I'm totally confused by thread choices....Help!
 

Can you share with me the kind of thread you use for piecing and quilting on a household machine? I would like to find an economical brand, but am very confused when it comes to weight, spool size, etc. All my local store carries is very small spools that are very expensive. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks.

Thread is a lot like shoes. Not everyone likes the same stuff. After experimenting a lot with thread I've come to the conclusion that I love Aurifil, Gutterman, Mettler, and Sulky (all for different things).

A lot will depend on what your machine likes as well.

You can try to experiment with some of the thriftier threads and if your machine likes them, then use them. My machine doesn't like them, nor did I.

A lot of people here on QB love Connecting Threads Essential line. I disliked it so much that I traded the whole lot.

Buy 1 spool of a few of the thriftier threads as a trial. Don't make the mistake I did - I bought 10 spools!!

I like Connecting Threads - their Essentials line is 50wt/3ply cotton, great for piecing or quilting by machine. Some people say it's too linty for them, but I've never had much trouble with it in that way - or any other way, for that matter. :) It's very economical and it comes in a bazillion colors. Wait until it goes on sale and buy it in sets - spend more than $50 and the shipping is free. Normally $2.49/1200 yd spool, $9.99/5000 yd cone

Their Essential Pro line is polyester, 70wt/3ply and has sewn well no matter what I'm using it for. I like it in the bobbin or in the needle.

I love the Superior Threads - King Tut and Bottom Line are my favorites from them. I like Bottom Line for hand applique as well as machine sewing and quilting. They're quite a lot more expensive, though and except for the Bottom Line in applique, I don't notice a whole lot of difference in how they perform or how nice they look in the quilts.

50 & 60 & 70 wt threads are great for piecing, because they don't take up as much space in the seam, but you can use any size you want. Same with quilting - I like the very fine threads for some things and the really heavy ones for others. :) Try a few different brands and see which ones you like.

I just bought King Tut on ebay, it was $18 a spool but they are the large spools, works great not linty and dosen't break

Agreed. I like Connecting Threads, Superior Threads, and Invisafil. You have to kiss a bunch of frogs until you find your prince :)

I use good 'ole Coats and Clark.

I also use Coats and Clark and have never had any problems with it. Someday when I can afford it I may use an expensive thread, but then why when what I have works. To each his own. BrendaK

I use Coats and Clark for piecing, and their heavier weight thread for quilting. I have never had any issues with breakage, etc. I experiment with needles before a project if I'm doing something new.

If you have a vintage machine you can use any thread. But, if you've spent big bucks on a computerized machine, skip Connecting Threads and other cheaper brands and stick with quality thread like Aurifil.

I'm so glad when I see that I'm not the only person who uses Coats & Clarks. I'm sewing on a 1961 Singer 500 and I figure C&C thread was probably the best you could get back then, so why change now?

Tate

My Pfaff loves gutterman as do I.

Because just like the sewing machines made in '61, the quality has gone way down.

I'm sewing on a computerized Brother 2500D Innovis and it will use every brand I have tried! So I go thrifty.Coats and Clarks cotton for sewing and quilting, art silk (rayon) from Pakistan for embroidery.

Superior thread has a great website that an teach you a lot about thread and what is truth and what are just myths. I also love aurofil for piecing. It's 2 ply but strong and your seams lay just a little flatter.

My favorite for piecing is Superior thread's Masterpiece. I keep it on hand in cream, light grey and dark grey.

This is good advice. I bought a whole slew of Essentials thread and my machine makes a lot of fluff with it.
It looks ok on the blocks, but you have to clean, clean, clean your machine.
I'll have to use it, but looking around for something more mousie friendly, now :thumbup:

I use coats and clark for piecing as well my machine doesn't like it for machine quilting. I found a fabulous thread 100% cotton here in Germany, Amman but I can't find big spools recently. I bought YUI online and hate it for piecing but I'm still going to try it for quilting. Like you I'm tired of looking. I'm looking one more place here and have my mom shipping me 100% cotton coats and clark. A quarter of the spool ends up in the little green trash can by my sewing table so I try not to spend a lot!

My old Brother machine was not picky at all. It liked anything I put in it. My new Viking likes Mettler and Gutterman. I used to sew with Sulky thread but the new guy doesn't like it at all. Gutterman is not to pricey with Jo Ann's coupons. I haven't tried Coats & Clark in the new machine yet, but it was all my Mom ever used and she never had problems. She did mostly sew garments though, maybe that makes a difference.

