vondae

QUESTION #1-How many of you use the prewound bobbins, and if you do, what kind of thread do you use? Cotton, polyester, nylon, etc. I'm new to quilting and there are so many things to figure out and learn. I think I need a consultant on speed dial. So glad I have you all to come to. QUESTION #2- How many bobbins do you have or need? I can buy 50 bobbins (not prewound) for a great price ($9.99). Is that to many? Not enough? HELP ME PLEASE!!

Scissor Queen

I know lots of people use the prewound bobbins but I personally don't see the reason too. Especially when piecing I want the thread to be the same on the top and bottom so I wind my own bobbins. Plus they don't come in very many colors so you're limited if you're using them for quilting. Most prewound bobbins are really for embroidery because they're very fine thread and most of them are poly.

LynnVT

Be careful that they are the right bobbins for your machine. I used some plastic prewounds on my Janome and it did some damage to my machine. They were just a tiny bit curved up, not flat, and hit the needle when I did not realize it. I agree it's usually best to use the same thread in both bobbin and needle.

QuiltE

I wouldn't use pre-wounds for the same reasons. If I had some, I would re-wind them onto my bobbins so that I would know they were the right ones.

As for the number of bobbins one needs ... that's totally variable on the amount of sewing/quilting you will be doing, how many different threads/colours, etc. If you have thread left on a bobbin, it's important to keep it labelled or stored with the spool it belongs with.

... you think you know what it is, but after awhile, you're just not sure!
(Been There, Done That! ... and now have changed my storage habits!)

jaciqltznok

signature bobbins are 100% cotton, as are the Masterpiece. The Masterpiece ones come in MANY, MANY colors!

I use them all. THe masterpieces is great for machine applique where you only need a tiny bit of thread, but need lots of colors!

For paperpiecing I do wind my own using a 60wt cotton thread from YLI.
And 50 bobbins is not too many!

If getting the paper bobbins, the manufacturers recommend you remove the top cardboard ring. This eliminates the issue of "will it fit". Also know that standard machines use "L" bobbins and longarms use "M" bobbins.

I have never used the prewound plastic bobbins..felt like they were cheap thread and even cheaper bobbins!

BellaBoo

Prewound bobbins are even and wound with perfect tension. I use the cardboard backed bobbins and remove the cardboard. They work in all my machines except my Singer Quantum which has sensor in the bobbin. You can read all about prewound bobbins at Superior Threads website. Mr. Bob knows what he is talking about and tells it like it is when it comes to thread. You can buy prewound bobbins in most all colors at Superior Threads or Bobbin Central.

peaceandjoy

Although I personally don't use them (do they even make them for Bernina's?), a friend swears by them. One of her Pfaff's is persnickety about how much thread is on a bobbin, and if she fills a regular bobbin too full, it will almost always have repeated problems until a good bit is gone. In that case, I guess it makes sense.

For me, I just bought a couple of packs of empty bobbins and when I need to fill one, I do several of the same color (unless it's a color I don't often use). I probably do 6 or 7 taupe at a time, maybe 4 each of black and white, and several brown. It doesn't take long and they sit nicely in my bobbin organizer/holder thingy until I need them.

Dolphyngyrl

I have used them in my espire just fine, I forgot to bring a bobbin to a class, luckily they had prewounds, the only difficulty I had was removing the plastic bobbin from my machine, It was slightly wider than my bobbin making it awkward to take out

MadQuilter

Nope, I wind my own and since my machine has a winder where I don't have to unthread the machine, it's no problem at all. My Quilla does a good job.

TanyaL

My machine will wind a bobbin while I sew. No trouble to wind. I find the pre-wound ones too expensive, not enough convenience or time saving.