grandma7

I am about to quilt my DGD's quilt. I will use white thread on the top and the backing is navy, so I'm thinking I should use navy thread in the bobbin. Does this work well? I know I have to be sure the tension is balanced. I wanted to know if any of you have done this. Thank you so much. When I have a question, I ALWAYS know where to turn.

CharlotteO

I have done it and it worked beautifully, I was using beige and burgundy, and the machine had been recently cleaned and adjusted and the tension was beautiful.

PaperPrincess

I would do some quitling on a test sandwich to get the tension right. If you can't get it perfect, set it so you have the top white thread show a tiny bit on the back, then either call it a design element ;-) or get a permanent navy fabric marker and touch it up. Good luck!

coldquilter

I often use two different thread colors and find it to work great. Good luck.

happyquiltmom

I quite often do, as I want the thread to match the backing fabric. I've never had any trouble with colors showing through to the front. But then, I keep my old Bernina set up for FMQ all the time, so I don't have to mess with tension or anything.

I always clean and oil well before I start quilting a new quilt. New needle as well!

catmcclure

Actually, one of my most embarrassing moments was finding a quilt I absolutely loved at Road2CA. It was black with all different colors of thread-work making up the pattern. I found it and then lost it. Finally, as my daughter and I were searching, I found it again and showed it to her. She looked at me and said "Mother, that's the back of Sharon Schamber's quilt." Her applique quilt had won the $100K challenge. She had used the same thread on the front as on the back (different color for each applique color). It really looked gorgeous. You might use white on both top and bobbin. You could use a Sashiko design overall to quilt and you'd end up with a gorgeous look on the back.

Make another block of leftovers and quilt a small 12" sandwich. The white on the navy back might just be gorgeous.

mighty

I do this all the time, only issue would be tension.

Cagey

I've used cream on the back and a color on the front. Had a little show on the back but nothing too obvious. (No quilt police please!).

jcrow

It depends on if you want to showcase your quilting or not. If you don't, then do the navy on the back. If you want to show off your quilting, do a light color. It depends on if you want the blocks to be the focus or the quilting!

grandma7

Thank you all for your help. I feel much better in doing this!