What are your favorite threads and does thread..?

[twiglet]

I am due to buy some new black thread. I have used poly,silk and rayon. The poly seemed to hold up best over time. I had thread that kept breaking and it was rayon. I think the silk was too thin and broke too.( I was hand sewing a new tube at the top of a very chalky chalk bag I made my rock climbing son. I made the bag out of old army fatigues. The old elastic cord broke, so I used paracord. but it was hard to sew through the chalky fabric and even through the black cloth I was repairing it with). But I have a lot of thread that's over 10 years old. The Mettler poly that came in a rainbow of colors when I bought my machine still seems to be doing ok. Some brands were not recommended by my sewing shop (coats and clark).

[Kekaha]

I like superior thread--King Tut and masterpiece. I have Floriani Thread--bought a 100 pack of embroidery thread when I went to a 2 day workshop. It works well also-- I use it for embroidery and satin stitch or blanket stitch applique. When I had trouble with thread breaking ( invisible nylon), I tried everything to remedy it-- changed needle sizes, changed tension for both bobbin and top. It kept breaking. Finally took it in to Bernina dealer; they polished the head and now no breakage at all. I also now use Superior poly instead of nylon mono-- it can handle higher heat and is just nicer.

[Kekaha]

If you go to the 'search shows' tab, click on the heading for 'sorting by artist' and look thru those with Bob Purcell, from Superior Threads, you will find some very useful information. I received a DVD from them when I joined one of the clubs they have. It is about $3 to purchase it and well worth every penny. However, I think that viewing the different visits he's done on the shows will give you some ideas about thread issues.
Yes, thread does get old. Yes, each machine can get an 'attitude' about what it likes or not. Not too long ago I tried everything and couldn't get satisfactory results with everything 'just like I've always done it'! I was frustrated, so I took a day away. When I came back, I changed everything as though I was just getting started. The needle got replaced, I rethreaded from the spool. I even wound a new bobbin. I'm not sure what the issue was, maybe I just needed the time away!! Things worked fine after that.
Maybe it was too hot and humid?? LOL
I have used many of the Superior threads with great results. I've longarm quilted and pieced with Signature brand and liked my results. I recently got some Isacord, Florianni, and Aurifil and they are all giving me what I like.
Remember that what you sew thru can have a great impact on your threads ability to stay strong. The more abrasion it gets, the shorter its life span.
Hope this was helpful.
Luann

[Kekaha]

Unfortunately none of those threads are availble at Joann's. But I can go to the store where I bought my machine. I know they'll have Floriani. And Mettler probably. My last post here was about trying to get my machine fixed. Thread was breaking and my push button thread cutter broke. After keeping my machine for almost two months the option was given to fix it for 4-500$. I paid the shipping and got the machine back untouched. That's so much I'll be glad to cut the threads with a scissors. Anyway I'm glad it still works. I bought it used in 2005. It's an embroidery machine, but I just want to quilt and sew with it. Thanks for the thread advice.

[rehak]

Hi Jan -

Like machine needles, you need to match your thread to what you're doing. For general sewing (bags, clothes, piecing), I'm happy with Gutermann general purpose thread. I've been using it for decades with very good results and I get it from Joann's. It's a polyester thread and stands up to a lot. If I were hand sewing a chalk bag, I might use the Gutermann or I might look for a carpet thread, which is much heavier and stronger. It really depends on what the repair is like.

For piecing, as I said I like the Gutermann. I also like cotton threads like Superior's Masterpiece and Connecting Threads cotton thread. These are both available online if you are into that at all.

For quilting, I use all kinds of threads, depending on the effect I want. My go-to quilting thread is FilTec's Glide. It's a 40wt polyester thread and quilts like butter. I've never had problems with tension or breakage with this thread, no matter how lazy I am about my settings. I like Superior's threads, but I have to be much more careful about my tension, etc with them. I haven't used the Magnifico much because it's fairly new, but it sounds like it's Superior's answer to Glide so it might be as nice. When doing a tight background fill, I want a thinner thread and generally go to a 100wt silk like FilTec's Allure, Superior's Kimono or YLI's 100wt silk (I don't think it has a special name). I've found all 3 of these threads to handle the rigors of quilting very well and I just pick which to use based on the colors since all of the colors are different. A lot of people also like Wonderfil's Invisafil for background quilting. This is a very lightweight polyester (I believe) thread. I tried this with my new machine but it just kept breaking no matter what needle/tension combination I tried, so I had to go back to the silk thread for that project.

I could go on and on. There are just so many wonderful threads out there! I suggest you try different threads for the different purposes and see which works best for you. I've used Coates & Clark for some projects with good results, so I wouldn't limit myself if I were you. I avoided Sulky threads for a long time because I'd heard rumors that it was a bad thread, but I saw a lot of quilters using it so I got some of that, too, and have had good results with that, too.

As with all things sewing/quilting, sometimes you're results just depend on the machine/operator combination so get suggestions from others, then try things for yourself and come up with your own favorites.

Good luck!

