TouchOfRustic

I have a love-hate relationship with invisible thread. I've used it extensively on McKenna Ryan applique quilts, and I think it is the right choice for the technique, but it's always a struggle for me.

Let me preface this by saying I could be doing something wrong, so take my advice with a grain of salt. I have two machines: a Brother CS6000i and a Brother PQ-1500SL. For some reason, my little old CS6000i tolerates the invisible thread but the 1500 hates it. I just cannot get the tension right on that machine. So I end up cramming my quilts through the tiny harp on the CS6000i (other than this one quirk, I Looove my 1500, it's a fantastic machine!). Hopefully you have better luck than me.
I always use regular cotton piecing thread in the bobbin. I just do a straight stitch around the edges of my applique pieces, I save the satin or blanket stitches for when I'm using cotton thread on top. It's a great technique for applique (especially if you're just going to use it as a wall hanging), but has it's limitations: no ironing, questionable longevity, can be difficult to work with. Good luck!