I know this a really dumb question, but I've not used my machine yet
 

I just ordered a few cones of thread to have when machine arrives. If I were to try a regular size quilt, how many cones would it take. the cones have 5,000 on them.

What type of machine do you have? I stay way from the serger cones because they are so linty. My Bernina 1530 only likes Mettler and Aurifil thread. Usually I use about 150 to 200 yards quilting a lap quilt.

Do not use cone thread in your quilts. They are not only linty, but the fibers are very short and break easily, making your quilt very un-sturdy. Use regular cotton or poly thread. I use beige in the top and gray in the bobbin (or vice versa) so if there's a problem with tension I know which one to adjust.

All kinds of thread comes on cones. And some types of serger threads are very good, while others are not. But to answer your question, you will get many quilts from one cone.

I love using cones. I do try to buy better brands of thread (or at least what I think are good brands :))

I don't think 1 quilt will take up even half of a 5000 yrd cone.. unless you are making one with lots small pieces for piecing and are going quilt very densly

Cones is not the problem as long as you use the correct stand for them to allow for the right tension, it's the kind of thread you are using. Definitely NOT serger thread.......not meant to be used for " lock stitch" sewing.....

The amount of thread you use for a quilt depends on the size of the quilt and how dense your quilting is. For example, I just finished a quilt about 60x80", and I used about 300-350 yards of thread, based on using all of one bobbin and part of another. It was a loose meander, not at all dense. BYW, I use a lot of cone thread, especially the mini cones of 1000 yards. Big cones are 5000 yards. I also generally use Superior Threads of Aurifil products, but definitely not serger thread!Pam

Go to superior threads site. They have a chart and lots of other interesting info. Sorry I can't get the direct link up as I'm using someone else's computer and their desk top configuration has me stumped.

I'm sorry, but I find this statement to be too sweeping of a generalization. All cone threads are not the same. Superior Threads produces many high-quality threads, and most of them are available on cones. They are designed with quilters in mind. I'm sure there are other companies out there that make quality cone threads for quilting, I'm just not as familiar with them because I love Superior threads.

By "regular" do you mean a bed for a single person (in US, it's called a Twin bed)? If so, for quilting that is 1/2 - 1" spacing with a 50wt/2 ply thread, I would use about half a cone of Aurifil. I typically buy the large spools instead of cones & I use roughly 2 large spools for a 65x65" quilt. That's about 3000 meters of thread. An Aurifil cone contains 5900 meters. Unless you're doing a LOT of piecing, 1 cone would likely be sufficient for a Twin sized quilt (piece, quilt, bind).

To answer your question, we need to know:
1) dimensions of quilt
2) weight of thread
3) how densely you plan to quilt
4) what brand of thread did you buy