Quilting myths or preference?
 

While I like using cotton fabric in my quilts, I am very partial to quality polyester thread. Compared when I quilted with cotton, I have way less breakage issues, and cleaning the lint from my machine was considerably reduced as well. It comes in any color imaginable and I see no quality difference in the appearance of my quilts. So for me less hassle is better if the end product is the same. Still, I know that many quilters, will smirk and think that I do not know what I am talking about. So really, how many of us choose by our preference and how many of us just follow the pattern we were taught years ago? Please tell me, am I missing something when it comes to polyester thread - it is strong, versatile, has little or no lint, and often it is cheaper than cotton.

While I don't consider myself an expert, I do use polyester thread. I don't make art quilts. I make quilts I expect people to use.

I use polyester for the same reasons you use it.

If you were to check you would find many, many long arm quilters use polyester thread almost exclusively... The high speed machines do not do so well with cotton threads. And, check thread website s, resources like Superior Threads, or Connecting Threads and you will find their (machine) quilting thread is polyester. Hand quilters tend to still use cotton.

I prefer using a polyester thread to quilt with. I quilt with a longarm machine so need the extra strength from the polyester threads to reduce breakage. I also found that the 100% cotton threads not only produced more lint, but they tend to break after the quilt was off the machine and being used, especially if the quilting was stitched diagonally. i do want my quilts to be used for a long time and be able to stand up to that use.

I use cotton thread for both piecing and quilting......so I stop and clean lint balls more often.....I don't do quilted art pieces so no need for other threads... When I use serger I use serger thread, when I do embroidery I use the thread recommended for it...just my way....

I think that the early polyester threads probably had some issues associated with them -- such as being so strong they could saw through cotton fabric. However, polyester threads these days are made with tensile strength very similar to cotton thread, so there really is not a danger anymore of polyester threads sawing through cotton fabric!

I read a blog recently done by someone who repairs vintage quilts. She had a quilt that was made using cotton thread in some seams and polyester thread in other seams. She was having to repair the seams sewn with cotton thread, because it had deteriorated; the seams made with polyester thread did not require repair. However, she noted that the polyester thread had not faded in color as the cotton threads and fabrics had; the polyester was still its original color.

I use polyester thread (Glide) for quilting because it gives me no problems. Plus, I am not making vintage quilts meant to be handed down for generations. I do think that, with machine quilting, polyester thread can be an issue for those making an elaborate quilt meant to be cherished for generations. In other words, for that kind of quilt I would be fine with using polyester thread for quilting, but I might want to use a cotton thread for quilting -- just so all the colors would fade together.

I don't know about silk thread colors. Do they fade like cotton? If I ever were to make a "show" quilt meant to be handed down in the family for generations, and if I were to do machine quilting on it, I would probably want to use a very fine silk thread. I know a lot of the show quilt winners are quilted with silk thread.

As a LAQ, I much prefer polyester threads for all the reasons you state, appearance, strength and no lint. I do have some cottons in my stash but given a choice, I will choose poly over cotton for quilting on a LA. Even fine detail work I use a 100 wt poly (invisifil) because I really have a hard time shelling out the $$ for silk thread when I can get the same look using invisifil. Hand quilting, I do like cotton but I also hand quilt with a much heavier weight thread.

I'm with you Tashana, I use polyester a lot for the same reasons...I don't make show pieces, I want mine to be used til they're rags!!!

Wow....and here i thought i was the only one who used polyester thread !!!!!!