Longarm Question - How do you see matching thread?
 

Hi, Just filled with questions today. I'm an intermediate long arm quilter. My theory is if I'm gonna quilt it then I want to see the quilting, so I've always used thread that's a bit different color than the fabric. Not black on white, but enough contrast so you can see the thread. I'm working on a friend's quilt and she wanted the thread to match. I'm doing unmarked hand guided quilting. How the heck do you see the quilting you've already done, so you know where you are going? The backing doesn't match the thread and I can see that I'm crossing all kinds of lines in my stippling and my feathers look like they have mange. I'm using W&N, so there's not a lot of loft. I've looked thru previous posts and can't find anything.
Are there any tricks to this?

When I work with white thread on a white quilt, I turn off my machine and room lights. I have a small gooseneck light attached to my machine. I put it so that it shadows my quilting and I can see where I've gone and where I am going.

Is this maybe what the black light is for? I have great lighting so I don't have a problem seeing my thread or at least the indentation where it's been. I have lots of other problems when I'm trying to use my LA though...

No LA experience here, but I know what you mean from doing DSM FMQ .... and even regular ordinary DSM stitching and too, for hand stitching.

ITA it's the lighting ... try turning it up or turning it down or moving it around or a different fixture or more fixtures .................. it's really a trial and error, and once you find what you want, make note, for another time!

Only work w the lite on your machine and you will see the hills and valleys of your previous stitching......

I agree with the others. It's all in the directional lighting, and sometimes less light is better.

I agree somtimes less light is better.

I turn off all the lights and close the curtains. Then turn on the machine lights only and that seems to help. Any way you do it will be a slower process than usual.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I was adding more light. I guess I needed to go to the dark side!

I tried this evening with just the light from the machine, it was better, but still couldn't see well. The quilt is throw size, so there was room on the frame for a lamp. I have one with a positionable arm and I directed the beam across the quilt. That seemed to work the best. I went slowly and finished it. I checked the back of the quilt for places I missed before I removed it from the frame, and found & fixed a few spots. I think I'll stick with contrasting thread.
I now have vast respect for folks who use blending thread or (horrors) monofilament!!!!!!

When I am free motion quilting on white on white, black on black, or any very busy fabrics I also turn off all lights except for the trouble lights clamped on the ends of my frame. They shadow the quilting well enough that I can see where I have already stitched.

I haven't done matching thread and I hope not to. I agree with you on using a slightly different color so the quilting will show. I had some custom quilting done last year (beyond my capabilities) and she used matching thread. Her quilting was beautiful but you can't see it. I was disappointed with the results. I much prefer the quilting to show. Not a blaring contrast, but a subtle difference in color.

I have always used Hobbs 80/20, Hobbs Polydown or higher loft batting and have never had too much trouble seeing the quilting even when the thread matched perfectly. Recently, however, I did a customer wall hanging and she brought W&N batting, wanted matching thread and the fabric was fairly busy. She wanted custom quilting and I tried every lighting configuration I could think of and still couldn't see what I was doing. I was really disappointed with the final job because you really couldn't see most of the quilting, but she was quite happy with it. She entered it in our local fair last month and won a 2nd place ribbon. I, personally, prefer at least the loft of Hobbs 80/20 and/or a slightly different colored thread, because I like to see the quilting.

My frame is in front of a double window so that in daytime there is lots of bright light. In the evening, I sometimes put a light on the side of the frame.