Monofilament Thread
 

I am relatively new to quilting but have made several simple quilts and machine quilted them using straight line quilting. I am wondering about using monofilament thread to make my quilting less "visible" in a quilt that I'm making that has many different fabrics. I would like the fabrics to be the star of the quilt. What brand of monofilament is recommended, do you change stitch length, what type of needle is recommended, do you use monofilament thread in the bobbin as well or a cotton thread in the bottom? Any suggestions and tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

I have used nylon monofilament to quilt with and can give you tips for using it. However, I highly recommend using Superior’s Bottom Line thread is silver gray (I would have to check the exact color name tomorrow) instead. This is a very fine polyester thread that is strong and seems to blend into everything.

Monofilament thread used to be a PITA (pain in the ---), though I hear it has improved in the past few years. I quit using it all those years ago in frustration, honestly. If I were going to try it again, I personally would head over to Superior Threads website for thread education; it's superb. On page 4 is: https://www.superiorthreads.com/educ...d-nylon-thread

Jan in VA

I was told NOT to quilt with it because it can snap if sat on. I know my quilts get hard use if its kids, sit on them, wrap in them and yes cover up with them

Thanks Prism 99! The quilt I'm making uses the bear paw pattern. The bear paws are cream colored with tips in deep browns, greens, blues, golds, and cranberry colors--very fallish. Do you think the Superior Bottom Line thread you mention would blend with those colors? If so, would you share the name and where I can purchase it? Thanks so much for your help!

I have also heard as mentioned above that the monofilament thread may break easily so I was concerned about using it. Maybe your suggestion is a better answer for me.

I try to avoid using monofilament simply because it's such a pain to use. You have to loosen the tension all the way. I agree with the recommendation of using Bottom Line. With the color scheme you describe, I'd go with natural.

Oh, I just had another thought! Bottom Line is 60 wt, which is fairly fine. Microquilter is 100 wt, really fine. You can get both of them on Superior's website.

https://www.superiorthreads.com/thread/microquilter

Thanks for the suggestions and link to the website. I will check it out--sounds like a great option! Appreciate the help!

I really like the Bottom Line thread from Superior. It comes in several colors It is rather translucent and blends well with most fabrics. I frequently use it in the bottom for the whole project. I use it on the top when I STID to stabilize a quilt when I quilt it on my DSM-which is most of them.

I use Aurifil invisible thread from Superior Threads, love it. The only adjustments I have to make is to loosen my top tension a little. I use regular thread in my bobbin.

That was my experience. I used it many years ago and the snapping was the reason I gave up on it. It broke in several areas of the quilts...usually short area of breakage but, as I was making quilts that were well-used, I was not comfortable using it. It may have improved since then.