Big Stitch Hand Quilting- how many strands of embroidery thread do I use?
 

This is a great site, I am new here & maybe this question has been addressed, if so, please tell me how you searched to find the info.

Big stitch quiltng is a new concept to me, after all those years trying so hard to get those little bitty stitches, here comes another technique. I have not picked up a needle to quilt in over 20 years & boy was I shocked, my eyesight has gotten really bad, could not thread the needle quickly, stitches were lop sided & just plain ugly.

Searching on the net led me to this thing called Big Stitch quilting..eureka, or so I thought. Bought some embroidery perle cotton in a lovely creme color & a size 5 embroidery needle & to make this long story short, I need help!!!!

First off, I just cut off a long piece of thread & tried to thread the needle with the whole strand....would not thread through the needle. Do I need to seperate the strands of thread? If so, how many strands do I use to quilt with? How do I seperate all those threads without having a rat's nest? Do I need a different needle?

Your help will be greatly appreciated....am anxious to get started hand quilting before it gets too hot here in Tx. Thanks in advance.

I bought the skeins, which I think another quilter mentioned to get the balls instead. I shall try the ball of perle cotton & see if I have a #8 John James needle... thanks.

Depends on how you want it to look :) . I have some perle cotton in my "practice" basket but not sure what size it is; if you cut off 18-20", it's easy to separate into 4 strands, and 1 strand is plenty fat enough for big stitch work -- about the size of a heavyish crochet thread. I also have some 12wt cotton sewing thread, which could also be used for big stitch with a somewhat lighter, crisper finish; it's about the weight of 2 strands of embroidery floss. Any of those will work fine in a size 7 embroidery needle. I have a slimmer embroidery needle that they also work in, probably an 8 or a 9, nice big eye for threading.

You don't say what weight perle cotton you bought. That would determine the needle size you should use.

Perle cotton comes in four sizes...#3, #5, #8 and #12 (the lower the number, the thicker the thread). It is a non-divisible thread (they are plies, not strands, and are not meant to be separated).

I also didn't think you were supposed to be able to separate perle thread. I would buy a bigger needle/one with a bigger eye. Embroidery needles are meant to be used with embroidery floss, which you do (tend to) separate.

I used a #8 quilting needle and #8 DMC ball embroidery. It came out kind of cool, but what drove me crazy was trying to hide the starts and stops. So I never did it again :)

Jeez....I am a dummy- bought the size #5 perle cotton skein & was trying to unravel the thing...no wonder I was having a terrible mess!! I was just about to give up on this big stitch quilting thing & decided to ask for help.

Thanks everyone for you wonderful replies. I shall go hide underneath a rock now & work with my little ball of cotton thread that says size 8 DMC. I bought several different threads since I did not really know which to use. Now to find the right needle, only problem is I have a BUNCH of needles in a plastic baggie & most have fallen out of their little papers & now it is just pot luck as to what size they are....another boondoggle for me to overcome. Will I ever get it together??? Yes, I should have labeled an RX bottle with the size & whatnot or just stuffed the little paper & all in there, but years ago I was young & thought I would remember everything. Besides who knew those little buggers would fall out of their nest? Naughty naughty. I have no clue who belongs where. Anyway, I am tempted to just go out & buy what you all suggest & start brand new with labeling & such. Anyone care for some needles of unknown origin? Please tell me that after about 20 years those needles are now dull & need to be discarded...that way I won't feel so bad about this whole thing.

Another stupid question...noticed that you suggested #8 perle cotton with a #8 John James needle...is this a concidence or is there some logic to this?

Quilters, this needle & thread thing is getting more complicated (but fun) with each new post...everyone has a variation of what goes with what. I am taking notes for future reference to what you all are using. It will be neat to try something different with each project. Thanks so much for sharing.

You can use any needle you want, as long as it doesn't shred the thread or leave holes in your fabric :) .