Thread breakage after quilt is done
 

Hi. I’m fairly new to quilting and am struggling with thread breakage. I’ve made a few quilts and pieced them with Aurifil 50 wt and quilted them with Aurifil 40 wt. I’ve been straight line stitching on my own machine. I’ve stitched a 1/4” on each side of a seam mostly with patchwork quilts. So about 5” apart.

My problem now is that after it’s 100% done and after a very short time, the quilting lines are breaking. Even on quilts that rarely get washed. I’m not sure if my tension is off (it doesn’t seem to be) or if I don’t have enough lines or my thread is too fragile.

When I sew on a practice piece and give the fabric a slight tug, the thread snaps. Is this normal? I’m trying to make utility quilts that can handle being washed more frequently and snuggly for children.

Has anyone had this problem that can advise me how to prevent this in the future? Thanks so much.

I am no thread expert, but that should not be normal. polyester thread tends to be stronger, so you may prefer to switch to that for future well-used quilts. is it possible the thread was just old? old thread will break easily no matter how good the brand.

I know Aurofil is good thread, and I don't think tension is the problem, but maybe you got a bad batch of thread. I'm assuming that since you're fairly new at quilting, that the thread isn't something 40 years old. If you take a piece of thread, maybe 8" and give it a "tug", does it break? If so, then I think the thread is the problem.

I have tried 4 or 5 of the Aurifil and all seem to be very fragile when I do a small tug. I’m so surprised because I did a lot of research searching for a good quality thread. I may try a polyester then.

How frustrating for you!

It sounds like you got a very bad batch of thread.- can you contact the supplier (assuming you got this relatively recently) and let them know about the problem.

Do you have some other thread that you can "tug" to compare how easily it seems to break compared to the Aurifil.

I have quilts that are 20 years old that are "couch quilts" and not one speck of thread breakage - and that was using Coats and
Clark cotton covered polyester dual duty thread. Nor is there any "cutting" of the fabric threads from this thread. My quilting was mostly "in the ditch".

If it breaks that easily, I'd think one of your tensions is too tight. Use a different thread and sew a line across the diagonal of a scrap of fabric. Pull on both ends and see what happens with the thread. Is one (top thread or bottom thread) much tighter and breaks sooner than the other?

I agree with Irishrose2, when my machine comes on it automatically sets to 2.2 and that is not good for quilting. And every time I forget to adjust it to a stitch of 2.5 or even 3.0 if I have a deep thickness bad things happen. And cotton thread is not as tough as the poly threads and it will break, especially after washing.

Thank you so much for all your replies. When I sew a diagonal line and pull, it’s always the bottom thread that breaks. So I will play with the tension some more. Also will increase the stitch length and see if that helps.

Can anyone recommend a really good poly thread that may work better for me?

I truly appreciate all your time.

short quick answer....use a poly thread....I love Superior's So Fine 50 weight or even OMNI 40 weight for quilting ...So Fine also comes in a thicker 30 weight. But I like my quilting threads to blend in more with the fabric. When I first started quilting, I used a lot of King Tut cotton thread also by Superior. That is a lovely thread....but over time, I had some breakage problems....I had done straight line quilting on the diagonal...the quilt was made with homespun...yep...it had a lot of stretch especially on the diagonal...so the threads popped as the quilt was used...lesson learned. I then got a midarm on a frame...it loved my king tut....and I meandered....that worked better...no long runs of straight stitching to pop when the quilt was used...but now over time with several washings and much use...there are areas where the stitching is popping....so now I use a lot of so fine from Superior and haven't noticed any problems....When I first got my new APQS machine...I used a lot on OMNI and that has held up fine too....Oh...and I do have a lot of Aurfil and I use that for piecing and it also makes a wonderful thread for appliqueing by machine or on wall hangings.

Aurifil 50 wt is only 2 ply. Great for piecing and very close quilting. For straight line quilting a couple of inches apart stronger thread is needed. I like Superior Omni thread for that type of quilting in the top and bobbin. I use the thin thread for close quilting and stippling.

I use coats and clark threads, all purpose for piecing and quilting thread for quilting.

I would not use your thread.

Poly cotton thread is stronger. Also are you setting your tension loose enough and using a bigger stitch lenght for the quilt lines. Also if you sit on top of a quilt that lays on top of a bed, not saying you do or not, the quilt will pop stitches because it acts as a hamock. I use aurafil and find it is great thread but not the strongest.

I use Guterman's for everything! No breakage problems on top or bottom. I wish you the best of success!

Is this when you are laying on the quilt? The only times I've had threads break like that is when I've been pulling out heavy wet quilts from the washer (and I've improved my handling technique).

I think I'm with the others, consider basic Coats and Clark dual-duty or maybe a long-fiber cotton thread like King Tut for your upper thread. I used C&C DD for decades, only learning more about thread and needle combinations in the last 10 years or so, once I had access to a long arm. I personally find the Coats and Clark quilting thread to be extremely linty in my machine and would rather spend a couple more dollars per spool to use just about anything else, but sometimes it is the color I use and so I clean the case at least every bobbin, if not more often. I do like using a lighter weight on the bobbin and I'm getting good stitch quality.

I typically piece with a 10, and I start my quilting at a 14, sometimes moving up from there. While universals worked well with my vintage machine, I'm going to try a top stitch needle I think the next time I use the Bernina.

I’m very careful washing quilts and handling them when wet. But after that, they’re used as couch blankets mostly. So I wouldn’t say they’re excessively abused. I will watch about sitting on them when they’re on a bed. I hadn’t thought of that.

I’m really thinking that the thread is not sufficient for how I use quilts. I will try the suggestions on here and hopefully that will solve the problem. Thank you so much for all your input. Your kindness is much appreciated.

I agree, I would go with a 3-ply thread for quilting.

I do not like Coats and Clark thread. It's linty and cost more per yard then the better quality thread. Don't be fooled by price per spool, go by price per yard on the spool and the quality. Coats seems to have a lot of slubs in the thread the last time I used it.

I believe aurifil is a 2 ply instead of 3. I had issues with it breaking with fmq so I personally never used it again. I prefer superior brand. Way less issues

I've used Madeira poly thread and Mettler poly. Both worked well for quilting. I usually use 3 stitch length.

Another thing to consider....Quilting in a straight line leaves no give in the seam. Extra stress will always be on the seam every time you have to stretch that seam. Unless the thread is excellent, sooner or later it has the potential to break.

A wavy line of quilting or meandering, which I have never mastered, gives room for the quilt to stretch some without the stitching breaking. I quilt on a long arm, and no matter how close the batting says I have to quilt the item, I never go more than about 2.5" without some type of quilting. That distributes the weight of the quilt over many more seams and this will help prevent the thread popping.

Since you have already quilted the item with straight lines, then I would suggest adding some extra quilting in the middle of some of the squares. Free motion flowers are fairly easy to learn. Find a coloring book page with a flower you like or just wing it in the center of the 4 inch open areas. Maybe do every other one. Or, do a square in a square in each block. DON'T do another straight line all the way across the whole quilt, especially on the diagonal. You would be doubling up on the problem you are already encountering. Each different little set of quilting adds extra support.

Edited to add. I use Glide Polyester 40 weight to quilt most of my quilts. I like the 50 weight cotton threads for piecing, but am a fan of a 40 weight for the actual quilting. The 40 weight just seems to be stronger. Also, I use a dry, very hot iron to set my seams and piecing with a polyester would put an end to that. Polyester thread will melt.