What handquilting thread do you use? I have noticed a difference in quality among the threads, regardless of where they are purchased, including fabric stores and quilting shops, and am not really pleased with what I have bought. Would appreciate your opinions.

I tried Coats and Clark - got 2 spools - one good, one bad. The bad one had blobs of wax throughout that wasn't obvious on the spool, only noticeable when the thread was pulled out.

Also tried Gutermann (sp?) that's worked fairly well for me, and is the one I continue to purchase. Mainly because it is the only brand consistently available where I live, at a reasonable price.

However, I have heard that YLI is the best. I've heard this both on line, and from some of my hand quilting friends. I plan on trying this one out in future.

I love YLI! It's definately my favorite, although Guterman works ok as well.

That is exactly what I think. I LOVE the YLI brand and use it for hand quilting and also hand sewing sometimes. Gütermann has some special colors YLI don't have, so I use that also from time to time.
When I want to have a varigated thread I use King Tut of Superior.

i use what ever thread is the right color, weight for the project i am working on. it could be poly, rayon, cotton, wool, perl cotton, silk... i use what is going to work best for what i am working on. i do not limit myself to only one type of thread, or one companie's thread.

try the thread in the bins at JoAnn. The one that sells for .99 Very good hand quilting thread. Limited colors but good quality. Made by A&E. I use it in my hand quilting classes. Also a survey some years ago on the internet rated this as one of the best.

I like YLI hand quilting thread. I won't use machine quilting thread - it frays too quickly.

What does YLI stand for and where do you get it?

I like Valdani thread in the 30 wt for handquilting.

YLI is not an acronym it is the name of the company. Redrock threads carry it. Just google YLI thread and you will get pages and pages of hits with lots of sources to buy it. Some places carry a lot more then others. Redrock.com has a nice assortment.