Cotton thread or Polyester thread for my new machine
 

Ok, so I am getting the Baileys next weekend and I want to have some thread on hand. I am so confused to what to buy. Cotton vs poly??? The lady I am getting it from uses the cotton from Connecting Threads. I have read good and bad reviews for it. Mostly that it is linty.
I have also read many use poly thread.

The quilt store I go to most is a firm believer in only cotton thread, but I am not sold that poly can't be used too. And wouldn't the poly be less linty?

Can anyone help me decide what to use? What is your opinion?

It all depends on what you are quilting and what kind of "look" you are going for. I use poly when I quilt because it is strong. I suggest you try each and see what you like better.
Someone once told me the cotton will deteriorate along with the fabric but the poly will last forever.

I use both threads in my longarm (and in my DSM), depending on the project. CT has a poly for longarms that is very good, and I also like their cotton threads because of the huge selection of color. I also bought a wide range of colors of poly threads from Metro Embroidery, and I use them when I want a shiny thread, which is frequently. All cotton threads are linty to some extent, but cleaning your machine frequently should take care of that. Remember that some of the lint from any project comes from the fabric - so to avoid lint completely we wouldn't be using cotton fabrics! Oh my!

Hi, I just got my Bailey 17 sitdown and it came with a spool of Coats and Clark .I;ve also used poly and am now using a spool of cotton. So far she has done wonderful on all of them.

when i visited the Bailey's shop, Chuck, the owner, said that he always uses a polyester thread and has never had a problem. Give him a call, he'll be glad to give you advice. http://www.baileyssewingcenter.com/homequilter.html

It's best to try out a thread before investing in a lot of it for a longarm.

I tried several and found I like Glide poly the best in my Voyager (http://www.bobbincentral.com/glide.html ). Glide is a 40wt polyester thread, does not break or shred on me, is not linty, gives my quilts a little sparkle, and allows the quilt to remain soft even though I have a tendency to quilt closely. I did take a chance on this thread and ordered a lot the first time, since so many quilters said they liked it, and took advantage of the discount they offer for first-time orders. I have not been disappointed. However, I have since seen an occasional post from a longarmer saying their machine does not like Glide.

Before Glide, I tried the poly from Connecting Threads. That is a 70wt thread, however, and did shred and break on me occasionally in the machine. I'm glad I purchased only one spool of it to try out.

King Tut worked well in my machine, but it leaves a *lot* more lint in the bobbin area than Glide, so it is not my favorite.

The former owner of my Voyager said that Aurifil 50wt does not work well in my machine (this is my all-time favorite thread for piecing and quilting on my domestic machine!), but that Aurifil 40wt does work. I haven't tried it, though.

Polyester thread is not necessarily stronger than cotton thread these days. There is really no reason to not use poly.

A polyester thread could cut the cotton fabric threads, as the poly is stronger than cotton. Aurifil thread is the best.

poly thread does not cut the fabric. This from an owner of a thread company