Threading the Needle (Part 2)

This week we will look at choosing the right threads for different quilting techniques. No matter if you’re piecing blocks, machine quilting, hand quilting, or appliqueing, the thread you select can impact the overall look, durability and quality of your quilt.

Piecing Thread

For piecing quilt blocks, you’ll want a thread that’s strong, thin, and doesn’t add bulk to the seams.  Cotton thread is the go-to choice for many quilters when it comes to piecing.  It’s compatible with natural fibers, has low lint, and comes in a variety of weights.  The most popular weight for piecing (and my personal favorite) is a 50 wt cotton thread.  The 50 wt offers great balance between strength and fineness. 

However, like most all issues with quilting, there are “work arounds.”  You want your piecing thread to be strong, but you also don’t want it to take up a lot of space.  And even though thread is deceptively skinny, between a strand of it and the tiny bit of bulk produced with the fabric is pressed to one side, there is some thickness produced. So what if the thread is 40 wt instead of a 50 wt?  A 40 wt thread is thicker, so it obviously takes up a bit more room than 50 wt.  This means you may need to make your seam a thread or two larger than the traditional ¼-inch. Likewise if your thread is 60 wt and is not as thick as a 50 wt, you may want to opt for a seam allowance a thread or two smaller — a scant quarter-inch . The best way to make sure you have enough room in your seam is to make a test block (or at least run a test seam) with your chosen thread.  If the quilt block is the correct unfinished size or the seam is exactly ¼-inch, you’re good to go.   Otherwise, you may need to keep playing with it until you can make sure the seam is ¼-inch.

Thread also has plies (not to be confused with staples):

Think of plies like pieces of cord wrapped around each other to give the thread strength.  Some 50 wt piecing thread have two-plies and some have three.  Neither is better than the other, whichever one you like is a personal choice.  I really like to keep my quilt’s bulk as low as possible, so I opt for a 50 wt, 2-ply thread – namely Aurifil. 

Since we’ve mentioned staples, let’s go ahead and define what that is and why it is important to your quilting experience, especially since I’ve mentioned long-staple thread is really best.  Cotton thread is manufactured from this:

The cotton boll.  Cotton bolls are fibers which have to be pulled apart, the seeds removed, and then the fibers (staples) are spun into thread.  Some cotton boll staples are short, meaning a strand of thread is comprised of lots of short fibers (much of American cotton is short staple).  With other cotton, such as Egyptian cotton, the fibers which comprise a cotton boll are long, and these are long-staple cottons.  Ideally, we chose to use the long-staple cottons for piecing as these threads are longer and less linty than short staple cotton thread.    

There are some quilters who swear by using 100 percent polyester thread instead of cotton.  While this certainly isn’t a traditional choice, polyester thread can be incredibly strong and thin, making it a good choice for precise piecing.  However, the cheap polyester thread doesn’t care for the high heat we use when pressing – so be sure to use high-quality brand of polyester thread to avoid any potential melting issues during pressing.

Machine Quilting Thread

While cotton thread seems to be the thread of choice for most quilters when they piece, machine quilting is a whole ‘nuther world.  The thread options for machine quilting are almost endless.  Piecing thread is hidden between the folds of fabric, but machine quilting thread is there, front and center, for everyone to see.  Machine quilting thread adds texture, contrast, or it can blend seamlessly into your quilt top.  The most popular options are:

Cotton Thread – Great for an all-natural quilt, and depending on the look desired, a 50 wt, 40 wt, or 30 wt can be used. 

Polyester Thread – This thread is strong and colorfast, and is ideal for quilts which will be washed frequently.

Cotton-Wrapped Polyester – Combines the best of both cotton thread and polyester thread.  Given the choice between polyester and cotton-wrapped polyester, I usually go with the cotton-wrapped.

Metallic Thread – This thread adds a touch of sparkle and glamour to a quilt.  As I stated earlier, metallic thread rules Christmas quilts. 

When machine quilting, it’s crucial to match the thread weight to the quilting design and the fabric.  For instance, if almost all of your fabric is busy – it’s florals and geometrics and ditzies, chances are even a bold quilting thread choice (such as a 30 wt) won’t show up because the fabric is so busy.  It would be perfectly fine to use a 50 wt cotton thread on a quilt such as this. 

However, if your quilt has some negative space or uses either solid-colored fabrics or small print fabrics which read as solids, a bold thread choice – such as a 30 wt thread – would be stellar because your quilting will show up in such a lovely way. 

