NEWBIE Question

Does anyone have any advice

Thanks so much!

"Life is in session. Are you present?" B. Copeland

COTTON. 100% cotton.

A friend of mine just threw out a quilt she made 20 years ago with polyester thread because the thread has cut through the top fabric at every seam.

And welcome to RCTQ.

Cynthia >Hello! I am brand, spanking new at quilting, and I would like very much to get

some advice. Exactly what kind of thread should I use for my first quilting project. It will be a four-patch with a twist, using cotton thread. While exploring the Internet, I see all kinds of threads - 35 wt., 40-wt., 50-wt., and

60-wt. I must admit that I am thoroughly confused. Unfortunately I have to teach myself, along with 'Simply Quilts' on HGTV. Going to class right now is not an option.

Hi, and welcome from another newbie!

Regarding weights of thread, I don't have much info. I will say that, when I bought my Bernina, I took a class on how to use the machine with a Mennonite instructor. In case you don't know much about Mennonites, their faith believes in simplicity and frugality. She makes almost all of her own clothes and had a million and one suggestions on how to make things work longer, do more and cost less. However, she was clear on one thing: she strongly suggests getting a good thread, not only to make the garment more durable but to protect the inner workings of your machine. She showed us pictures of thread under magification, and it was amazing how different the various threads are--many had lots of loose fibers, which can knot and cause wear and tear on your tension disk.

So, my recommendation would be to look for good thread, thread that doesn't look at all "linty", which, when you pull it out is very smooth.

Sheila

I have a quilt almost as old that was pieced with poly and quilted with poly, and is in excellent condition. It's washed regularly in the washer, dried in the drier.

A few years back A&E (one of the big thread manufacturers) had a standing offer of some kind of reward for anyone who could bring them a quilt that had been damaged from a *quality* polyester thread. In every case they saw, the damage was from a worn/defective needle, not from the poly thread.

I'm not picking on anyone who likes to use cotton thread. I like it myself (although I *do* scratch my head at the ladies who insist I use cotton thread and then want the cheapest, nastiest poly batting. What's wrong with this picture???). But I'm not convinced about the popular legend that poly is inherently evil. :) (Does that make me an agnostic?)

Howdy! What you said, Kathy. And "Me, too." I have quilts that were pieced and/or quilted w/ Coats and Clark poly or poly/cotton threads 30-60 yrs. ago. So far, no problems. In old quilt tops I've received from "clients" to quilt for them, it's usually sloppy sewing that damages the quilt top, seams that were not secure, thread tension was not right from the beginning. Then there's the fabric itself; some just doesn't last as long as others.

Besides the C&C, I like to piece w/ Mettler, handquilt w/ Gütterman. C&C info:

info: Welcome, good luck, and please sign your posts so we know what to call you. ;-) Ragmop/Sandy

I use Mettler 50/3 100% cotton for piecing. I've had great success with it. Julie

Hi Kathy:

Gee, I don't know....Maybe you're right? I'm just repeating what my girlfriend told me over the weekend during my quilt shop hop. She's been sewing as long as I have (25y), but has been quilting for about

10y, (me only 3 seriously). She swears it's her poly thread. I'll tell her that that's controversial.

Cynthia, who always has an open mind.

The numbers on the thread signify the weight, or how heavy the thread is. For 100% cotton threads the larger the number the finer the thread. I usually use a 60 wt for hand embroidery (it is nice and fine), a 50 wt for piecing (a nice medium weight). Depending on the look I'm going for, I will use either a 40 or a 50 wt for quilting. If I really want to see the stitches I use the heavier 40 wt. Otherwise the 50 wt has more yardage and I will use that. But that's me.

Poly/cotton blends and rayon threads have different a number system.

Cheri from Vancouver Island, Canada

50-wt., and 60-wt. I must admit that I am thoroughly confused. Unfortunately I have to teach myself, along with 'Simply Quilts' on HGTV. Going to class right now is not an option.

Does anyone have any advice

Thanks so much!

"Life is in session. Are you present?" B. Copeland

Hullo and welcome, 'Mignon' I suggest one of the middle weights for piecing. When it comes to quilting, you might have very different ideas. I used to use all sorts of thread, but when I replace spools, I usually get cotton nowadays. . In article , Mignon writes

Please can you turn your HTML off?

Anyway, I just use the gutterman polyester thread. although I recently got some cotton to try. I don't usually have the cotton one because my local fabric shop doesn't sell it, I have to get it off the net!

Charlie.

50-wt., and 60-wt. I must admit that I am thoroughly confused. Unfortunately I have to teach myself, along with 'Simply Quilts' on HGTV. Going to class right now is not an option.

Does anyone have any advice

Thanks so much!

"Life is in session. Are you present?" B. Copeland

I have used a lot of Coats & Clark Dual Duty. After finding a lot of red lint in my machine after machine quilting with red C&C DD, I switched to Mettler silk finish cotton for piecing. More recently, I've been using Coats & Clark Star cotton thread; that seems to work well and is somewhat less expensive than the Mettler. I use the same thread in the bobbin when machine quilting; I use the same, Sulky monofilament, YLI variegated, or decorative thread in the needle for machine quilting. For hand quilting, Gutterman is my favorite.

Julia > Besides the C&C, I like to piece w/ Mettler, handquilt w/ Gütterman.

Normal sewing weight for piecing on your machine is 50. Lower number = thicker thread, so 60 is finer than 50. You could use that too, with a finer needle. But 50 is the easiest to get. If you hand quilt, the thread label will say "hand quilting". These are often glazed or waxed, so best not to use them in the machine where the added gunk might clog your tension discs. Buy the best quality thread you can find -it's not cheap. You get what you pay for. My mom has a lovely Husqvarna machine and complains allthe time she is using it that it breaks the thread and won't sew properly. She buys the cheapest bargain bin trash, which I wouldn't even use for basting! When I visit and put some decent thread in that poor machine, it just purrs along with no problem. All thread throws off some amount of lint, but cheap thread will look furry even on the spool! One of my favorites is YLI Long Staple -almost no lint at all.

If you want to try machine quilting (fun and easy, with practice), get a copy of Harriet Hargrave's "Heirloom Machine Quilting" to answer all possible questions. Roberta in D

Does anyone have any advice

Thanks so much!

"Life is in session. Are you present?" B. Copeland

Does anyone have any advice

Thanks so much!

"Life is in session. Are you present?" B. Copeland

Thanks Cynthia! I'm looking forward to camaraderie here.

to get some advice. Exactly what kind of thread should I use for my first quilting project. It will be a four-patch with a twist, using cotton thread. While exploring the Internet, I see all kinds of threads - 35 wt., 40-wt.,

50-wt., and 60-wt. I must admit that I am thoroughly confused. Unfortunately I have to teach myself, along with 'Simply Quilts' on HGTV. Going to class right now is not an option.

Hi Julie! Having a Bernina machine, that's all they recommend... Mettler for quilting and Isacord for embroidery. I just have to wonder why Mettler is said to be so superior to other threads. I've used C&C all my sewing life, and I've never had any problems with it.

Mignon

Great! I love C&C. Is C&C Star cotton thread new?

Mignon

Thanks Sheila.

Mignon

Hi Sairey! LOL! I'm in Richmond, VA -- and I will, indeed, sign my messages.

Mignon

to get some advice. Exactly what kind of thread should I use for my first quilting project. It will be a four-patch with a twist, using cotton thread.

Hi Charlie! Sorry about the HTML. I've turned it off. I'll be machine quilting, so it appears that as long as I used a quality thread, it doesn't matter.

Mignon

Unfortunately