Thread count
 

I have done a search and read the posts but am still confused so, embarassed as I am, can someone please explain to me about thread count? Now I read somewhere that a thread count of above 70 per square inch of quilting fabric is good but when I dutifully clipped a square inch of my chosen backing fabric, grabbed my tweezers and magnifyers and pulled said sample apart I counted 143 threads! Was I only meant to count the weft or warp threads...not both? Do I have too much time on my hands to be obsessing over this?:o

IMHO, you are obsessing. :cool:

..........Agree...........

I only consider thread count when buying Egyptian Cotton sheets for my bed, the higher the count the batter quality and more expensive. Otherwise why do you need to know?

Thought it would indicate a better quality quilting cotton? Not so?

I have considered doing exactly what you did. Just never got around to doing it.

I was also wondering the same thing you were wondering about thread count. 70 didn't seem to be "enough" threads for both the lengthwise and crosswise threads.

I thank you for doing so.

Maybe if it was 70 each way? That would make 140 total.......which puts my count more "in the ball park". I did a second count (am I nuts!!!!) of another 1" square and kept the warp and weft threads seperate and got 65 and 72 (give or take a few that may have fallen off the table, got stuck to my sleeve or been inhaled by the dog!). A bit of "after-dinner" googling has me none the wiser or informed on the subject!

I'm exhausted just reading this.

Threads are counted in both direction. Thicker threads make for a coarser fabric and printing that looks 'muddled' or 'muddied' because of dye absorption. And, they fray easily. A another advantage of a higher thread count is that the yarns are more tightly twisted, thus they wear better. That is very important in some applications. More tightly twisted yarns provide more stability when bias direction is a factor. No, I don't think you are 'obsessed' you are asking questions that affect the end product.

Ditto. The last pair of sheets we bought had an 800 thread count. Egyptian cotton. DH and I both agree they are the softest, coolest, warmest set we have ever had. We paid $80.00 for the set. His move not mine but the pillow cases are tucked inside so the pillows will not slip out and about.

good question and good explanation. I know they say batiks have a higher thread count and that you would not want to hand quilt with them (at least when batiks are used for both the top and backing). I have not taken the time to count and tend to go by the feel but I know what you mean. I was "obsessing" on solids after reading a discussion here. I bought several colors and brands of solids and now have my favorites. Glad I did it.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to understand your fabric better! I noticed, as I was doing the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt last year and dealing with scads of different fabrics, how different they felt from each other. Some felt more substantial, others were lighter and silkier. I would also like to understand it better (but wouldn't go so far as to pull threads apart, lol).

I agree too. The ONLY time I have ever heard of thread count is with bed sheets, not quilting fabric. You can actually tell by feel the difference between good quality cotton and the cheap stuff.

I hold a piece of fabric up to the light. If I can see through it, it has too low of a thread count. After a while, I got the knack of being able to tell if the fabric is what I want for quilting by feel. That's what I don't like about buying fabric online. You can't feel it first.

As per wikipedia:
"Thread count or threads per inch (TPI)[SUP][6][/SUP] is a measure of the coarseness or fineness of fabric. It is measured by counting the number of threads contained in one square inch of fabric or one square centimeter, including both the length (warp) and width (weft) threads. The thread count is the number of threads counted along two sides (up and across) of the square inch, added together. It is used especially in regard to cotton linens such as bed sheets, and has been known to be used in the classification of towels."

There is a thread counter that you can buy specially for that purpose. It's a magnifying
glass with a 1 inch square. Used it when I was working in textiles.

"ood quilting fabric has a thread count of at least 60 square or 60 threads per inch each on the crosswise and lengthwise grains. " http://www.generations-quilt-pattern...ng-fabric.html
Found this in my googling this morning; so it does to refer to the count being seperate for each direction, not a total of both.....all explained now and my fabric has passed the test!!haha

I've always wondered why that information isn't supplied by the manufacturers of quilting fabric.

I have seen it when buying muslin - because there are so many uses for muslin that you would want to buy the higher thread count. When I was buying it to make Cathedral Windows I wanted to be sure to get a decent grade of muslin because I was buying so much.

I learned about the "feel" of fabric when I sewed clothing (made all my own clothes, and lots for my children and others, too). Back then, of course, 100% cotton was not preferable for clothes, unless making some children's clothes, but we knew what it felt like, it's weight, how it felt, how it draped, etc.

Handling cloth tells you so much about it, without ever knowing the thread content, you kind of do know it, just from the feel. I was shocked, when I first began quilting, at some of the loosely woven 100% cotton I came across. I assume it's easier to quilt, but it just looked -- and looks -- cheap to me and I don't buy or use it.

For quilting fabric a higher thread count is not always a good thing (like an 800 count!). This is why many LAQ refuse to use sheets as backing. When sewing (machine or hand) your needle is meant to slip between the warp and weft threads without breaking them. Higher thread count sheets are so tightly woven that it is impossible for the larger size needles used on most LA to slip between the weave so threads are inevitably broken This leads to weakened fabric and weakened end product. Many LAQ don't care and use them anyway and I really don't believe any study has been done to see if the quilt actually wears out faster. IMHO a quilt made with a sheet backing is a utility quilt anyway and is meant to be used to death. But if warp or weft threads are broken during quilting it could lead to some unsightly pulls on the back that you can see.
Thread count can be very misleading because it also does not take into consideration the ply of the threads and the fineness of the threads. Some long staple cotton threads can be very fine others not so much. All depends on the manufacturing quality. I won't immediately toss out a fabric that seems flimsy if it appears to be woven well and the color is perfect. I consider the application and if I can reinforce the piece with quilting. I buy 90% of my fabric on line. I have only been disappointed with the quality a few times and not so disappointed that I did not use the fabric.