With same line of thinking, when machine quilting, it’s also important to match the thread weight to the quilting design.  For intricate designs, a finer 50-weight or less thread works well, while a heavier 30-weight thread can make bold designs really pop.  According to a survey conducted by Quilter’s Review, 62 percent of quilters prefer using a 40-weight thread for machine quilting, striking a balance between visibility and smooth stitching.

Hand Quilting Thread

When it comes to hand quilting, you’ll want a thread which is strong, smooth, and easy to work with.  Traditional hand quilters usually opt for cotton thread specifically designed for hand quilting.  These threads are glazed or waxed to reduce tangling and make it easier to pull through multiple layers of fabric and batting.  And if you’re ever in a bind and need hand quilting thread but you’re completely out, reach for your dental floss.  Unwaxed dental floss has saved the day for more than one hand quilter.  It’s smooth, strong, and comes in a variety of colors.

Thread for Applique

Machine applique requires a thread which can blend in seamlessly with your fabric or stand out for decorative effect.  And while there are lots of different types of thread available for applique, the kind of thread you use depends on the applique technique used. 

          Hand Applique – There are many types of hand applique: back basting, freezer paper, needle turn, finished edge, and Apliquik.  However, the type of applique used doesn’t matter as much as the technique.  Hand applique requires fine silk or cotton thread at a 60 to 80 weight.  I have used 100 wt polyester for hand applique if the applique pieces are super small. Personally, I prefer cotton thread to silk.  It’s easier to manage.  Plus, silk thread can break under the weight of the quilt if the quilt gets wet.

The fine thread and tiny stitches required by hand applique make the shapes seem as if they are floating on the background fabric.  To enhance this “floating” look, don’t prewash the background fabric.  Once the quilt or block is complete, soak the block and allow it to air dry.  The background fabric will shrink just a bit, pulling the applique stitches under the applique pieces, making them seem to disappear.

          Finished Edge Machine Applique – Like hand applique, for finished edge machine applique, the thread should melt into the fabric, appearing nearly invisible.  Machine applique quilters use a blanket stitch, blind hem stitch, or fine zigzag stitch.  The stitch you prefer doesn’t matter as much as the thread chosen.  Polyester or cotton thread in a 60 wt and above works well.  I’ve also used monofilament thread in finished edge machine applique. 

          Raw Edge Machine Applique – Personally, I think this is the most versatile type of machine applique.  With this applique, the thread can be a co-star or steal the limelight – it all depends on the look you want.  For smaller pieces, you may want to use a lighter weight thread, but I don’t believe any raw edge applique thread should be less than a 40-wt because the thread must encase the raw edges of the fabric to keep it from fraying.  You can plan for the thread to match the fabric, contrast the fabric, or to bling out everything and use a metallic or embroidery thread for shine. 

If you’re using this technique for a quilt with lots of color, it’s tempting to use a monofilament thread to save yourself some time – after all that thread is see-through, so it wouldn’t matter. Well…yes, it would.  Monofilament can be as light as 100 wt – far too thin to adequately encase any raw fabric edges.  If all that different fabric makes you a bit weary just thinking about all the thread changes you’ll have to make, find a good, variegated thread 40 or 50 wt. and use it.

This is a lot of information about thread – maybe more than you ever expected.  So how, with all of this minutiae about thread, do we ever decide what thread to use? It’s not difficult.  First, decide what kind of thread strength and durability you need.  If the quilt is one which will see the inside of a washing machine quite a bit, its thread needs will be different from a quilt which will hang on a wall.  Fiber content and thread construction are important.  Quilters tend to have an affinity for all things cotton, so naturally many of us reach for cotton, quilting thread.  However polyester threads often offer superior strength and resistance to abrasions.  According to a study by Textile World, polyester threads can be up to 2.5 times stronger than cotton threads of the same weight.

Color selection and color fastness should also be considered.  Granted most thread produced today is pretty color fast, as we normally think of the term – it maintains its color when it’s washed.  However, other elements can cause fading, such as sunlight.  Color choice, well it’s seemingly limitless.  As a piecer, we can usually get by with grays, beiges, whites, and blacks.  But when it comes to quilting thread, we need to decide if we want the thread to blend into the background or stand out and make a bold statement, or show off stunning effects (and our quilting skills) with a contrasting color.

In addition to these, machine compatibility is also important.  And “thread” acceptance can vary from machine to machine.  My Janome M7 can deal with anything I thread her up with.  I may have to fiddle with the tension and needle selection, but I have yet to use a thread that the M7 just absolutely won’t work with.  My long arm?  She’s completely another story.  That cheap, dull cotton thread you use on a serger?  She loves it.  Bring a spool of Glide anywhere near her and she goes into conniptions.  Know your machine and know what works on it and what doesn’t.  Above all, use quality thread.  Cheap thread can be notoriously linty.  So can 100 percent cotton threads.  To minimize lint issues, use high quality, long staple cotton thread or those threads designed specifically for low-lint production (such as polyester). Be sure to clean your machine on a regular basis (which we will get to shortly).

