I was in a couple of quilt shops lately and looking at the quilts they have on display the thread seems really thicker than regular thread . Is that what longarms take? It was like buttonhole thread. I don't get out much and most of the quilts I've seen in person were hand quilted. This thread really showed up well and looked very nice, none of my machine (regular singer) quilting thread looks like that.

Waiting to be enlightened
kathy

Hi, I'm also wondering about the thick thread I saw on a quilt recently. The stitches really did show up and looked soooo good. Hope someone has info! :lol: The background seemed to be done with that thread - each block different.

I am not an expert... but...

I have tried some fat thread in variegated colors on my test lap quilt, I am making for keeping warm on these cold, cold, san jose nights. Thread size 40 if I remember correct.

You need a different needle for the old sewing machine. A 130 instead of a 90 quilting needle is what I used, the bobbin thread is the standard thin quilting thread.

Since I didn't do every line in this thread, only certain patterns (diamonds echo stitched, if you must know), it really popped out on the dark background, and blended in on the lighter colors. Very interesting effect, no more trouble than using regular thin thread(50 - 60), I didn't need to adjust tension on the Bernina at all. Your mileage might vary. I am contemplating using it in small amounts on the big quilt, if I ever get it basted.

tim in san jose

why Thank You Tim

Tim, Dear ...

you forgot to tell us where you got it ...and - especially - the needles.

i have wound #30 crochet cotton onto spools and bobbins. works fairly well - especially in a machine with a bobbin case so i can adjust the tension there, too. but those special needles would sure make it work better.

Patrice , I'm glad you're here to push Tim around and squeeze info out of him... I wasn't going to ask but make a special 2 hr. trip tp the quilt store to look for it.
kathy

nudge a little, maybe. something tells me he'd push back. i might fall-down-go-boom. LOL

Hand Quilting thread cannot be used in a sewing machine.It is 100 percent cotton and quite heavy. Most of it says glace finish cotton., which I believe is a wax. It would gunk up your sewing machine and damage it.

When you sew on a botton or mend heavy garments it works great. :D

ok Patrice, if he starts pushing back i'll get in front cause I don't have near as far to fall as you do,, I'd be more of a thud!

I have had several quilts long armed and the thread used is the normal thin quilting thread. I think the thicker thread is for a certain look. I have seen quilts done with it. The stitches are more noticible... sort of a folksy-primative look. Barb C

Hmmm. I am going to need to go up to my sewing room (the messy one) and look up who - what - andwhy of this subject as far as who made the thread. I think some of it is YLI. More tonight.

The needles are easy, They are standard Schmetz 130HQ needles. I didn't put the thicker stuff in the bottom so I didn't need to adjust my bobbin case. It seems that Bernina 830 is pretty tolerant of mismatches in thread size.

tim in san jose

ok, i take back the messy room remark....when i made it i thought you were a lot younger............ now i figured out that you're old enough to be messy if you want to be

"Fat Thread" being an interpretation, I have only used this YLI 40/3 (Tex40) variegated yarn. It only says "YLI Machine Quilting" "Earth (the color) 13V"

Very nice. I also have put some Sulky 12 wt through the machine. To my fingers, just a hair thicker than the YLI thread. It comes in a ton of different variegated colors also.

Hope this helps.

tim in san jose

Hi
I was wondering if this was the type of "fat thread" you were talking about. See attached photo of turtle block. After doing the majority of quilting I went back and put in some blue diaganol rows for accent. I used DMC 5 Perel Cotton. I used both strands. Usually it is done as a running stich. I thought this added a bit of whimsy. A little tough on the fingers though.

is that HAND stitching? if so, i am in awe!!!
if machine, did you have to use any needle in particular?

