Hand quilting problem with thread !
 

Ok ladies I really would appreciate your help. Lately when I buy Hand quilting thread it is awful. It fray's and it breaks as soon as you pull your needle through the fabric. My fabric is all cotton. Is there a good place to buy thread? It is so frustrating when you start a project and then you have to replace the thread and then if you are lucky enough to find the color that you need. Thank you for any advice.

What brand are you buying? Good hand quilting thread is glazed and kind of stiff, made not to fray or break as easily as regular thread. If I remember correctly, JoAnn's carries Gutterman hand quilting thread, which is a good brand, but there are other good brands out there as well. Does your spool actually say "hand quilting" on it?

I have tried many types of thread and end up back using the Americana sold by Joannes which is very inexpensive..I treat the thread with thread magic, which helps it not tangle or fray

Prism99, have you used Gutermann thread for hand quilting, and if so, did you have any problems? I recently used it to hand-sew a binding, and had so much trouble with it that I invented a few new swear words and promised myself I'd go back to Bottom Line and never stray again. I'm wondering if it was just me? Or is hand-sewing binding so different from hand-quilting that it made that big of a difference? (I'm not a hand-quilter.) Maybe I got a different kind of Gutermann?

I haven't hand quilted in several years. Back when I did, though, Gutermann was a great brand and never caused any problems. I liked it because it never tangled and caused a knot while hand quilting, the way regular thread did for me. Maybe it has changed since then?

I never used hand quilting thread for sewing on a binding, though. The stiffness of the glazing would have driven me crazy. Seems to me a flexible thread would work better for bindings because of the different motions involved. The glazing and stiffness of hand quilting thread is a real plus when going in-and-out for hand quilting stitches; binding requires thread that can curve a lot easier (to my mind, anyway).

Peckish, I'm wondering why you chose to use a hand quilting thread to sew on a binding. Hand quilting thread is thick and heavy, and intended for quilting the three layers together. Usually on a binding the quilter tries to make the hand stitches invisible, something which would be made more difficult with such a heavy thread.

I chose it because I'm an idiot. Lol. It was a rush job, the binding was a very vivid teal and I had no Bottom Line anywhere close to that color. So I grabbed the Gutermann. As I said, I'm not a hand quilter, so I wasn't aware it was a hand-quilting thread, but I'd heard other quilters say good things about it, so I picked it over the C&C. Boy, was I sorry. It wound and tangled, and when I applied Thread Heaven it got worse.

Thanks for the info, now I know better! :D

I have a feeling the needle you were/are using may be the culprit. I use Gutterman, Coats & Clark, Americana. Probably my least favorite is Coats & Clark but even that is okay most of the time. All are specifically labeled 'hand quilting' thread. It does make a difference. I, too, treat my thread with Thread Heaven while quilting. I have had some minor issues with shredding on occasion. Find that it's usually the eye of my needle causing the problem.

I have also very successfully used hand quilting thread to sew down the binding as well. I think my stitches are about as close to invisible as possible. Honestly haven't noticed much of a difference between using the hand quilting or general sewing thread for that purpose. All depends on color and what's handy for me.

I use YLI hand quilting thread. It's glazed and quilts very nicely. I buy it online at Red Rock Threads or at Uncommon Threads - if you google them you'll find the website, and some quilt shops carry it, too.

The only times I have had trouble with breaking and fraying was when I used machine quilting thread. I also had a spool of Coats and Clark that had slubs and thin spots.

Janet

make sure the needle you are using is the correct size/type for the thread you are using- treat with thread heaven or bees wax, and check the label ensuring it does in fact say 'hand quilting' on it- most thread companies carry a vast assortment of threads- just because it says Gutterman on the label does not necessarily mean it's for hand quilting-
cut your lengths about 18", with longer lengths you often spend more time untangling than actually stitching--the longer the length the more (wear) on the thread- the sooner you will have problems- breaking, fraying, tangling