Maintaining Your Thread

At some point in your quilting/sewing, you’ll sit back and survey your surroundings and realize, “Wow…I have almost as much thread as I do fabric…maybe more.”  To that thought, we contemplate what is the best way to store and keep our fabric.  However, sometimes thread gets overlooked.  But when you think about it, if the average quilter’s fabric stash is worth $6,000, thread cannot be that far behind.  If you have piecing thread, applique thread, and quilting thread, not only are you replacing thread faster than fabric, but also the dollar amount between fabric and thread is pretty much the same. Improper storage of thread can cut down on its lifespan by 30 percent.  How and where we keep our thread is important.

A few years ago, maybe back in the Nineties, there was this rumor floating about in quilting circles concerning storing your thread in the freezer.  Supposedly this cold storage added years to the thread’s lifespan and cut down on lint.  Of course this is wrong on two levels.  First, putting thread in the freezer exposed it to moisture and second, the thread took up room which could have been used for ice cream. 

That’s a funny thought, but let’s do think about thread and moisture.  When thread is exposed to moisture, it is more likely to attract dirt and lint, which means when you use the thread in your machine, it also is exposed to moisture, dirt, and lint – which is not good.  Thread should be stored:

• In a cool, dry, place away from direct sunlight – UV rays can weaken fibers over time.
• In thread organizers help keep it tangle-free.
• Away from dust and lint to prevent contamination.

Thread and Tension

Thread and the correct tension go hand-in-hand to create a wonderful sewing experience.  If one or the other gets out of whack, you have all kinds of sewing issues.  If you have problems with thread tension, stitches, or bobbin barf on the wrong side of the fabric, check the following steps.

• Re-thread the machine.  This is the first step I take when I begin having problems and most of the time this takes care of the issues.  Somewhere along the thread path, I missed something and the machine rebels.  Rethreading solves the problem.
• Always thread your sewing machine with the presser foot up to ensure proper thread seating.
• Use high-quality thread that matches needle size and fabric weight
• If you feel you do need to adjust the tension, do it gradually, making only small changes at a time and testing it out on scrap fabric.
• Remember this:  Upper thread visible on the bottom? Lower the tension.  Bobbin thread visible on the top?  Increase the tension.

If, after checking the tension, you still are experiencing thread breakage and tangling, try these steps:

• Check for rough spots on your needle, thread guide, or bobbin case that could be catching the thread.
• Ensure the thread is feeding smoothly from the spool – maybe you need to change the spools orientation from vertical to horizontal or horizontal to vertical.
• If you’re using a cone, you may need a cone stand to reduce tension on the thread.
• Check your machine for lint build-up.  Even if you use long-staple cotton thread, polyester thread, or thread advertised as low-lint, lint will happen.  Check your bobbin and bobbin case to make sure there is no lint build-up, and if there is clean your machine…which brings us to….

How to Clean Your Machine

Disclaimer:  Before beginning any cleaning process on any sewing machine, be sure to consult your manual.

It’s a given fact—if you sew, eventually – no matter how careful you are with thread and fabric selection – you will need to clean your machine because there will be lint and dirt build up.  Regular cleaning can prevent up to 80 percent of common quilting machine issues.  How often should you clean your sewing machine?  Rule of thumb is if you sew every day, clean it once a week.  If you sew less than this, you can stretch the times between cleaning out a bit more.  Before I purchased my M7, I cleaned my machine on the first day of every month, after I finished paper piecing a project (paper piecing is notoriously linty), or after I quilted a quilt.  Now, like so many of the new quilting sewing machines, my M7 has a sensor in it and if the lint build up triggers the sensor, I get a message in the dialogue box on the machine.  And I must stop and clean it, or it won’t let me sew another stitch it is a bossy thing. 

Each type of machine is a bit different and it’s important you check your machine’s manual to make sure you’re cleaning yours correctly.  Generally:

• Remove the needle plate and clean the feed dogs with a small brush.  My favorite brush to clean the dogs is a mascara brush.  I purchase a tube of cheap mascara, throw away the mascara, and thoroughly wash the wand until all the black gunk is gone.  It’s just the right size for getting between the feed dogs.  There are vacuum attachments which are made for this type of cleaning, too, but I’ve heard too many mixed reviews to recommend them.
• Clean the bobbin area thoroughly, removing lint and thread bits.  I use the mascara brush, cotton swabs, and tweezers for this part.
• Wipe down the thread path with a lint-free cloth.
• Oil your machine as recommended by the manufacturer.  Be careful not to over-oil and oil only the areas indicated by the manual.  If you have a newer machine, many of those don’t require you to oil them at all.  A sewing machine tech must open the up the machine and oil the parts you can’t reach from the outside.  Which brings me to the final point…
• Every 12 to 18 months (depending on how frequently you use your machine) take it in for a spa day.  Let a sewing machine tech clean and oil the areas you can’t (or at least aren’t supposed to) get to.  This extends the life of your machine.

