I am interesting in ordering some Essential Thread from Connecting Threads and I was wondering if anyone has tried it? I found it mentioned in one post in July in the archives but that's all. I have some Aurifil and Mettler silk finish for piecing but I need more color variations and the thread sets of Essential thread look like a good deal. I have a Janome 6500 and an Husqvarna Iris that I'd be using the thread for. The Mettler Silk finish is too linty for the Janome but works fine in the Husqvarna.
Renee, I've tossed your question around in my little head for a while but don't quite understand it. I don't know why you'd need color variation for piecing. Of course, you wouldn't want to use Passion Hot Pink for putting white pieces together, but just generally stitching pieces, the color you use doesn't matter much. Standard boring things such as white, beige, gray, black and perhaps red should equip you for piecing just fine. OTOH, if you're doing acres of SM visible or invisible appliqué, that's quite another matter. Why don't you order just one spool of the Essential and see what your SMs think about it? I never realized how much my Berninas hated Gutermann until I tried their black thread using a white Bernina. Mercy. That stuff shed more than a big kitty. Polly
"Wren" wrote> > I am interesting in ordering some Essential Thread from Connecting
I have used Essential for piecing and don't remember having any problems.
For piecing I just use off white, light to med grey, dark grey and maybe black. The only "colour" I would go out and buy would be red. If I am travelling with my machine I just take a taupe/khaki colour and that does everything pretty much OK.
Not criticizing, but why would you want to bother matching threads for piecing? If your tension is right you won't see the stitching.
I save matching for quilting and top stitching threads. Even applique can be done (by hand) with just a couple of neutrals. I do 90% of my hand applique with taupe #100 silk.
I have not used the Essential Thread so I can't give an opinion. But I do try to match close to my fabric to when piecing. I just find it works better for me over all. But I'm just rather particular on my piecing. So, remember, there are no quilt police. If someone wants to match the thread, they can... if you don't want to... don't.... I'm willing to bet you are all equally happy with your finished product.
There is a Neutrals thread set that I was considering. I have white and black in Gutermann thread and it's so linty that I won't use it in my Janome because I run that machine at it's higher speeds. I use the HV at a much lower speed so it doesn't seem to shed as much while threaded in that machine. I bought a cream and a grey from Aurifil but when those spools arrived I found that they were so much lighter than expected even though I chose from a color chart. I can't use the grey on darks. I need a smokey grey to replace the Gutermann black. As I said, the Mettler is also too linty for my Janome and the dark grey I have is a Mettler. For the cost of replacing two Aurifil spools plus shipping, I can buy a set of ten neutrals from Connecting Threads or (or spend $9 a spool for Superior at the local sew 'n vac store).
One spool is $1.99...order just one and add shipping--that defeats the purpose of ordering it online. That's why I've asked for opinions---just looking for an informal "consumer report."
I bought the Essential Thread neutral collection and I will probably buy it again. In my Elna, it seems to lint somewhat more than Aurifil, but not as much as the C&C Star brand; all of them are less linty in my machine than the C&C Dual Duty. It seems finer than the Star thread but not as fine as the Aurifil. It's been quite a while since I used the Mettler; I quit using it after I found the Star because Star was so much less expensive and not much different in the amount of lint in the machine. I like variety in the neutrals collection. I tend to use a lot of neutrals for piecing, choosing lighter or darker based on the colors of fabric I'm piecing.
I'm with you, Wren. The Aurifil color chart online isn't quite right for me either. What I thought was off-white is so white that I have to go outside or put it under the Ott to see which one is which. What I thought would be a nice boring beige turned out to be toastier than I had in mind. There is a shop here in our state that sells Aurifil online; that's faster shipping for me but then I have to pay sales tax which offends my delicate sensibilities. Using a smoky gray for blacks strikes me as a very smart idea; thanks Wren. Polly
"Wren" wrote > Polly, There is a Neutrals thread set that I was considering. I have white and black in Gutermann thread and it's so linty that I won't use it in my Janome because I run that machine at it's higher speeds. I use the HV at a much lower speed so it doesn't seem to shed as much while threaded in that machine. I bought a cream and a grey from Aurifil but when those spools arrived I found that they were so much lighter than expected even though I chose from a color chart. I can't use the grey on darks. I need a smokey grey to replace the Gutermann black. As I said, the Mettler is also too linty for my Janome and the dark grey I have is a Mettler. For the cost of replacing two Aurifil spools plus shipping, I can buy a set of ten neutrals from Connecting Threads or (or spend $9 a spool for Superior at the local sew 'n vac store).
One spool is $1.99...order just one and add shipping--that defeats the purpose of ordering it online. That's why I've asked for opinions---just looking for an informal "consumer report."
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