I am getting ready to do a quilt that has applique circles. I have both rayon and poly thread. BUT not all the colors I want in one or the other. Soooo, can I use 2 colors of the rayon and 2 colors of the poly? There is also a little machine embroidery, too.

I appreciate the help a bunch. New to applique and still learning Mach embroidery.

P.S. the poly seams as shining as the rayon and I am using oriental prints with shiny gold touches.

I just took a quilting class and we used all sorts of threads for all sorts of applications. Before this class, I would have been a scardicat and stuck with all cotton. Now, I say - the shinier the better, mix and match. Both types you mentioned can be washed - so why not?

Thanks! You've got a good point. Wish our area had more classes. The best ones are at least 50 miles away.

most rayon is not very colorfast so any hint of chlorine will turn it nearly white, I know most of us rarely use chlorine any more but I just learned that fact and haven't had a chance to share it :thumbup:

THank you! I almost never use bleach. And if I need too, well, the item is probably already headed for the trash or re-purposing. :)

I didn't know rayon was so easy to lose its color. I will definitely remember this when washing.

Forgot to mention. Now, I run all of my threads, battings, and assorted sundries over a sample piec just to see how it looks, feels, and behaves. If you do that, you can tug at it, throw it in some hot water, add some laundry soap.....just to test it out.

That's kind of interesting. Rayon also picks up loose dye in the wash really easy. I washed a pair of cream colored pillowcases with a set of white sheets with pink roses. I always wash in hot water with bleach and the rayon on the pillowcases picked up the pink out of the wash. It never has come out. It's kind of pretty though, I have cream colored pillowcases with shell pink embroidery.

They're the only thing I've ever had pick up loose dye in the wash and stay that way.

That actually sounds really cool! White cases with pink trim...

can't imagine why anyone would bleach a quilt. i mix thread types all the time. my daughter is a pro embroiderer and uses mostly rayon. swim suits do get done in poly.

I do alot of applique and I use cotton, poly, and rayon. The only trouble I have is that some of the rayon has a tendancy to break but it isn't so bad that I won't use it.