I bought a second bobbin case for my machine so I could set it for "bobbin stitching" and marked it with a dab of red nail polish to set it apart from my regular sewing bobbin case.
The adjustment screw on bobbin-case is only good for so many adjustments, then you need a new bobbin case anyway.
You can do some really nice decorative stuff with the heavier threads, even some lightweight yarns if you use them in the bobbin, threads that would never go through the eye of a needle.
You can do this with a zig-zag stiich as well as a straight stitch.
I have a good book on this somewhere. If anyone wants, I will look up the title and author.
You need to keep in mind the decorative stitching is going to be on the bottom side of what you are stitching on. So have the back of the piece looking at you under the needle so the decorative stitches will be on the "right" side when you are finished.
Joyce

This sounds harder than paper piecing!

I'd love the title and author of your book. Thanks for sharing.

It was done by hand. I had to use a large needle to get the two strands of thread through.

Ilove that stiching. can you use it on the bobbin also? it really shows nice. like it would be hand quilting. I tink we need more information.

well Sparky that does kinda look like it but I know what I saw was done by machine. I thought perle cotton was thicker than that (or is there different sizes?) that really did add a nice touch

Hi Joyce
I have a question concerning purchasing a new bobbin case for your machine. I have not done so yet, but was wanting to. I was wondering if they already come with the tension set like they do when they come with the machine, or do you have to set it? Thanks for any help

I have seen perel cotton on a larger ball, it's not quite as thick as the 2 strands I used. What I used was on a skein like embroidery floss. If you want to use your machine for a "hand quilted" look, one way is to put the colored thread in the bobbin and use a clear thread on the top. Adjust the tension so that the bobbin thread comes up to the top of the fabric. Do this by tightening the top tension and lowering the bottom tension.

The "fat" thread you saw was probably a heavier weight thread like 12 wt. or 20 wt. I love the look these threads make as well but they are a little tricky to work with your machine but worth the effort. Others can probably help you with needle size, bobbin thread, tension, etc. I don't know what kind of machine you have Anyway, give the 12 wt. a try, it is a great look. :lol:

I have used poly serger thread (verigated) when I wanted the stitching to show. Even the Mettler #50 is a bit heavier looking than #50 mercerized cotton. My experience is this with this type of thread: pre-wash your fabrics for minimal shrinkage/distortion, use a smaller needle with a bigger eye (embroidery needles are usually easier to find, but sometimes I get lucky and find quilting needles- and stock up when I do- or "sharps" as a last result- NEVER "universal" because they cut or puncture instead of sliding between the fibers of the fabric). This reduces the thread pop-ups you will occasionally see when machine quilting. I loosened the top tension just slightly, and left the bottom tension alone. (Because of the smaller needle size you play with the tension a bit less.) One word of warning about this thread: it is a poly thread which means it is stronger than your cotton fabric, so I (would recommend) only use it on large quilts where I am doing larger quilting designs. (If I decide to add smaller quilting to the quilt, I switch to a cotton thread.) After using this type of thread you will want to wash the quilt, throw it in the dryer for a short time, removing before completely dry, and then spread out to dry, "blocking" it before binding if possible. I am no expert, but I do love to play with many threads just to see which effect I like for each quilt I make. If you want to stick with all cotton thread I can recommend Valdani #40, or Star (I think is the name) #50. Both quilt a bit heavier looking and are available in many colors. (The Star brand is more effective if you use the same color in the top & bobbin.) You can also "Trick" the eye by using a #40 or #50 for your main quilting and then do your background quilting with a bit finer thread like a #60 on up to a #100.
With all of the new threads in the market and access to the internet the possibilities are endless; jump in & have fun with as many of them as possible! Here is one rule I learned to always be true- keep like threads in both top & bobbin (cot/cot, poly/poly, however, you can mix silk & rayon). Poly thread will cut cotton thread.
Sorry to be too verbal on this subject, but it is so near & dear to my heart!! I could go on, and on, and on... Have fun!! Have fun!! Have fun!!

thanks to everybody for the thread advice
kathy

It wasn't maybe two spools going through the same needle? I've done that before to get a more noticeable stitch.

no, it was a single thread but i think part of it was that it was a shinny thread. i bought some 40 wt and it was reeeal close.

Beautiful either way, hand or machine stitched.

