Originally Posted by
quilterpurpledog
Threads are counted in both direction. Thicker threads make for a coarser fabric and printing that looks 'muddled' or 'muddied' because of dye absorption. And, they fray easily. A another advantage of a higher thread count is that the yarns are more tightly twisted, thus they wear better. That is very important in some applications. More tightly twisted yarns provide more stability when bias direction is a factor. No, I don't think you are 'obsessed' you are asking questions that affect the end product.
good question and good explanation. I know they say batiks have a higher thread count and that you would not want to hand quilt with them (at least when batiks are used for both the top and backing). I have not taken the time to count and tend to go by the feel but I know what you mean. I was "obsessing" on solids after reading a discussion here. I bought several colors and brands of solids and now have my favorites. Glad I did it.