Best Type of Thread for Piecing
 

I’m making Edyta Sitar’s Patchwork Barn which has small blocks - 6 1/2” unfinished. Lots of small pieces. They sell a kit of thread but it’s quite expensive so I looked at recommendations- 60 for piecing and 80 for bobbins. Difficult to find these weight threads. Any suggestions? What do you use for piecing small blocks with lots of small pieces?
Thanks!

Aurifil 50 wt. Never had a problem.

Btw, welcome to the group.

Same as Tiggersmom... Just shorten stitch length so more stitches are on pieces. You should be good. Glad you joined us...welcome!

Aurafil 50 is my current favorite for piecing, too. Other than that you can get more on the bobbin with 80 wt thread, is there a reason you are using a different weight in the bobbin and the top?

try Superior BottomLine--it's either 60 or 80 and very nice--strong, non-linty, etc. you can order it on-line directly from Superior--they send it pretty quickly, too.

For precise piecing, my favorite by far is Aurifil 50wt. From what I have read, Presencia 60wt is even better.

I prefer polyester thread for quilting, but cotton thread for piecing. This is because cotton thread is "grabbier" than polyester. This means that when chain piecing with cotton, the ends stay put even if I cut the threads quite short. When I pieced with polyester, the threads had a tendency to slip out of the last couple of stitches when chain piecing, even when I cut the threads longer.

Be aware that weight is not everything when it comes to thread. I used to piece with Mettler 60wt cotton thread; however, once I tried Aurifil 50wt I never went back. The Aurifil thread is much smoother and produces way less lint in my machine. I think the smoothness of the thread makes my seams more accurate, but I'm just guessing on that.

Presencia is supposed to be the very best for piecing, but has always been a little pricey for my blood. One advantage of Presencia is that, even though it is a 60wt thread, it is 3-ply (which makes it stronger). Aurifil 50wt is 2-ply (which makes it weaker even though theoretically it is heavier). However, I have never had Aurifil break on me while piecing, or in a seam, so I stick with it.

I was surprised at how much more accurate my piecing became when I switched to Aurifil even though I did nothing else different. I think this is because it presses into the seams, so well it takes up very little space in the turn-of-the-cloth.

Edit: I don't think it helps to use 80wt in the bobbin if the thread is polyester. Again, this is because polyester thread is so much more "slippy" than cotton thread. And it would need to be poly at that weight to be strong enough for seaming. I did try a fine bobbin thread for piecing (the kind that is sold for embroidery) thinking it might help with accuracy, but did not like its slipperiness. After all my experimentation, I found Aurifil in top and bobbin to work best for me.

Bottom Line is 60 wt thread, and I agree, your piecing WILL be more accurate, especially with smaller blocks. It seems like such a small thing, but it really does make a difference.

decobob, presencia, masterpiece, really there are lots of piecing threads

Some of the best information about thread can be found on the Superior Thread Company website. Dr. Bob does a great job of explaining fibers, their characteristics, and how they act under different circumstances. I use a wide variety of their threads with different applications. Others have given great comment on this subject today. I have also used Aurifil and Precencia and like both. However, thread is expensive-just like the rest of our supplies.

I agree....especially when doing miniature quilts and/or tiny pieces. This is where everyone is forced to scant 1/4 inch and anything else to control size of blocks. The thinner the thread, the less size lost in pressing.

I recently started using Prescencia 60 wt and it did make a big difference. Pricey, but I will look for cones on sale and stock up o neutral colors.

This is also my favorite. I bit the bullet and got the big cone in kind of a taupe color, but it will last a very long time. I use it in the top and bobbin.

I use Guttermanns polyester for all parts of sewing a quilt and never had a problem! Seems we all have out favorites.

Lot of brands have the 80 wt thread now. A new manufacturing process allows it to be thin and strong.
I like the Masterpiece thread when it was 50/2. Now it's 50/3 to be stronger. I was given a set of Quilter's Select thread and it's really nice and it's 60 wt and 80 wt.
Watch the video here:
http://www.quiltersselect.com/

I use this thread for all piecing:

Presencia 60w, 3 ply, Color 216 - Medium Beige Gray
4,882 yard cone


http://colonialneedle.com/<wbr>Cotton-Thread-60-wt-Cone.html



$32.55 plus $4.95 shipping

Well, I still use Coats and Clark. Never had a problem. Don't understand why people pay more unless they are doing it professionally. I have some Superior thread for quilting but for piecing, C&C is my go to.

Presencia 60wt. I think it has really helped my piecing. It is strong (3 ply) and I get the large cone in white. Lasts a long time. Worth it to me.

Thanks, I just ordered some!

I also ordered some Presencia in 50 wt. Does anyone use it?

I love my Coats and Clarks, plus I have some from Connecting Threads. Pretty happy with both.

I don't do blocks with small pieces, so I don't have to be as careful as I would if I did. I do like Superior, which is what my LQS carries, but I use old C&C and Guiterman, too. The new C&C is not to my liking. Too thick and stiff even for apparel sewing. Connecting Threads was very linty.

I use filtech-bobbin centrals everything! Piecing, I use their premo-soft. Longarm quilting GLIDE 90% of the time...then bottom line, so-fine from Superior Threads.

I use Superior So Fine 50/3 in the top and Bottom Line 60 in the bobbin and find my piecing considerably more accurate than it used to be for what that's worth ;).

Aurifil 50 wt. shorten stitch length

I think the Presencia 60wt cone is actually less expensive at Red Rock Threads. They sell the cones for $25.95 plus a flat shipping fee of $5.95 (no matter how big your order). Here is a link:
https://redrockthreads.com/presencia...0wt-thread.asp

I personally don't like using a cone on my sewing machine because of the need for a jar or thread stand behind my machine to hold it. A spool of thread is much more convenient for me (and appears less attractive to cats). In terms of the spools, Aurifil 50wt is less expensive than Presencia 60wt. However, in the cones, Presencia is less expensive. I have been wanting to try Presencia for ages, so when my Aurifil runs out I might give Presencia a try.

The Red Rock Threads cone price is less expensive for cones in colors that they carry. My favorite color is #216 (medium beige gray) 4,464 m. cone. Red Rock Threads sells that color in 100 m spools only. They used to sell my favorite color in cones. I've bought them there before. I don't know why they stopped. I've only found two sources for the cones in my color, and Colonial Needle has the best price.

I also use Aurifil 50wt top and bottom for piecing.