast shipping and carefully packed orders to product quality, helpful support, and the experience they had working with our team.
Those reviews mean a lot to us.
Not because we expect every review to be perfect, but because they're written by real people who trusted our family with their business.
If you're considering ordering from ThreadWorks for the first time, we encourage you to read what they have to say.
REAL PEOPLE. REAL HELP.
When You Need Us, We're Here.
One thing I never want ThreadWorks to lose as we grow is the ability to actually help people.
There are real people behind this website.
Real people receiving inventory.
Real people packing orders.
Real people who understand sewing equipment.
And real people ready to help when you have a question.
If you're comparing two machines and can't decide, ask us.
If you're trying to find a part and aren't sure what you need, ask us.
If something about an order doesn't seem right, tell us.
If you're about to spend thousands of dollars on equipment and simply want to talk to somebody who knows what they're selling, we're here.
You shouldn't have to feel like you're on your own just because you're shopping online.
That's one of the biggest reasons ThreadWorks exists.
What We're Building Goes Beyond Machines.
Sewing isn't one product category.
It's a room full of little things that work together.
The right machine. The right thread. Fabric you actually love. Batting that behaves the way you expect. A good pair of scissors. The strange little part you didn't know the name of until it broke. The tool you didn't know existed until someone showed it to you.
That's why ThreadWorks is growing beyond machines into fabric, thread, batting, notions, accessories, parts, education, and products of our own.
We're building the kind of store we would want to shop from ourselves.
One where finding something doesn't feel like digging through a warehouse database.
One where the product page actually helps you make a decision.
One where expertise doesn't disappear just because you're shopping online.
You can explore our sewing guides and videos, browse our machine parts department, shop embroidery machines, discover sewing notions, or explore our full sewing machine selection.
Nearly 50 Years Later, Some Things Shouldn't Change.
Technology has changed tremendously since Pat opened that first store in Tempe in 1977.
Sewing machines certainly have.
The internet changed how we shop. Shipping changed how far a family business can reach. And today someone thousands of miles away can find ThreadWorks just as easily as someone down the street.
But there are a few things I don't think should ever become outdated:
Know what you're talking about.
Be honest with people.
Take care of your customers.
Stand behind what you sell.
And never forget that there is a person on the other side of every order.
Those values existed before ThreadWorks.
My job is to make sure they're still here long after it.
We Have Big Plans. But We Know What Got Us Here.
I'm ambitious about ThreadWorks.
I want us to build one of the strongest sewing, quilting, and embroidery shopping experiences anywhere online.
I want customers to find products here they can't easily find elsewhere.
I want our guides to answer questions other websites leave unanswered.
I want our product pages to help you understand what you're actually buying.
I want ThreadWorks to become a place people recommend to their friends, their quilting groups, their students, and the next generation of sewists.
But getting bigger will never be an excuse for becoming less personal.
Growth only matters if we continue earning the trust that allows us to grow in the first place.
That's why nearly 50 years of family history matters to me.
It reminds us that a reputation isn't built with one advertisement, one sale, or one good month.
It's built one customer at a time.
That's how my family built this business beginning in 1977.
And that's how I intend to build ThreadWorks.
WHAT COMES NEXT
The History Is Almost 50 Years Old.
ThreadWorks Is Just Getting Started.
This is the part that gets me excited.
We have decades behind us, but I don't look at ThreadWorks as a business that's finished growing. I look at it as the beginning of what this family company can become.
We're expanding our educational library.
We're making it easier to compare and understand machines.
We're building better ways to find compatible parts and accessories.
We're growing our fabric, thread, batting, notions, parts, and equipment departments.
We're developing ThreadWorks products of our own.
And we're constantly asking ourselves how we can make buying sewing equipment online feel less confusing, less anonymous, and a whole lot more enjoyable.
The long-term goal isn't simply to build a big website.
It's to build a place the sewing community genuinely wants to come back to.
If You're New Here, Welcome.
Maybe you're buying your first sewing machine.
Maybe you've been quilting longer than I've been alive.
Maybe you're building an embroidery business.
Maybe you're trying to find one tiny replacement part that's been driving you crazy for three weeks.
However you found us, I'm glad you did.
There are thousands of products we can sell as ThreadWorks grows. But the thing I never want to lose is the feeling that there are real people behind this website who actually care about helping you find the right one.
That's what my grandfather built this family business on.
That's what my family carried forward.
And that's what I'm trying to bring into the next generation with ThreadWorks.
Thank you for trusting us, supporting a family-owned business, and allowing us to be a small part of whatever you're creating.
We're here when you need us.
— Declan Mulqueen
Founder, ThreadWorks
Third Generation of the Mulqueen Family Sewing Business
START EXPLORING
Welcome to ThreadWorks.
Whether you're looking for your next machine, trying to track down a part, learning something new, or just looking for something great for your sewing room, we'd love to have you look around.
Shop Sewing Machines →
Explore Embroidery Machines →
Find Machine Parts →
Shop Sewing Notions →
Explore Guides & Videos →
Read Customer Reviews →
Family-owned since 1977.
Built on real sewing-machine knowledge.
Real people. Real help.
Welcome to ThreadWorks.