I have been using Mettler for years but recently purchased a spool of Aurifil to try and also a spool of Prescencia. Haven't tried the Prescencia yet but one of my quilt friends has already used up the spool she bought and liked it.

mltquilt

Mainly I sew with Aurifil (50wt cotton) as top thread and Bottom Line (60wt poly) as bobbin thread.
I also like Mettler 60wt cotton embroidery thread if I'm sewing a finer (thinner) fabric.

I've never had problems with the Coats & Clark, but have found that the dollar store cheapie stuff did not work well for either hand or machine sewing...too much breakage. Have not tried any of the more expensive brands yet, maybe someday.

Yes, I found Connecting Threads too linty, love Aurafil, I even hand applique with it!!!!

I tried Aurafil & my older machine didn't like it. Went back to C&C, my 1961 500a Rocketeer loves it, as does my Brother 7700. If it ain't broke ........ :-)

I love Aurifil threads. There's very little lint and my machines love them too.

I use Coats and Clarks 30 wt. machine quilting thread for piecing and quilting. It's reasonable and available in lots of colors. I like to use the machine quilting thread for piecing as it's stronger than regular thread and I want my quilts to last a long, long time.

I use Dual Duty Coats and Clark and I buy it by the box from Atlanta Thread. Much cheaper than even Walmart.
For redwork dishtowels that are going to end up being bleached I even use it on my embroidery machine. Gives a nice look. Can't complain about any aspect of it. Always does a good job on all 4 of my machines. I do use a variety of other threads for other purposes, but that is my normal piecing thread. Reminds me down to a couple spools of my regulars - need to order more.

I buy mainly one thread for it all; Aurofil. It's strong; low lint. It works for anything you want to do from piecing to quilting and applique. I buy other thread for embroidery but if I had to buy only one thread it would be Aurofil. I have a regular machine as well as a Viking Ruby and a Mega quilter and they all like Aurofil.

I use Aurfil and love it. Before that I used Coats & Clark and although I was okay with it, when I tried Aurfil I was sold. It may look expensive but it lasts a long time. I often get at least a quilt with it, many times more than 1 quilt.

I use many different threads. I love to piece my top with Coats and Clarks. I like to machine FMQ with Connecting Threads or with King Tut depending on what I'm quilting. I find that these work well on my machine - but I would tell you to experiment. With threads and needles until you come up with a combination that works for you.

Thanks, everyone. This gives me alot to think about, and I guess I'll start to experiment some. Good information, all of it:thumbup: Connie

My computerized machine will use any thread I choose to use in and on it, both bobbin and top thread. I love Connecting threads thread, I use aurofil and bottom line. I am currently using poly pre-wound bobbins with very fine poly thread and top thread of cotton. Only have to adjust the tension somewhat. All machines are different and no blanket statement covers all. Experimant for your machine and situation.

That is what I use too! I really like it, all my machines like it. Some of my machines don't like some of the great name brands and some tend to curl more I notice. I just bought Dual Duty Coats and Clark last nite, but will have to check out
Altanta thread.

Thankfully, I haven't found any thread that my machine balks with use. I'm using serger thread in the bobbin nowadays and Coats and Clark Dual Duty in the top and so far everything seems to be doing well. Most of my quilts will be used up and loved, not kept for heirloom quality so I'm not looking for 100 yr quality. I'm just having fun with fabric.

I like King Tut for my quilting machine. I use Mettlers and Sulky and a few other brands for piecing. My machine repairman recommends King Tut and the higher end threads for machines because of damage the others can do to the machine over the long haul as far as the lint, breakage, etc. I think it's like your fabric choices...buy the best you can afford when you can.

I use all brand of thread - I use alot of vintage coats and clark and other brands, but stay away from the "low cost" thread like walmart and kmart and others that I find. For the first time I have had a problem with some 10year+ black coats and clark on my Husky 875Q. When I looked closer at the thread even my 65 years old eyes saw that it was defective! I like using a finer thread in the bobbins as I can fit more yardage on the bobbin.

I agree with what works with your machine - and they do vary! A friend of mine told me to use the "cranky" threads in the bobbin and it works! I love Aurifil! Good luck!

Have you changed your needle lately? A quilting sz 10 is a good choice for all around sewing.

I use the thread from Connecting Threads, it is a little linty, but not nearly as linty as Coats & Clark. If you clean your machine out when you change bobbin, it will be no problem. I piece and do simple machine quilting with that thread. Regular price is &2.49 for 1200 yds, but it goes on sale for something like $1.80, which is a real good price.

Same here. No problems with my FW of Pfaff using it.