I cheaped out at Joann's on a sale and bought about five spools of their $2 serger thread. Way more economical than Coats&Clark or the more expensive threads, and you get so much more on the spool. I use it for piecing with no problems whatsoever. I did forget tho and did some quilting with it, and there doesn't seem to be any problems in that area either.....hmmm....

Is there any reason I SHOULDN'T be using this kind of thread for these purposes over the long term of the quilt?

I'm so glad you wrote this, because I bought a bunch too, but was afraid to use it, because as I was leaving they told me it wasn't as heavy as the others. Now I won't mind using it.

I use it all the time and found it better than some of the other thread I have purchased for a lot more. It last a lot longer!!

I have used this thread in my Bailey home quilter for the nearly 3 years I have had it. I do not understand when people say their machines do not like certain threads. Since day one, sewing machine users have used whatever thread was available and did not ask the machine what brand it preferred. It really is all about tension. But I make a lot of quilts each year for charity and is part of my cost "containment" to use this thread. i have bought it when was on sale for $1. I do not have a problem with it. i also use it for piecing. If it is strong enough to be used in a serger, it is strong enough for all kinds of sewing. That is MY opinion and not necessarily the opinion of the "sponsor" of this group. No Commercial intended !

June in Cincinnati

P.S. I use all flat sheets for backing. i have not bought any fabric for the backs of more than 100 quilts.

i use cone thread all of the time, and have for years.

June,

I am still a new quilter, and have it in my head that I want my quilts double-sided, pretty on both sides. Do you just buy different color sheets, or do you dye them, what do you do?

I don't use bed sheets for backing but many do if the quilt will be machined quilted. You cannot hand quilt through a bed sheet because the weave is too tight. I piece my backing using different fabrics. It give an interesting look to the back of the quilt.

I buy all my sheets at the Thrift store. i pass there weekly when I am running errands and find great buys. Usually I pay about $1.50 or $2 for them. I buy white and colors and also prints. Some have been used very little and the colors are still very nice.

I don't hand quilt, or hand sew, so sheets fill the bill for my charity quilts. They go mostly to people with AIDS and the more colorful and bright, the better.

June

Serger thread is made to be thin and need 3-5 layers of it to create a seam(think serging clothing seams). IMO this thread is not strong enough to seam or quilt quilts. Plus, it's polyester, which I hate.

I have friends in my quilt group,that use serger thread for piecing and quilting.

the reason it is strong enough in a seger..is you usually are using 4 or 5 threads at the same time. i was just under the assumption that it was thinner, because 4 threads are used. that is why i have not bought any.

i also have used sheets for the backing of quilts.

and i agree, i think tension is the issue, if your machine is acting up with certain threads. I only choose NOT to use C&C because the price went up, when the dual duty came out, and it was a smaller spool..less thread. so i stick with Guttermann (sp?) at joanns,with a coupon or when it is on sale.

I have used it for a while - works great

I love the quilt in your avitar,betty!

Serging is an overlock stitch and the extra thread isn't for strength but covering the raw edge to prevent fraying. anything over three has an extra row but it is for clothes there there is a lot of pull and movement on the seams to help secure it, where as if you just used a straight stitch they would recommend a second row of stitching (like underarms, and crotch of pants) , it is a personal preferance in my personal opinion to what you use. Sewing thread usually has a smoother finish and won't leave as much lint behind. serger thread has also come a long way since I started using it.

Connecting Threads thread is great too, & a great price! Check out their site sometime & see how much you get on a spool! I was amazed & will be buying alot more of it down the road! Better buy than any in the stores too, & it's good thread for piecing, quilting, or whatever! Check it out!

It is simply a matter of personal preference!

i don't own a serger, and don't know if i would use it enough to warrant buying one. although, they make serger quilts now!

i bought an EMB machine, and never used it like i thought i would!

I was forunate enough to have a friend breaking up housekeeping and her moms's passing that I was gifted about 200 spools of thread...... ALL colors... yea!! many are old or older, and a few I felt were weak, and tossed.. but most I have happily stored in my thread cache for future quilting /sewing
There were even @ 50+ wooden spools.... obviously I saved those for decorative in a bowl use.... smile

Hey! i saw on a blog, i think, where they used the wooden spools on a curtain rod..i don't recall how they were on there, but with some sewing themed curtains, it was soo cute!

I have used serger thread for years now with no trouble. It is way more economical and the colors are endless.

I use serger thread only to quilt and I have never had a problem. I just stocked up today also. Hancocks have the sewing notions all 50% off.

