I am working on my first machine quilt. What color thread do I use when the front of the quilt has bright and/or dark colors and the back is a very light color? I am trying to quilt ITD, but some of the stitches are still showing. Also, when I see I am getting a pucker, how do I fix it?

I have used one color on the front & one on the back, but most times I use invisible YLI thread. If you are using 2 colors & the 2nd color shows through to the back side, your tension is not correct.

You can use different colours of thread in your bobbin and top. Thread choice is part of the quilting and whether you want your stitches to disappear or create a picture.
A good walking foot has made the difference for me with puckers. If I see something forming that might be a pucker, I simply stop and smooth out the area I'm sewing and that seems to fix things.
If you're using a domestic machine for this, another thing I have heard is that it's better to "stuff" the quilt rather than rolling. I've done both, and use both depending on what and how I am quilting. If I'm stippling, I will roll the areas not being quilted, but if I'm SITD, I stuff.

I always have fun picking the thread I want to use to quilt with. Like you I have several lights and darks and I just try and picture the finished quilt in what ever thread color and decide from there.

Good luck in deciding what color to go with, remember there are no rules to quilting!!!

Billy

I like to use the same color thread in the bobbin and on top. But sometimes you just can't. I would love to say when I stitch in the ditch my stitches never show, but they do sometimes. And when I see a pucker coming I try to work it in. Don't get to upset if it's not perfect. Only God can make a perfect quilt. Relax and enjoy the process.

Jshep ~ did you pin or spray baste, your sandwich? If you pinned, are the pins approx 3-4" apart. Your fist can be your measure-er (mine are on the larger size). If to far apart, you can increase the odds of puckers. Spray basting, make sure to smooth both sides of the quilt.

To stitch in the ditch, is not really 'in the ditch' it is right next to the 'ditch', 1/8" down to 1/32" or as close as possible. Back when you pieced, and pressed to one side, you can feel the 'bump' of the seam. SID is done on the 'lower' side and not on the 'bump' side. I sure hope that is as clear as mud ;)

IMHO when I SID it takes more work, then when I do FMQ. BUT the FMQ took a while to find "that sweet spot" that I was comfortable with.

Starching helps prevent puckers because it stabilizes the fabric. Since your quilt sandwich is already layered, you can use some mistings of spray starch on front and backing to help prevent puckering. Lay out a large sheet on the floor to catch any overspray. No need to iron. Just let the starch dry in-between mistings.

Many machines do not handle different colored threads well for quilting. Either there are pin-dots of the bottom color showing on top, or pin-dots of the top color showing on the bottom. It can be impossible to get the tension exactly right to totally eliminate pin-dots. For that reason, I would suggest using the same color in top and bobbin, making it a neutral color, and making it a finer weight so it tends to disappear into the fabric. Check out the Superior Threads website for information.

Thanks so much for all the help. I never thought about using two different colors of thread. Might try that next time. As far as the puckering, I have been trying to ease it in, but it hasn't worked in some places. Oh well, it's my quilt and I love it.

If your bobbin holder has a finger with a small hole at the end, after loading the bobbin correctly in the bobbin case, thread thru the finger hole. Now drop your tension on the upper thread to between 2 and 2 1/2. Now you should be able to quilt with two different color threads without showthru from either side. Good luck!

QID is a lot harder than it sounds