polyester invisible thread
 

I have used nylon invisible thread for charity quilts to hospice or childrens homes. I read of the polyester and wanted to give it a try. Had trouble with it tangleing in the machine and breaking. I like the look it looks
and it goes a long way. What am I doing wrong or is it not worth it? I do not use it on baby quilts only for older children or adults.

I much prefer poly monofilament thread to nylon. It's more flexible and wears better. I put mine in a coffee cup behind the machine rather than on the spool. Have you tried that?

I also like MonoPoly by Superior threads, so much easier to use, :)

Most children's charities ask the invisible thread not be used on the children's quilts. Be sure before donating. I like Superior invisible thread. It's the best I've used.

Superior Monopoly is a polyester thread. Use a thread net if it is not playing nice!

You might need to adjust the thread tension when using clear thread.

I second this. Also, someone referenced tension - you might find that you need to loosen the thread tension when you're working with monofilament or other invisible thread.

I have used Sulky poly invisible thread, but as it is on small spools, I have trouble with it tangling coming off my vertical spool pin. I'd read somewhere, probably here ;-) to put it in a jar instead of on the spindle and that works like a charm! It just bops around in there turning whichever way it's happy to and doesn't tangle up!

I ditto the MonoPoly votes. On my long arm site, alot of the quilters like Invisifil. They say altho it comes in colors, the thread kind of picks up the color around it, making it blend in. I have not tried it yet, but will pick up a few colors next show.

http://www.wonderfilonline.com/

I have used the invisible thread mainly for machine applique, but my machine won't accept both the top thread and the bobbin being the invisible thread. I use a regular thread in the bobbin! The first time I used it, it worked pretty good, but I'm 10 years older and a lot less patient that I use to be! LOL

Jeanette Frantz

loosen your top tension just a tad, make sure you are using the correct size needle & use a spool 'net' if needed- or place in a cup or holder of some sort & place behind the machine-instead of using on your spool pin. check the charities carefully- invisible thread is generally not recommended/accepted by many charities- those quilts tend to go through commercial laundries- hot water, harsh detergent, invisible threads do not hold up. monofilament (polyester) is always recommended over nylon which stretches, becomes brittle and breaks/disintegrates after a few washes.

I wouldn't use the invisible stuff on kids quilts, which are usually colorful and easy to highlight the quilting. They require too much washing. Instead I use it on "hanger quilts" that don't have the wear and tear of the washing machine.

Thanks for all the tips. I do my fmq on the home machine. I did try using a stand along side of the machine and it has helped. This is Sulky poly and I really like the look. Will try playing with the tension. Hope all your tips help.

I am surprised there has not been more comment on this thread about using this thread on children's quilt.

There were a couple. Not sure if the warnings have been observed or not.

Why is it an issue? All my comforters from the store have plasticky clear thread.

You could ask the charity you're considering donating to the reason for the request. One of the reasons I was told is because of the risk of the thread melting in the commercial dryers the charities/hospitals use. I think this is aimed at nylon threads, not the mono poly, but suffice it to say that if the charity sees a clear thread on a quilt, they may not make the distinction, and your carefully crafted, lovingly donated quilt may end up in the reject pile.

So it appears it is a charity quilt issue, not a children's quilt issue? The way it was phrased by Holice it sounded like there was some safety issue.

Children (and the elderly) also have more sensitive skin and invisible thread ends tend to stick out of the fabric and scratch.

It could be a safety issue. I was researching this earlier and I stumbled across a similar conversation on another site about it. One of the factors in that conversation was an experience someone had with invisible thread coming loose (but not undone) on a quilt, and a little finger was tangled and the circulation cut off. I can absolutely see this happening; I have a store-bought comforter and it does have loose loops of invisible thread all over it.

However. These are all anecdotal, so as I said, you might want to check with your particular charity about whether you can use invisible thread, and if not, what their concerns are. They are the only ones who can tell you for sure.

I have tried hard to like all kinds of invisible thread. I found the pre-wound bobbins from superior to be superior. But I hate the feel of it and it is so plastic-y (Duh Sue!). Put it in the sunshine and you see it reflect off.

The poly is a lot more pliable but if it pokes up at the end of piece of quilting, I can still feel it. Should I be burying it in the quilt?

Yes, it could be a safety issue. I am told that if there are snippets of the thread left on the quilt pets, if they have access to the quilt could ingest and have a problem. The same could happen to children. Some years ago I was making crib quilts for a magazine and told myself that since the quilts were made for samples I did not need to worry about loose invisible thread. One time I was in a motel on the bedspread and realized I was wrapping a loose thread around my finger to the point it was almost cutting the circulation. I then realized the same thing could happen to a child if a long loose thread was left in a crib quilt. We may think there are no threads but remember it is invisible thread in the quilt. The danger is too great to take a chance.

This danger exists with regular thread too? Should children not have quilts?

(The child I know who actually had to go to the hospital due to this issue actually had a piece of her mother's hair wrap around her toe. So the danger is real- I just don't see how it relates to invisible thread vs. any thing long and stringy.)

I just put the monopoly invisible thread on an older Kenmore, and it worked great. I wasn't sure if the older Kenmore would handle it.

Serita