miss_ticky2

Hi
I'm making a small quilt for a lady at church (3 quilts actually) and I'm now ready to quilt it. The quilting will be simple with some stitching around some applique and some stitch in the ditch etc..no problems with that.

My problem is the colours for the thread. The backing is a red on red tones check and the front is mostly a variety of blues, some of which are light, and there's also quite a bit of white. I'm using a cotton batting (sorry, not sure what brand) which is quite thin. I've adjust my tension up and down to experiment but even on an even tension if I look closely I can see the white (which I'm using as the top thread) just showing on the back, and I'm sure I can see the red from the bobbin thread in the needle hole on the top.

I'm sure she would be quite happy with it as it's not that bad but, because it's an order, I'm not completely happy with it. My thoughts then turned to an invisible thread (sorry, can't remember what they're call...those like a very fine fishing line). I've not actually done any sewing with that thread...well, I might have about 20 years and I can't remember what I would have used it for back then. Is it suitable for quilting? (I'm sure I've read where others have used it). Would that solve the problem I'm having? Or would I be creating other problems for myself? How difficult would it be to quilt with?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Knitette

I was told that if the quilt is going to be used/washed a lot then invisible thread will become brittle over time and break. I don't know if this is right, but I'm sure someone else will know for sure.
You're probably being over-fussy as it's not for you and an order. Would you be happy if say, it was a gift for someone?

ckcowl

after the quilt is finished, bound and washed the needle holes will close up & you will really not be able to see those little holes where the thread shows through- and it is doubtful she is going to sit with a magnifying glass checking out the quilting on the quilt- as long as your tension is good you are doing fine-- it is (easy) to see every little thing when you are right up close to the quilt you are working on- but when you stand back and look you don't see any of those things-
and invisible threads are good for wall hangings- gently used items but not for utility quilts that will be used/laundered often...and (can open a whole new can of worms) a *customer quilt* is not the place to experiment with new products- get some & try it out on something of your own first to see what it is like & the adjustments you need to make- some people love invisible thread- others have alot of problems with it.

miss_ticky2

Thank you so much. Since posting I had another think and look at it and I decided to go ahead with how I was doing it. It really doesn't look that bad...lol. I also realised afterwards that I needed to use colour in one part to define part of the quilt anyway and it would have looked funny if some was invisible and some wasn't. Yes, I think I was being a bit over fussy...as we often are with our own work..lol.

gollytwo

A friend who's a LAQ just did a red and white quilt for me.
She used a white thread, saying she always does light thread on dark fabrics if there's a lot of light fabric in the top, never dark thread.
My quilt is lovely. It would not have looked good with red thread for the quilting.

miss_ticky2

Thanks gollytwo....I can see that working for an all over quilting pattern and can imagine how nice it would look. I don't think it would suit this particular quilt and I'm quite sure the lady I'm doing it for wouldn't be happy. Thankfully, it's actually working out quite well and you would need to look very closely to see the other thread. I'm happy that I've continued on with it with the two colours

carla m

i found out the hard way the invisable thread really isnt invisable you can still see it. i used it in a binding.
carla

pattypurple

Just a thought for future quilts. If the quilt is for a child, please do not use invisible thread. If the thread comes loose or forms a loop, the child can get fingers and toes wrapped by the thread. Children have been injured by this thread.

An Arm Long

Sounds like you have made your decision. I find that with several colors and different backing, I can use variegated thread that sort of blends some of the colors and adds to the definitions in the quilt.