New To Quilting, New to Forum, Need Advice!
 

Hi! I am new to quilting and I have a quilt I am working on and I need advice on how to pick the thread. When it comes to technical things, like how to put it together, it is easier for me to learn, but the creative aspects (such as color) is more difficult.

The quilt is different shades of yellow and blue. So there are lighter colors as well as the darker navy. How do I choose what color thread to use without it making the quilt look bad? Any advice is appreciated!

Are you hand quilting? I am thinking that a variegated thread would be nice. Try researching that and see if there are some that you like.

Also, welcome to the group. We can answer just about anything. :)

Welcome to QB!

You can try unwinding a couple yards of thread and swirling it around a small area of the quilt top. Unwind another color and swirl it around another area, etc. Stand back and see which you like. Usually, the color of thread that is used is personal preference, like so many aspects of quilting. Some people use a color that matches the back. Sometimes a 'neutral' color will blend okay with both light and dark fabrics, like a cream, a taupe, or a gray, even when it's not a color of any of the fabrics used.

Are you looking for a color for piecing or for quilting the quilt sandwich? For piecing - a gentle neutral like light gray, tan or lilac. For quilting, a golden tan would work on this one. I just used it on a multicolored quilt and it worked.

Do you want the quilting to blend in or stand out?

I just finished a quilt for my son that is light gray, yellow, and white blocks with charcoal gray sashing. My friend long-armed it with silver. It turned out quite nice. When she chose silver, I was a little skeptical. But it’s a great choice. Doesn’t overwhelm any of the quilt colors.

Putting it together I use either gray, black, navy, shades of cream or white. I take it to a long armer and there we choose the actual quilting pattern and thread.

I agree with Gingerd. No need to buy every color of thread for piecing. The neutrals work just fine. Light gray, dark gray, white, off white, black and red are what I keep on hand.

I agree with Boston, variegated thread is always nice. I use Aurifil only on my home machine and they have a great selection of variegated threads. Welcome to the site and good luck with your quilting. You'll be great in no time.