Originally Posted by applique
I've tried other 100% cotton thread (including Aurofil), but always go back to Mettler 30 wt. for satin stitching. Putting in 6 to 8 hours a day teaches you real fast which thread is best for the task!
I've never tried the Mettler 30 wt. I'll have to make a note to try it with satin stitching. Thank you for the suggestion!
Sally Collins passed around the thread she uses in one of her classes and it was a DMC embroidery thread. It was amazing. It had the same tensile strength as the aurofil I love but was just a smidge thinner, which would be great for piecing and getting those perfect quarter inch seams. I need to buy some and try it out.
I get aurofil from a LQS. A group of us kept bugging her to carry it. She finally did and I was lucky enough to go in the day after she got it and pick up a bunch. She had them marked down at her wholesale price (which is $5 cheaper than it is now). I made sure to spread the word and she was surprised at how quickly her stock ran out. She doesn't carry any colors though and I love using it for hand applique. It literally hand sews like silk. I'll have to find a good place online that carries it without charging a fortune. If you want to try it, Keepsake quilting sells a package with several different piecing colors (tan, neutral, black, white). If you don't want to buy the entire pack, get several friends together and split the pack and the price. I know sometimes paying $35 to try out a new thread can seem a bit extreme, but if you break that up with several other quilters it isn't so bad.