wolph33

Glide only now,works the best for me

ArchaicArcane

I thought I'd also mention that I was attending a LAQ class last year and I heard a lady say that she volunteered at the Museum in her home city. The museum was actually recommending poly for the surface design on quilts. Why? Apparently a lot of the surface design is being lost on all of these beautiful quilts due to cotton thread rotting.

Now, I don't know exactly how true that is, since I would think that if the thread is rotting then the rest of the quilt (being in the same conditions) is rotting too and they wouldn't be differentiating between thread and fabric, but it IS food for thought.

It's also worth mentioning that I haven't run into a single machine yet, domestic or LA, that wouldn't run any thread I told it to. Most people just need to sit down and figure out the tension tweaks required and they can run almost anything.

A few professional quilters have asked for tension lessons from me when I explained how their vintage machines worked. I had to tell them that it was no different. If you jam a fat/coarse/temperamental thread through a skinny hole or a tight tensioner, it will have trouble. If you try to run a thin/slippery thread through a canyon, you'll also have trouble. Thread - like the rest of us - likes boundaries and guidance but also freedom to move whether we admit it or not.

bigredharley

My mid-arm hates the poly threads. It runs beautifully on King Tut. Could be an issue on what her machine works well on. And I don't see a problem either way.

Terri D.

I agree with you. I'd never use polyester thread to quilt a top made of 100 percent cotton. Poly thread is stronger than cotton and over time can cut into the threads of your patchwork. Harriet Hargrave explains this in her books and summarizes the point by saying that it's much easier to repair a broken seam than it is to fix a hole in your fabric.

That said, if you don't expect the quilt to last that long, poly is probably okay.

Prism99

Are you sure it's Harriet Hargrave? Because she's the one who introduced quilters to nylon monofilament thread for quilting, and nylon monofilament is stronger than present-day polyester threads.

ocydroma

Thank you everyone for your responses to my question. I will definitely be taking both tops to my local quilt shop to be LA. Tomorrow they are having a customer appreciation sale where a lot of fabric is $4.99/yard!!! So I get to stock up for more future projects!! You guys are great. I have learned so much by being on this forum.