Butterfli19

I usually use the same thread to quilt as I use to sew and am questioning if this is the way to do it. I want to get 'serious' about thread and fabric lingo and quality, because I want this year to be the year I actually sew things to sell.

I have Gutermmann thread, some Mettler Metrosene, and some C&C Dual Duty. When I bought my Janome years ago the sales rep said to use good quality thread and at that time they had the Mettler. Some of you have been talking about Aurofil, is that for machine quilting or sewing or both?

Also, about fabrics. There are a few fabric shops near me, higher priced tho around $9+ yard to start. Is that what I should buy if I want to sell? Does price matter?

Any wisdom, websites, or books you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Now I need to go and remove some crooked stitches. I'm thinking stitch-in-the-ditch may be more stressful than free motion...

GailG

I look forward to any responses you receive. My questions are about the same. I have used both "regular" thread that I use for piecing as well as quilting. Also have used "machine quilting" thread for quilting. I haven't noticed any differences in durability. Of course, I haven't kept track of those quilts that I gave away.

meyert

Hello.. I am no expert, but I can tell you what I do. I usually do use the same thread for quilting and piecing. I have Gutterman, Aurafill, Superior and King Tut. I can say that I nearly exclusively use King Tut to quilt... but I have used it to piece as well.

I personally don't believe all fabric is equal. I have purchased the cheaper fabric but what I have experienced is that it is often thin. I have actually even double layered fabric because it was so thin that the color was pale.

I don't think its always the price, sometimes I have to feel the fabric.

You can find lots of info on YouTube and Google

Have fun

Prism99

I find stitch-in-the-ditch to be so stressful I no longer do it! It is much easier to use the walking foot and make wavy lines -- variations become part of the pattern. Just pull the sandwich from side to side as you feed it to the walking foot; makes soft wavy lines. Not sure what you are making, but here are some examples of what I am talking about:
https://www.google.com/search?q=wavy...ed=0CAYQ_AUoAQ

I have used Aurifil 50wt 2-ply for both piecing and quilting on my domestic machine. It leaves *much* less lint than the threads you are using. It seems more expensive but, if you cost it out by the yard, it's not necessarily any more expensive than other threads. There are more yards on a spool because it is a fine thread. It leaves little lint because it is a very smooth thread. If you look at it next to a thread from one of the spools you are using, you will see the difference in "fuzz" on the thread. Aurifil 50wt 2-ply is too weak to use in my frame setup, however.

If I didn't use Aurifil on my domestic machine, I would use Presencia 60wt 3-ply. It is similar in size and quality, but the 3-ply makes it stronger than Aurifil. Aurifil is easier for me to find to purchase online.

I use Glide thread (http://www.bobbincentral.com/quiltin...ead/glide.html ) almost exclusively in my midarm frame setup because it never shreds or breaks on me, plus it has a nice shine that adds a little sparkle to my quilts. It is also a great thread to use in a domestic machine. This is a thicker thread than Aurifil (and polyester instead of cotton) so the quilting thread is more apparent with it.

Edit: Just want to add that Aurifil and Presencia are great for piecing because they are very fine threads. I get better accuracy with my scant 1/4" seams because the thread is not taking up more of the turn-of-the-cloth. I think it is much harder to do accurate piecing with thick thread (such as the standard 50-wt 3-ply that you are probably using).

patricej

if i've learned nothing else during the years we've been "live", here at the QB, i've learned that different threads will please different people for different reasons.

some machines are pickier than the pickiest person. others will function just fine with anything you run through them.

one person will say "this" thread leaves lint, while another will swear she gets little to no lint from that brand.
same goes for shredding, etc.

if you like the brands you are using already, there's no need to switch unless you know you'd have fun trying out something different. if you do decide to experiment, just buy one or two spools of each new thing so you don't waste piles of money on things you find you don't like.

my own two favorites are connecting threads and aurifil.
like all of the big-name threads, aurifil is horribly over-priced, so i can only buy that when i absolutely must have a specific color i can't get elsewhere.

threads are like handbags. slap "gucci" or "coach" on it, and you can shoot up the price by about 1000%. LOL

PaperPrincess

For me, thread weight is more important than brand (although I really like presencia for piecing). I use a 60 wt for piecing and, depending on the look I'm going for, 40 to 80 wt for quilting. I use cotton for piecing, and cotton, poly or a blend for quilting.
As far as fabric, I have found great fabric for $2 at a chain store and have seen really bad fabric by name brand manufacturers at specialty stores. I like to touch it first to estimate it's quality.

Dolphyngyrl

As long as it is a good quality and not cheap thread. The 3 you have been using are fine threads and very commonly used. There are so many threads out there that are good. I have used all 3 you use, plus king tut, rainbow, connecting threads, YLI, and aurifil. I still piece mostly with gutterman because simply it is easy to run down to joanns and get some with a coupon. As for FMQ I prefer king tut by superior for cotton(I had shredding with many other popular brands for cotton) and for poly any of the superior brands or isacord are my favorite because they simply have had the least amount of shredding both brands are very high quality. I like floriani and madeira for embroidery but have some cotton madeira I have not tried yet. I assume if its anything like their poly embroidery it will be high quality. The only problem I find with using other brands is I have to buy online and color matching is hard if you don't have thread charts. So I am working on getting some of my more favorite brands so I don't always have to use gutterman even though its a good quality thread as well. Fabrics is different If you are selling quality goods at a high price I personally would want it to be made from a high quality fabric, would not care what thread you used as long as it was good quality. As for thread though superior is by far my favorite brand, but I went on a thread binge last year and bought spools from different brands to find out what I personally like as I never go off of what others say. I have found that many things people swear as the best I have wound up hating so my motto is always try and see for yourself.

ManiacQuilter2

When I bought my Bernina, I was told to use Mettler silk wrapped. I have been happy with the results.

Good Luck in selling things because since hand quilted items have been imported from China, there isn't much of a market for selling items even when they have won awards in quilt shows.

Neesie

I've become a big fan of Superior So Fine #50 thread, for both piecing and quilting. It's poly, so very little lint results. I buy the cones, which last forever and saves me money. When I have to match a fabric for top stitching, I first check my supply of C&C threads, since I used to do much more garment sewing and have lots of colors.

As for fabric, I buy most of mine at either Thousand of Bolts (.com) or Hobby Lobby. When buying from TOB, I stick with brands I know. Their brands are quite varied, ranging from LQS quality to bargain basement quality. Their prices are fantastic!

newbee3

I also use aurifil on my longarm, and glide I have also used yli I use metler on my domestic