Finally, because I know I’ll get an email or message asking me about this, let me list some of my favorite thread.  Disclaimer:  I am not employed by any of these companies, nor do they finance my blog, or send me freebies for mentioning them.  The following is my unbiased opinion from over 40 years of sewing and quilting.

Top-Rated Cotton Piecing Thread

1. Aurifil 50 wt Cotton Thread.  This Italian-made thread is a quilter’s dream.  It’s lint-free, colorfast, and comes in a rainbow of hues.  It is a strong thread comprised of only two plies.
2. Superior Thread Masterpiece.  While this is not my first choice for piecing, it does work well when Aurifil is not available.  Masterpiece is a thicker 50wt thread, as it’s comprised of three plies.  And I think feels a little stiffer than Aurifil.

Top-Rated Cotton Quilting Thread

1. Aurifil 50, 40, or 30 wt, depending on the statement my quilting makes.
2. Gutermann Natural Cotton Thread.  Gutermann is actually a great crossover thread.  While it may be my second choice when I am quilting by machine, it’s my first choice when quilting by hand.  It is strong and has a smooth finish.
3. DMC Cotton Machine Embroidery Thread.  Yes, this is embroidery thread.  However, it’s vibrant colors and durability work great in quilting.

Top-Rated Polyester Threads for Quilting

1.  Superior Threads So Fine 50 – 100 wt.  I love this polyester thread so much.  It’s strong and quilts wonderfully.  The thin thread is perfect for detail quilting and blends in beautifully with the fabric.  And if I’m piecing a quilt and it’s comprised of small blocks with small pieces, I will piece with So Fine 60 wt.  It takes up less room in the seams and cuts down on bulk.
2. Coats and Clark Dual Duty XP. This is not the same Coats and Clark your momma used.  This Coats and Clark is a polyester-wrapped core thread that is strong enough for heavy-duty projects, but fine enough for delicate work.
3. Sulky Polylite Thread.  Lightweight and lint-free, this thread works well in a domestic machine as well as a longarm. 

Top-Rate Specialty Thread

1. YLI Silk Thread – I don’t like to hand applique with silk threads, but I have used silk thread in finished edge machine applique.  It melts into the fabric and leaves an elegant touch. It also works well in thread painting.
2. Superior Threads Metallic.  If I am going through the trouble of adding some bling to my quilt either in the quilting stitches or thread painting, I go with Super Threads Metallic every time.  I consistently have good results and fewer problems with their brand of metallics.
3. Wonderfil Invisafil.  Wonderfil is a brand of thread still fairly new to the United States, but it’s quickly gaining a foothold. Canadian by birth, it’s still a young thread, with manufacturing beginning in 1988.  I became aware of this thread during the Pandemic when I took an on-line applique class with an Australian quilter.  Out of curiosity I ordered a couple of spools from her website and was instantly smitten.  It’s an ultra-fine 100 wt polyester thread that’s perfect for micro quilting and nearly invisible stitching.  If you don’t like working with monofilament, Invisafil may work better for you. Currently you can order Wonderfil thread (all of it, not just the Invisafil) at Red Rock Threads.  A few local quilt shops have it in stock, but most of the time you’ll have to order it. 

These are my favorite specialty threads, but if you want to know more about all kinds, weights, and effects, go to the Superior Threads website and read through their information.

Choosing the right thread for quilting and piecing is a crucial decision which can significantly impact the outcome of your project.  Remember, while cotton thread in the 40 – 50 weight range is often a safe choice for most quilting projects, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.  The best thread for your quilt will depend on various factors, including your quilting technique, the fabric used, and the desired final appearance of your quilt.  Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of threads to find what works best for you and your quilting style.  Whether you opt for the traditional route with 100 percent cotton thread or decide to add some sparkle with metallic threads, the key is to choose a high-quality product that will enhance your quilt’s beauty and ensure its longevity.  By considering the factors we’ve discussed – such as thread strength, color fastness, lint production, and tension issues – you’ll be well-equipped to create stunning, durable quilts that will be cherished for generations to come.

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix