OK, I'm sold. Aurifil...it's been really nice but I have a new love now.
 

Aurifil has been my favorite piecing thread for the last 2 years (basically ever since I decided to seriously start quilting). I love how thin and un-linty it is. It's been my go-to thread for piecing and for SITD quilting ever since I first tried it.

Then the ladies at my guild told me to try Precensia. "It's just as thin," they said, "but it's twice as strong!"

Strong? I don't have problem with thread strength, I said, just before I started having thread breakage problems. (Hellooo Murphy's Law!) It was a class project for marking quilts, trying to sew through a quilt sandwich with sticky stabilizer on top with the quilting lines on the stabilizer. I couldn't get more than 2 inches without thread breaking.

So I bought a cone, even though it was pretty expensive and I was pretty sure I'd be sticking with Aurifil. But I like to try people's advice because sometimes they're totally right about things.

When it arrived, I pulled out some Aurifil and eyeballed the two threads critically.

Looks nice and thin. That's good. But doesn't beat Aurifil.
Doesn't look fuzzy. Hm, also good. But doesn't beat Aurifil.
Then I did a break test and nearly severed a finger. (OK, slight exaggeration, but I actually did bleed a little) Well OK now, that totally beats Aurifil.

So I spun up a few bobbins and tested it on my class project. Zero breakage. That third ply really does make a difference!!

OK Precensia, you win!! I still have at least a dozen spools of Aurifil that I'll use up (it's still very good thread), but I think from here on out, my new piecing thread purchases will be Precensia. I'm hoping they have a booth at PIQF so I can score some deals!

Thanks for the info. Interesting......

Ok, willing to try! But where can I get it? Thanks for the info in advance.

So glad to know this! Online only????

I also use PRESENCIA (note spelling ;-))for all my piecing. I get the large cones on ebay, and Red Rock also carries it. My LQS also has it, in the small spools, which is how I found out about it. I really like the 60 wt. I have also used it on my longarm and it works great.

What wt. did you buy? It come in 40wt 50wt and 60wt.

Presencia also makes pretty impressive embroidery floss - with no bleeds.... color charts to match other brands... if you hand embroidery - it's worth a test!

I love the Presencia. I learned about it while in a Harriett Hargrave quilting class, and you can buy it off her website. I use the 60/3, which is just as strong, but finer than 50/3. I have never used Aurifil, because it was my understanding that it is 50/2. I may be wrong; if so, mea culpa. I was using Gutterman, which is very linty, but since I clean my bobbin area every time I change a bobbin, I don't mind. I purchased the Presencia in cones of the basic neutral colors (black, white, ecru, taupe, and gray). I think I paid $25 a cone, which was the most I had ever paid for thread, but it is worth every penny.

Presencia thread....thank you for sharing.

Okay, now I have to try it!:)

Whoops! Thank you! I thought I might have had it wrong but it looked "wrong" when I spelled it the right way too!

Funny, the class project I was talking about was from an HH class! It was my guild classmates that gave me the recommendation though. It was a great class, all about different methods for marking your quilt top for quilting. I learned lots of neat stuff and tried some things outside my comfort zone. Loved it.

I bought 60 wt, and I ordered it from Colonial Needle. For buying & shipping just one cone that was the best price I could find.

Anyone using it with a treadle? I recently started using a White Rotary treadle and my Aurafil is a disaster. Can't get tension correct, looks lost. The quilter I purchased it from had all coats & clark hand quilting in all the bobbins and spools and all my practice stitching looked perfect, as in the best I have ever seen, with her thread. How weird is that? Every time I changed neadle size and changed tension, boom! perfect stitches. I guess it is mindset that I even bothered to get ready for real sewing and bring out the Aurafil. Epic fail. So, how does this Presencia work with White treadles? I did try some mach'ine quilting thread (C&C) and it is perfect as well.

I've noticed Aurifil breaks easily when you pull on it. So far my quilts have stayed together. I just so happen to have a spool of Presencia that I'm going to try. Tks for the heads up.

Who is the maker of this thread? Or is it Presencia?

I am not sure but it looks like that is the company's name...? This is what the Colonial Needle site (http://www.presenciaamerica.com/) says, if this helps any:

The Colonial Needle Co. is the U.S. supplier of Presencia Hilaturas sewing, quilting, embroidery and needlework thread and floss. These unique threads and floss are made of 100% extra-long staple Egyptian cotton grown in the Giza Valley, home of the highest grade of cotton available.

very interesting....I love my Aurifil...but always looking for something better. Thanks.

If hand quilting thread was used in that machine for very long there may be grooves worn in the tension discs. It's probably not a big deal to replace the tension assembly in that machine though.

I loooooooooooooooove Prescencia thread!!!

I had a lot of breakage with aurifil. I have been sold on superior threads, very high quality. Haven't tried presencia but have heard good things

Yep... I use color 216 in 60 weight for all of my piecing since learning about it from a Harriet Hargrave class.

Not for nothing, but for many years, 50 wt. presencia was my thread of choice for piecing. It is without a doubt a very nice thread. However for average piecing, I now prefer aurifil. It is less linty and a bobbin fill holds more than using presencia. I have never done a strength test between the two, but have never had a problem with breakage when using the aurifil. I do know my seams are very accurate and flat when using the aurifil verses presencia.

So glad I saw this thread on the QB .... no pun intended. If I am going to sew (and I am), I definitely want to be using good quality thread. Thread breakage just drives me nuts!!! Thanks to all who have replied with such great advice.

I'll give it a try too! Anyone used it in their Featherweight? Thanks!

Thanks for this input. I never could have imagined that about making grooves. I know the previous owner had it and used it frequently with the hand quilting thread and she used it because the old lady she bought machine from said that was all she used. It appears this machine was in use more years than not. I suppose I should not mess with perfect stitches and leave well enough alone?

I use either coats and clark or connecting thread's threads. They both work great for me. After I use them up I may try a different thread.

I love Aurifil and Superior thread. Have not tried Prescencia ...yet

sandy

I just bought the large spool of white Prescensia. Will see what happens. Played with it on the demonstration long arm at the LQS.

Thanks for sharing. I will have to try it..

I've tried it and love it. I just used up one full cone and am on to the next. I have smaller Aurifil spools when I want a specific color. I use Bernina machines and a featherweight.

Thanks for the information, I think one of our local shops carry it, I'll have to try it. Of course, I have LOTS of Auriful!

Oh my. I remember the days when I reused the basting threads. Just wound them up on spools and used and reused over and over again. Thread was so dear and hard come by. Each penny saved was earned.