Mettler 'Silk' Finished thread and other myths.
10-20-2014, 12:14 PM
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: NW PA
Posts: 843
Originally Posted by Jan in VA
"ONLY a 1/4" seam is correct in quilts."
Actually I subscribe to the Mary Ellen Hopkins dictate of "personal private measurement" -- the position my needle is in closest to the 1/4" mark on MY sewing machine. The machines, Berninas 1031, 830, 807, have one needle position slightly less than 1/4" and one position slightly more than 1/4" (among others). I use them both for different purposes.
My quilts are fine and I've never been "fined" for one.
Jan in VA
Actually I subscribe to the Mary Ellen Hopkins dictate of "personal private measurement" -- the position my needle is in closest to the 1/4" mark on MY sewing machine. The machines, Berninas 1031, 830, 807, have one needle position slightly less than 1/4" and one position slightly more than 1/4" (among others). I use them both for different purposes.
My quilts are fine and I've never been "fined" for one.
Jan in VA
10-20-2014, 01:52 PM
#24
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Texas
Posts: 113
Just another comment on the myth that "real" quilts are hand quilted: I have a "real" quilt on my bed at the moment, quilted deep in the past by some woman in my husband's family, I don't know who. It is hand pieced and hand quilted — and so poorly done that I am afraid to wash it under any circumstances. I could never handle it for handwashing and I'm quite certain it would fall apart in a washer, and possibly would also fall apart if it were hand washed. And. It. Is. Dirty. It reeeeally needs a bath. I don't know what to do with it. However, I am in the (slow) process of making a fake quilt (i.e. machine pieced and quilted) for that bed. Once it's finished, the "real" one will go back into storage and await someone who is brave enough to tackle its fragility and grubbiness. My fake quilt will toss into the washer and dryer and be none the worse for the wear. I also anticipate it lasting many years longer than the "real" one.
Is machine piecing and quilting really an unrealistic choice?
Is machine piecing and quilting really an unrealistic choice?
10-20-2014, 05:47 PM
#25
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Nevada
Posts: 6,958
Originally Posted by Geri B
I wonder what the seam allowance was for clothing back in the day it was hand stitched? Maybe "our" 1/4" seam allowance is a carry-over? Just a thought.
10-20-2014, 07:00 PM
#26
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Utah
Posts: 2,072
"I have a spool of thread on my desk labeled 100% cotton quilting thread. It is a very well known brand, widely available, and is one of the top selling machine quilting and piecing threads. It is twice as strong as a comparable polyester thread. Although it isn't labeled as such, it is coated with a glaze which strengthens the cotton fibers and makes the thread rather wiry."
Just wanted to mention (as a sewing machine mechanic) that you should never use a hand quilting tread with the glaze finish in your sewing machine. That one is not a myth. I have seen some very frustrated ladies with that on their machine. No way to get a good stitch, for one thing. And it pulls the needle into the hook and will put burrs on it. That wiry stuff has a mind of it's own, and doesn't comply with what the machine needs it to do.
Just wanted to mention (as a sewing machine mechanic) that you should never use a hand quilting tread with the glaze finish in your sewing machine. That one is not a myth. I have seen some very frustrated ladies with that on their machine. No way to get a good stitch, for one thing. And it pulls the needle into the hook and will put burrs on it. That wiry stuff has a mind of it's own, and doesn't comply with what the machine needs it to do.
10-20-2014, 09:40 PM
#27
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Texas
Posts: 983
Originally Posted by Jan in VA
"ONLY a 1/4" seam is correct in quilts."
Actually I subscribe to the Mary Ellen Hopkins dictate of "personal private measurement" -- the position my needle is in closest to the 1/4" mark on MY sewing machine. The machines, Berninas 1031, 830, 807, have one needle position slightly less than 1/4" and one position slightly more than 1/4" (among others). I use them both for different purposes.
My quilts are fine and I've never been "fined" for one.
Jan in VA
Actually I subscribe to the Mary Ellen Hopkins dictate of "personal private measurement" -- the position my needle is in closest to the 1/4" mark on MY sewing machine. The machines, Berninas 1031, 830, 807, have one needle position slightly less than 1/4" and one position slightly more than 1/4" (among others). I use them both for different purposes.
My quilts are fine and I've never been "fined" for one.
Jan in VA
10-21-2014, 12:57 AM
#28
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: New Orleans, La
Posts: 1,768
Very interesting topic. When I came back to quilting after retiring, I also felt a quilt wasn't a quilt unless it was Hand Quilted. My thoughts now have changed. Anything is a quilt, no matter how it's put together. With that, I still have a deep love for the hand quilted. What's that saying " Don't fret the small stuff" and I don't
10-21-2014, 06:24 AM
#30
Super Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Ballwin, MO
Posts: 4,214
Each sort of quilting should be celebrated for what it is. Hand quilting is esteemed because it represents an extraordinary amount of time and work. Machine quilting requires just as much skill, just of a different sort. There is room for both types of quilts in the world, and there is no need to feel defensive about the choices we make as quilters. Whichever way you choose to quilt, do it without apology.
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