OOps, didn't realize there was another page. The comment was for the turtle block. :D

I am working on my first quilt ever, and I also bought varigated thread. I couldn't woit to use it, but as I am taking a class to learn some quilting skills, my teacher had a hissy fit and said no.

I wondered if there are some guidlines to using varigated thread so it doesn't compete with all the hard work I've done making my blocks? (sometimes daily arguements with my sewing machine...)

I plan to use the thread in my next quilt (assuming I ever finish the first one that is :) ) and it would be helpful to know what I am doing.

I have an HQ16 long arm. Some of the threads that I purchase from Superior Threads are a lot thicker than others. Especially the verigated. Superior's website is very informative to all the different types of threads and their uses. I seem to remember some heavier threads designed for hand quilting, but I'm more familiar with the ones that I use on my long arm.
Happy Quilting!
Candy

I've quilted several quilts using verigated. Superior threads has "stitch out" charts that show you what theirs would look like in stitching. Go for it!

well i bought a ball of the # crochet cotton that Patrice mentioned. I really thinks that's it. I haven't had enough time to play with it but I tried it in the bobbin and ir worked and looked just fine. Tried it thru the needle and it kinda wadded up on the bottom, had regular thread in bobbin. I figured if I used it on top and bobbin it would be too heavy but I may try it or learn to quilt from the bottom!

Hey Kathy, when you say it kind of wadded up on the bottom, do you mean the bottom of the needle (like at the eye), or on the back of your quilt?

Carla, I'm going thru my posts looking for something and see I never answered your question, it was wadded up on the bottom of the quilt, but looked real good on top, any suggestions?

Hey Kathy,

It could be a couple of things. The first thing I would check is, of course, the tension; sounds like the top tension may be a bit too loose to compensate for the varying weights of the top & bobbin threads.. maybe bump the top tension up a bit. If this does not work, try a bigger needle with a bigger eye. The larger needle shaft will create a larger hole for the thread to settle into, & the larger eye will create less friction on the larger thread. Also, as suggested earlier, you could always wind it into your bobbin, flip it over, & quilt from the back... it's interesting to do it that way at the very least. :lol:

If these suggestions don't work, PM or email me & we'll get it figured out. Then you can post your solution if you want... or keep 'em guessing... :lol: j/k

Let me know how things work out for you.

Sashiko quilting (Japanese) uses something like a #5 perle cotton to make big stitches. It looks lovely especially done in the clamshell design on blue denim. They use almost a crewel needle for that type of quilting.

As to quilting stitches showing: I handquilt a whole lot of my stuff. I WANT the stitching to show. The Amish use black thread regardless of the color of the quilt so that the exquisite quilting shows. I am trying to get as good as they are... but it isn't working. I can get maybe 8 stitches to an inch, not the 12 in a wall hanging I have made by some Amish sisters which is white and is quilted with white. It is truly beautiful.

I decided long ago that if I wanted to do something big (bed sized) I would tie it. I handquilt most of my wall hangings. It is relaxing and I get kudos for the quilting, not just the pattern, color arrangement, etc. And as I make a lot of Amish style quilts, my quilting shows nicely.

I am presently machine quilting a wall hanging that has about a zillion seams and I wanted that quilting to show also to add to the beautiful colors. Besides, handquilting over seams is NOT much fun. I chose a wavy decorative stitch that shows up on the strips. However, machine quilting is not my style. I have a Flynn frame, and several other things that would make machine quilting fairly easy, I would think, but I prefer sitting down in the evening with a quilt in my lap.It helps to unwind me after a long day at work.

Okay, lunch is over... back to work!

Anita

Ya know what my fingers say?

Crewel, crewel needles.

After reading my earlier posts... I use size 75 quilting needles for 50/3 thread. I use size 90 needles for 40/3 thread. The size 12 thread I have run through was also done with the size 90 needle on the mighty Bernina 830 with no problems. Now anything larger than that will probably have to be used in the bobbin. The thought of messin with the tension on the bobbin case gives me the willies.

tim in san jose