applique thread
 

What is the best kind of thread to use for appliqué. I read that silk thread is best. If so what color. Should the color match the fabric or should I use a neutral color? Thanks in advance for your help.
Sue

I assume you're talking about hand applique and don't want the thread to show. I like to use 100 wt silk thread, but Nancy Chong, who is definitely an expert, uses 50 wt. Aurifil - http://prqc.com/thread_applique.htm. Other people have their own preferences. Some people match the color of the top fabric, and others rely on neutrals (grey, cream) for everything. No rules, just try a few different things and see what works best for you.

I think it's a person's preference. My preference is silk. If it's darker fabric, I use a beige and for light I use a cream. The silk thread really doesn't show. I also prefer the straw needles, too.:)

For hand applique, I follow the suggestions of Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins (Piece O' Cake): use cotton thread with cotton fabric; try different brands and you'll find one you like better than the others. They like DMC 50-weight and Mettler 60-weight...both machine embroidery thread for hand applique (go figure). They also suggest Aurifil 50-wt 2-ply cotton thread. Match the color of the thread to the piece of fabric that you are appliquing on, not the background fabric.

If you want to do needle-turn hand-applique, I'd suggest getting their book "The New Applique Sampler" and/or their dvd "Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins Teach You to Applique the Piece O' Cake Way". Both are wonderful.

Silk thread works nicely. I also like Superior's Bottom Line thread, I can get an assortment of colors on bobbins, so I'm not spending a huge amount on entire spools of silk when I'm only using a little bit.

For your stitching to disappear you want a thin thread, which is why silk is often recommended, but a thin cotton is wonderful too. One of the best "inventions" is the Frosted Donut by Superior Threads. It is a bobbin holder filled with 35 or 36 different colors of Masterpiece thread (Alex Andersons favorite). Since you don't use large amounts of thread with hand applique but often need lots of different colors, this is perfect. I also use Mettler 60/2 cotton thread, and DMC.

I have the Donut by Superior Threads, 50wt, but reads thinner, and I match the color of the thread to the color of the fabric. I machine quilt with my 100wt silk. I tried appliqueing with it, but it is so thin that at times it comes un-threaded without me knowing it!!

Thanks so much for your help. I'm planning to learn needle turned appliqué. I have a couple of projects in mind and want to get started along with getting back to Dear Jane.
Sue

I have taken many classes from experts and they prefer Aurifil. You have a great variety of colors and it's 2 ply so it blends in well and holds up. If you have someone who likes to applique with you go in together to buy spools and then wind it onto bobbins. It's easier to carry around with you and you can get a larger variety of colors in the beginning without spending as much money.

Aurifil is wonderful!!!!

I use either silk thread (100 weight), or 60 weight cotton. I use the silk thread most often because it's hard to find 60 weight cotton locally, and with the cotton I'm more comfortable matching the thread with the applique color. For silk thread, I use neutrals: cream, beige, light gray and black. The spools of silk are expensive, but they last forever...well, almost. :)

Janet

I use aurifil and love it...I took a class from Nancy Chong and her applique is gorgeous

Applique silk is very expensive and I do have many colors but the one I use most is YLI Silk thread number 235. This is a medium neutral and just sinks into most colors it is used with.

I am surly not an expert, but do quite a bit of applique. I use cotton 60w, usually white for most work, and the ladder stitch, which hides the stitches nicely. I do use a darker thread if using very dark fabric. Good luck withe your applique.

I use 60 wt cotton presencia but also find that needle makes a difference in your stitch. I use the gold needles by clover which I find gives a nice small stitch and fits your hand. Try different ones to see what works for you.

I use YLI silk thread, expensive but worth it. Tire silk thread didn't work for me at all (snarled at the drop of a hat.)

I find that buying the duller colors works very well for hiding the threads; the brighter YLI colors have more limited use (you have to match the fabric pretty perfectly to hide the thread when the thread is bright.)

I use YLI silk thread set in the neutral colors. It disappears in the fabric. I have the Superior Donut too but seldom use that thread for applique after using the silk thread first and knowing how wonderful it is. I need to find out if Superior has the silk thread in a bobbin donut. I have used Aurifil because I have a lot of it bought on clearance. Any thread that has a quilters's name on it will be their favorite thread to use so I don't go by that in choosing thread. I used Glide thread for hand stitching binding on my last quilt and I really like it for handsewing.