Invisible thread doing stippling, help please
 

I'm trying to do stippling quilting on the t shirt quilt that I made,
as the t shirts are different colors I thought that it would look the best to use a invisible thread .

I have never used invisible thread before and have a few qurstion on it.


do you put the invisible thread in the bobbin also? is it hard to wind the bobbin on the sewing machine, will the thread stretch when I wind the bobbin...

I did try the invisble thread in the top and thread that matched the backing but when I did the stippling the thread from the back show as little dots on the front, is there some way to stop that?

is there anything different that I would need to do to make this thread work? like setting on the sewing machine ....

I have the machine set up for stippling with the feeddogs dropped and the tenion set right, is there anything else I need to know before I start? Thanks for your help....

I would not use the invisible in the bobbin. (JMO) I tried it once and it ended up a mess. I have used it on top with regular on bottom and that worked well. Think your top thread is too tight if bottom thread is showing thru top. Did you try to loosen tension a little? Maybe you are going too fast for the machine and that is why the thread is coming up. I would try those suggestions and maybe someone else with more experience will have better ideas.
Good luck!

After much reading on this forum and other places online, and lots of test-stitching, I've used invisible thread once so far...on the first quilt I made a few months ago and finished quilting a week or two ago. I did SID on it, not stippling. Here's MY take on the stuff...

I used regular thread in the bobbin, used a cone-holder for the Sulky brand invisible thread since I read that it would help keep it from tangling, then put a "sock" over the spool before threading the machine, so the thread came up out of the "sock". (I had an old stocking and cut it to use for the sock). That helped the thread to come off the spool without unraveling from the spool and tangling.

I did some sample stitching to play with the tension to get it right and used a much lower tension number than for normal sewing, to keep the thread from stretching.

I also used a smaller needle. I tried a 70/10, but it had trouble going through the seams, so ended up using an 80/12. Once I tested the stitching and found it to my liking I made a note of the settings for future use and I was good to go.

My biggest complaint was mostly that it was difficult to SEE. Will I use it again? Probably only on wall quilts, etc, since I've read that you shouldn't put heat to anything you've used it on.

HTH...from a newbie! I'm sure you'll get many more responses from those who are more experienced at quilting.

It can be done but you have to wind the bobbins really slow and careful.

[/QUOTE]I did try the invisble thread in the top and thread that matched the backing but when I did the stippling the thread from the back show as little dots on the front, is there some way to stop that?[/QUOTE]

You'll have to play with the tension on a practice quilt sandwich.

[/QUOTE]is there anything different that I would need to do to make this thread work? like setting on the sewing machine .....[/QUOTE]

Voodoo helps a little.

[/QUOTE]I have the machine set up for stippling with the feeddogs dropped and the tenion set right, is there anything else I need to know before I start? Thanks for your help....[/QUOTE]

Several swear words can also be slightly helpful.

A regular needle will make larger holes in knit fabric. They might shrink back up when washed. I use a ballpoint needle for my knit diapers. Helps keep from skipping stitches or making big holes. The diapers are usually a layer of knit, a layer of knit fleece and a layer of velour. Some parts even have elastic too. So I know they will go through a quilt. I wonder if that might be an option?

I've onlu used it for straight stitching. I have a program on my machine for hand quilting and one uses it on top and regular on the bottom.

I have used Superior Monopoly thread on on of my frist t-shirt quilts for the same reason. You can use it in the bobbin but a better suggestion would be to use Bottom Line thread or a comparable 60 wt polyester. You really need to loosen the top tension on invisible and I go a bit slower. Haven't had any problems!!

If you do decide to use invisible in the bobbin - do not wind it all the way full. they say to wind it only 3/4 as it can pop your bobbin out of shape.

With many sewing machines, it can be impossible to get tension perfectly balanced when using different threads on top and bottom. To get rid of the little dots, you will probably have to use the same thread in both places.

There are different types of invisible thread. I use YLI nylon monofilament and have been able to use it successfully in the bobbin as well as on top. It tends to work better if your machine uses metal bobbins, as plastic bobbins are more likely to distort under the pressure of the thread. When winding a bobbin with nylon monofilament, it's important to wind slowly and to underfill the bobbin, as others have mentioned. Nylon monofilament stretches, and the stretching while winding at high speeds creates problems.

Again, because of the stretchiness of nylon monofilament, it's important to reduce the upper tension when using it. I usually move down from 5 to 3.

For stippling, I would be careful only to do moderate to large-scale stippling. You definitely do not want to do small-scale stippling using nylon monofilament, as it will stiffen up the quilt considerably.

Thank you everyone for your advice I will keep trying different tenion and see if I can get rid of the dots of thread showing on the top.. everything Slow I'll try... LOL Thanks again...