I was told by several sewing experts to never buy this or any cheap thread. In my experience it is not as strong, is way too fuzzy, and is lumpy, causing breakage when going through the needles. I know I can't use it on my sergers, and my Vikings are a little more fussy about cheap thread. I have found even Coats & Clark to be a poor investment. I wouldn't waste my money on cheap thread. And I wouldn't want to risk all my time and effort I spend on a quilt to use cheap thread.

Sadie Mae. Love your avatar.

My mom made quilts for all the kids and grandkids about 10 or 15 years ago. She always used the cone thread from JoAnns as it is so inexpensive. Now, all of those quilts are falling apart. It's like the thread just disintegrated! Mom is blind now and can no longer quilt, so we are all pretty bummed out. Serger thread is just two ply and not strong enough to hold a seam IMHO. I will ONLY use top quality cotton thread to piece my quilts. I want them to outlive me!

I've used serger thread and it works fine. My favorite threads are Connecting Threads essentials and Marathon thread (especially for thread painting) it has a bit of sheen to it and is light weight. Use Bottom Line for the bobbin when I use Marathon.

about 20 years ago my mother bought a whole stores supply of serger thread...something like 2500 cones. we have both been using it for these past 20 years for all kinds of projects. if the color is right i use it quilting with out any problems, i use it to piece, applique, quilt; general sewing everything. i really do not understand the people who say you HAVE TO USE THIS THREAD...
use what works for you and don't worry about what other people use.
i have a good supply of cotton;polyester;silk and wool threads. all have their place and work well (well except the cotton that breaks all the time and is a big pain to use.) i choose my thread by project and color not so much by fiber content.

Never use "cheap" thread, too much lint, clogs up your machine. Most of all, absolutely never use it on a serger. Any machine dealer will tell you the same thing.

you gave the best reasons to use the thread. IT WORKS

I have two everyday quilts in our living room that were made with Coats and Clark's Dual Duty thread. One was made in 1995 - that had the poly batting and the other one was made sometime before 2000 - with the warm and natural batting.

These are used every day - I see no problems with any seams pulling out or the fabric threads being cut/abraded by the sewing thread.

I have used serger thread for sewing squares together for charity and myself because it is so economical and have not had any trouble with it. DH made me a stand for a cone of thread and I use it all the time, saves times threading the machine and cheap and the choice of colors is great. Who needs to worry about color matching when sewing squares together?

Carol J.

I use the cone serger thread from Joann's all the time--even for garments and dont have a problem.

So glad you started this thread--I thought I was the only one and have been waiting and waiting for things to fall apart--so far so good.

Oh no! Sadly, what I expect will happen using serger thread:<

What kind of sheets do you use?

Serger thread is made up of shorter, two ply threads rather than the longer three ply threads of 'traditional' thread. It is not as strong as the traditional thread. I was just looking at a quilt a friend quilted for me in 2005 using serger thread and the thread fibers are starting to look a little frayed and I expect it will be breaking down before too much longer. It is a well used, well loved by human and dog, quilt.

HOWEVER, do you folks realize that serger thread is 'graded'?? At least the Maxi-Lock is. Look inside the bottom of the cone and you will see anything from AA, A, B or C. This tells you the 'quality' of the thread. Same as with fabrics being only as good at the greigh goods they are printed on.

Hope this helps!

Peggy
Where it's sunny and in the 70's in beautiful Jacksonville, FL

oh my gosh! i'm glad no one told my mother you couldn't hand quilt with sheets for a backing. that's all she used!!! she died in 2007 at 96 and used the most economical material she could find to make quilts. her quilts were made to be used on a bed.

I'm confused. No one in this thread has said you shouldn't use sheets?

they said you shouldn't use sheets to back a quilt if you were going to hand quilt it.

i use it all the time for piecing , quilting, and even embr
with out a bit of trouble

I would love to use cone thread, but my machine has a horizontal thread holder. Do you think I could rig up something that would help me take the thread off the cone vertically and still thread my machine horizontally? I guess I'd have to come from the right side of the machine instead of the back. I guess it just takes a little finangalling.

i just put mine in a cup and sit it bihind machine to use it

Use extreme caution if you run it from the right side of the machine. It can get rapped around the fly wheel and freeze up your machine, possibly even burn out a motor. I had a customer do this once!

You can by a vertical thread stand to sit behind your machine and still run it on a horizontal machine. It would depend on the threading pattern of your machine as exactly how this would look. The Husqvarna Viking actually has a little 'clip' you can snap into the cover that holds the thread in place.

Hope this helps.