QuiltnNan

I had tried some needle turn with reg.thread and needle. then a lady in our guild gave a class and we all used silk thread and silk needles. the difference was night and day. in fact, today i was sorting some odds n ends in the sewing room and found the little heart i'd done in the class. i must say that i was quite impressed with how great it looked. try it... it's wonderful.

tealfalcon

i use silk thread and sharps....love needle turn applique

kathy

i use silk thread and a quilting needle, you do not have to knot the thread at the needle although some do

jaciqltznok

OK...so I have all of the threads you listed here...I just love Aurifil 50 & 60wt..and I love the Masterpiece too...have all the colors...so I can use that...and I just need a tiny needle???

MadQuilter

I don't think it's a must, but you may take advantage of her expertise and try it her way. Then you can always change it up later. I think Straw Needles are great for needle turn - they are thin and long. Good luck and have fun.

mizunogirl

I was taught to use silk as well, and I think it's a good idea to start with that and the straw needles. Once you get a feel for it, you can try other materials.

thepolyparrot

If you normally like handwork, I'll bet you will love needleturn applique.

I tried all kinds of methods of applique that allowed me to avoid the "needleturn" aspect before I broke down and did a cutaway needleturn block. Seven smallish five-point stars on an 8" block - of all the crazy things to break into applique with! It took me a couple of evenings, but it was so much fun! Now, I've got two hand applique projects going at once - one is needleturn and one is starch prepared.

I keep trying YLI silk and it does a good job of disappearing, but gosh, it shreds so easily while you're sewing. Seems like I can only take eight or ten stitches before it's breaking.

So far, I've used YLI 100 wt silk, YLI Soft Touch, Masterpiece, Aurifil 60 wt, Mettler Silk Finish and Bottom Line - all of them are fine, so they disappear into the applique.

But, my favorite is the polyester thread - the Bottom Line - it's so fine and so strong! It stays in the needle and doesn't shred or tangle. I use Thread Heaven, but when I skip it, I don't really notice much difference.

You can order a whole rainbow of Bottom Line in a bobbin halo from Superior Threads for about $1 per bobbin. There are also 10-pc sets of colors on pre-wound bobbins. I usually use cream, taupe, silver or a medium grey, so I bought spools of those, too.

It is the easiest of all the threads to work with for lack of shredding and tangling and it's invisible in the finished block.

I'll bet you're going to be amazed at how much fun this is. :)

noveltyjunkie

In answer to the question, I think it is courtesy to the teacher in any class to bring the requested supplies, even if it is annoying.

On NTA in general, can we have show and tell topic? Sounds like there are some great projects in your sewing rooms ( and I sew enjoyed the yellow quilt show- I want another!)

LivelyLady

That is all I ever use for my needle turn applique. The silk thread makes the stitches invisible and you don't have to match thread to the applique or background and the straw applique needles make the needle turning so easy. :thumbup:

provbs 31

i use silk to hand bind. YLI is wonderful. Virtually disappears.