Thread colour for FMQing a quilt?

[katier825]

If it were mine and I was using one color only, I'd match or go just slightly darker than the background. I don't mind how the light threads usually look fine on the prints, but I don't often care for the dark color thread on the light background.

Do you have some threads you can unwrap several feet and put on top to see how it looks? It's a good way to gauge it. I like to take pics too. For some reason, when I see the pics, it helps me decide.

[jeanne49]

I use varigated whenever possible, but if a quilt has one predominate color I use that, and for the back I try to match bobbin thread with that. But what I like best is to have top and bobbin thread match.

[kristijoy]

I'm not particularly a fan of variegated thread. When I've used it before I felt it actually drew more attention to itself then it did hiding. I just did a watery colored quilt with blues, purples, grays with a white background. I quilted it with a soft blue thread. I showed up a bit on the white, which was the effect I was looking for, I was quilting swirlies that would look like water swirling. I think an all over stippling could also give that type of effect of moving water, so I would consider using a soft blue.

[DOTTYMO]

I'm with kristijoy about varigated . If it was me I would stabilise in the ditch around the square and border. Then I would put a flower shape corner to corner curves with walking foot in each square an easy feather or similiar in the background.

I don't like to see an all over pattern going across a wonderful patchwork top and distracting from the pattern.
I use same colour thread top to bottom as this prevents any not fine stitches not showing as much.

[MagaQuilt]

As with most things it is a matter of taste. The idea of pooling the threads you think of trying is very good - I use that. I also like to make up a scarp block of the fabrics I have used in the quilt, sandwich it and try the patterns I want to quilt with the thread I think I have settled for when pooling the thread. That way you will know how it looks on the quilt. I prefer that to unpick because I don't like how it looks.
It is a lovely quilt so take your time in deciding on thread and quilt pattern you want to use.
MagaQuilt

[Rose S.]

I love King Tut variegated. They have some wonderful colors and I can almost always find something I like. I don't think the blue would look bad on the lavender. From what I can see of the quilt, there is not a lot of lavender. However, not sure how I would feel about it on the white parts of the quilt. It would depend on how dark the blue range went. If the darkest part of a variegated blue thread was very dark, I would not like it.The best advice is that already mentioned....pull off a few feet of thread from the spools considered and let it fall on the quilt and see if you like it.

[PatPitter]

I would consider doing something other than meander/stipple over the whole quilt. As others have said, stitch-in-the-ditch around the squares. Maybe do stipple in the unicorn squares with a dark thread and then stipple in the white squares with white thread. It will require more stopping and starting but I think it will look better.

Or consider a diagonal grid of straight line stitching.

[Sandygirl]

I always tell my long arm quilter that I dont want to see the thread. I want to see the fabric. Her choice on the color of thread.

Sandy

[JENNR8R]

I solve this problem by only using clear YLI monofiliment thread. I don't want to see a thread color, just texture. I use it for all of my quilt tops.

[paoberle]

Practice on some scraps with differ t colors and see which ones you like best.