[rehak]

I forgot to mention rayon. Bob from Superior recommends not using rayon thread because it will lose it's color if you bleach it, whereas polyester thread does not. This is why he doesn't sell rayon thread. However, very few people use bleach on their quilts and a lot of great quilters (Melinda Bula, for example) use rayon threads for their quilting because of the wonderful sheen. So, it's good to be aware of the "problem" with rayon, but, again, make your own informed choices.

[rehak]

I agree with the above and want to add Aurifil thread which is my latest favourite for machine quilting as well as Madeira for all sorts of embellished stitches.

Jeanine

[Jdeluka]

Aurifil is my go-to for quilting and piecing. I'm a HUGE fan - and although a big spool costs $10-12 it really contains a HUGE amount of thread and seems to go on forever. I purchase mine online since there are no local quilt shops that carry any color other than white and black. I have used King Tut once - and wasn't disappointed, but again don't have ready access to it. One of my local quilt shops does carry Isacord and I like the shimmer it gives to my wall quilts, but I haven't tried it on a bed quilt yet. None of these brands has caused an issue in my machine - all hold up, thread well, and don't tend to break (unless I need a new needle). Hope this helps a little

[Jdeluka]

Thanks all for the great information. I need to head out and get some black thread for myself and my daughter. She is in sophomore year at college doing a semester about wilderness leadership. She requested her sewing kits that I made her. My guess is that she'll teach basic sewing skills to her fellow students. Or something needs repair.. They get to travel to Montana and spend a month there and visit Yellowstone. Just before she went off to college I showed her my Grandmother's spit knot and from there she's self taught. She's fixed holes in her jeans and straps on a dress last year.

[Jdeluka]

Jan, I just have to ask what is the 'spit knot'?

[Jdeluka]

It involves wrapping the thread tails around your right index finger which I think you can wet but you might not need to. You twist the thread on the back of your finger and then pull on the circle you made with two fingers until it makes a knot. It's kind of a messy knot sometimes.

I was actually in a class where we were doing redwork where you made the end wrap into the first few stitches and there was no knot.

I also probably in another class was taught how to make a knot the right way. The woman teaching said how many of you use a spit knot? So I know there are others who do this. Since it was a while ago I'd have to practice her technique til I get it right. I think you take the tail and cross over the needle end from the left, twist the thread around the needle and pull it through and it forms a nice knot close to the end . I have done this sometimes especially when sewing applique with one strand of thread. I don't do needleturn applique much anyway. I'd love to hear how you do yours.

[Jdeluka]

It sounds as if your spit knot is similar to one of the ones I use. However what I do is take the end between my left thumb & forefinger, wrap the thread around the forefinger so it is a complete circle and then using the thumb I roll the thread off my finger twisting the two 'lays' of thread together. I then catch the loose knot between my middle finger and thumb and pull the thread tight (the right hand has been holding the threaded needle all along).

The other method I use was taught to me by my Mum and by hers ( which I was told was how the professionals did it), and is the one I taught to 5yrolds. You take your threaded needle in the right hand with the point facing the left hand. With the left hand catch up the end of thread to be knotted and lay it along the length of the needle with the cut end next to the eye, to make a nice circle. Wrap the thread around the needle several times (I always taught 6 times but find for myself that I usually only take 4 wraps). Then holding onto the wraps gently between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand, take hold of the pointed end of the needle and pull it through until you cannot pull it any further.

The method I was taught at primary school was the most annoying, and that was to make a loop in the end and pass the end through once (an overhand knot) then to repeat it and try to get the second knot on top of the first - never had any luck getting the second knot anywhere near the first knot as I recall :evil: although I would probably do better these days, but by the time I had though about it I will have wrapped the thread around my left forefinger and rolled the knot off without thinking :whistle:

Finally_{although there could be other methods we've missed} you can just take a couple of stitches without a knot, in the area that you are about to stitch over and catch down the end as you go, I usually do this for embroidery.

[Jdeluka]

I use mostly Superior threads. You can buy them on their website. Sign up for their email and be notified of sales. I think considering the time and money we put into quilts, it makes sense to buy high quality thread. The website also has educational information on the different threads and their uses. Rayon should only be used for embellishment and embroidery as it is not strong. I use Superiors So Fine 50 weight polyester for piecing and quilting. I took a quilting class with Cindy Needham, a Superior Threads educator, and she uses Bottom Line in the bobbin. It's 70 weight polyester and you can sew a long time before refilling a bobbin. She uses it on top, too if she wants to hide the thread for stitch in the ditch. If I get good enough with my free motion, I'll use a heavier weight thread for the quilting so it will show up more - LOL.

Kathy

[Jdeluka]

Thank you all for your thread information I usually buy from Superior Thread either at shows or on line. My go to threat is King Tut and Master Piece. I've not been too impressed with Bottom Line but I suspect it was a threading error on my part.

Barb

[Jdeluka]

On the only quilt that I did free motion I did a loop de loop. Ithink that's the easiest. Lately I've made computer covers and book covers and just do a wavy series of lines across the item. I've been collecting quilt patterns and machine quilting examples on Pinterest and it seems the modern ones seem to use evenly spaced lines in circular or any direction repeated at an even distance through the quilts. I think the hardest thing for me would be stippling.