Iceblossom

I made some mentions about thread and needles in the other thread but I'll put some of the same comments here.

As you see from our responses we have a wide range of preferences. I use a small stitch and prefer to piece with a 10 needle but will use a 12 (some projects need a 12), for quilting I usually use a 14 (can go higher for specific projects), and for a lightweight small baby quilt maybe a 12 is fine. So I usually buy the three packs of universal needles when they are on sale as my standard. Some fabrics like different needles so you might find a different type works better for your style of work, I really like the Microtex Sharps for batiks and can use them on anything but they are more expensive.

My biggest thing for a new quilter about needles is it doesn't matter so much -- so long as your needle is sharp! I change needles all the time. Buy in bulk/buy on sale whatever you get and replace them often. Look at the price of a package of needles compared to a yard of high quality fabric... do the math, needles are cheap! I do start of every project. Sometimes I might do a second one, like if I'm actually sewing through paper doing paper piecing, and I use that larger needle when I quilt down (which should theoretically happen after the piecing stage).

If you ever hear a "pooka pooka" sound when you are sewing, your needle is beyond dull and instead of slipping cleverly between the threads of your fabric, is punching holes in them!

I've really only gotten into threads in the last 10 years (when I started doing some work on a long arm machine) or so and happily used Dual Duty top/bobbin for decades. I agree with the snap test on whether thread is usable or not. I collected vintage fabric and amassed quite a collection of thread as well. Some of it is great. Most, but not all of the cotton on wood spools (pre-1970 roughly) is rotten.

I mostly work with scraps and I have vision issues so I can't really match thread to fabric color and if I do match the thread I can't see the seam at all, much less pick out stitches if something goes wrong. I typically have a light beige and a light grey threaded on my machine. Doesn't really matter which is top or bobbin if you use the same weight of thread. I am using a lighter weight thread (So Fine by Superior) for my bobbin now, have only started that in the last couple of years. At first I used it for the quilting stage, for the last year or so for my piecing as well. You might choke when you see the cost of a "small cone" but when you only need to buy a single cone and it will last a number of projects it's really the best way to go.

When I was given my expensive machine, my friend said it was rather fussy (my vintage machine doesn't care what you use, from fishing line to a rope, if I can thread it, it will sew it) and preferred Aurifil. I like Aurifil just fine, it's nice thread.

Thread costs can add up. In the other thread I also linked Superior threads, I have found they are the easiest/most cost efficient way to suit my thread needs, but I run out to the local chain too or otherwise shop sales like I'm putting together an order through Amazon, I'll be checking out thread and needles for sales while I'm there for other things.