Hi, everybody

I'm planning my budget for August and was looking for your advice & input, please. ;) Connecting threads has their thread on sale. I like their thread and will be ordering some.

My 1st question is this: Is it better, in general, to have a stash of mostly white, black and neutral colors, or to have a smaller collection of those and add other colors? If I could afford them all, I probably would order some of each, but that would add up quickly, even on sale.

2nd question is this: How many bobbins is a good number to have? I am getting a new machine that does not share bobbins with my current one. It comes with a few bobbins and I ordered 10 extra. I'm thinking that it's probably like fabric, the one who dies with the most wins. :lol:

3rd Question: This just crossed my mind as I was writing this post. I use a sidewinder to fill bobbins. The instructions that come with it are on the skimpy side. Do you guys oil yours? Or do you keep a standby around so when one bites the dust you can chunk it, use the standby, then hope someone has them on sale? :-P

BTW, can a sidewinder be used to wind Juki bobbins? I'm thinking that if the bobbin fits then the winder can fill it, but perhaps not.

Thanks! Ya'll have taught me a lot and I'm glad I found the board.

Happy quilting,
M&M

I have recently decided to just have white, black, tan and smoke (gray) for piecing. I read that these blend best with most fabrics for piecing.

I also read that different thread should be used for piecing than for quilting. I read a suggestion to try polyester for quilting and will try that soon.

Then I use hand quilting thread for the binding. Works beautifully. I have to coordinate that will every new quilt I do.

I only have 3 bobbins for my sewing machine. I want to buy more but am not sure where I can get bobbins for a BabyLock Quilter's Choice machine.

I don't use a separate bobbin winder.

I like to have at least a dozen bobbins -

i also buy my thread from connecting threads- i am trying to get alot of colors- mainly because i always seem to need a new color for every new quilt- i'm always running out of white/black/gray and creams (guess i forget to reorder those- trying to collect those colors-) just had a quilt come in for quilting that has to have yellow thread--and i had none--new order time :)
guess it's personal choice-
and i have no idea why some people insist you can not quilt with what you peice with---i use all my threads (except hand use threads that should not be used in machines)
i think i have about 15 bobbins for my regular sewing machine- i don't know why i have so many- i can only use one at a time.
i do have a side winder and bought my mom one too- she has a commercial machine with larger bobbins- the side winder works for them (size M) and it works fine for my viking and the brother-
don't know anything about oiling it- bought them on sale and when they croak will more than likely just buy another one...seems like a fairly (inexpensive) item and not really made for repairing- but so far they have held up for 2 years.
i think that's my 2 cents worth on your 3 questions :)

I got some of the giant cone thread from Connecting Thread in about 3 colors. For piecing, it's all I've needed, and it's very inexpensive. I use hand quilting thread (Coats & Clark) for quilting and doing the hand work for the binding.

I am a bobbin hoarder. Whenever I see them on sale, I buy a pack of them. I have a Sidewinder, but I rarely use it. I find the bobbin winder on my machine(s) to be more convenient.

I prefer to buy fabric for a particular project then I can decide how much
I really need. I buy for the top, border, backing and binding. I used to
forget the last three. LOL. You will end up with a stash sooner or later...
it grows in the dark. Trust me. :-D

Bobbins...I started with 5 and keep adding as I buy more thread. I hate
winding thread over the same bobbin. Drives me nuts when the thread
I need is inside.

I have a couple spools of neutrals, but have more colors than neutrals. Most of my fabric stash is colorful. I have a ton of plastic bobbins and I have 2 machines that use them, I have quite a lot of the metal bobbins also that go with my other machines. I don't have a separate bobbin winder. I would say get colors of thread that go with the colors you like working with. Just my opinion.

I have gobs of bobbins! I use a bobbin for every color that I sew with. I too hate to cover up thread on a bobbin. I got these do-hickeys called Bobbin mates that hold the bobbin to the top of the spool of thread and I got these things called Bobbin wraps that go around the bobbin and keep the thread from unraveling.

I just placed my order for the Connecting Threads sale and ordered black, white, gray, and a few other neutrals in quantities of 3 - 5. All of my piecing is done in neutrals so I load up about 5 bobbins at a time. By then I'll be ready for another shade and reload when they are empty. Not sure how many bobbins I actually have - when I need to change color for quilting, it never seems to be enough.

I used to buy all different colors but guess what? I still have most of them. I use whites and neutrals almost all the time.
I have several machines and 5-10 bobbins for each I think.
I love my side-winder! I bought it mainly for my vintage machines b/c it's just easier for me to wind a bunch at once.
But I use it for all of them now.
I never heard of oiling one. For the money I would just get another with a Joann's coupon if mine croaks.