Which thread should I get?
 

I won an embroidery prize of a box of embroidery thread that I don’t need so was thinking I would sell it and get some quilting thread which I do need. With the money I could get either a big set of Missouri star quilting thread or a much smaller set of Aurifil. Which one should I get?

Not saying you should not do what you are thinking, but .....
Did you realize that you can use machine embroidery thread for quilting?

I have used the Hemingworth brand on several quilts, for both FMQing and straight line quilting.
No problems!
It gives a nice glisten from the shine of the thread.
The fineness of the thread makes any mistakes less visible (that I choose not to correct).

Just a thought ...........

Make sure it's poly if you want to fmq with it

I’m confused, I thought I needed cotton thread for fmq?

I think she meant if you go for the embroidery thread to get poly not rayon. Rayon embroidery thread isn't something I'd use for quilting(unless maybe an art quilt wall hanging.) You can free motion with whatever your heart desires. I've used cotton and poly to quilt with, I pick whatever will give me the effect I want or if I'm being lazy I grab whatever is the right color I see first. 40wt poly embroidery thread is great to quilt with.

Cari

i would try quilting with the poly embroidery thread to see whether i liked the results.
i use my embroidery thread for quilting, too.
i know a few long-armers who use poly almost exclusively.

Many people use polyester thread for quilting every day. Especially longarm Quilters.
If the thread is strong enough to not break with a tug test, and your machine likes it you can use it to quilt.

And in reference to your question— personally I would choose the Aurifil if you decide to go that route. I use a Lot of Aurifil thread and love it. — cotton, polyester and invisible thread from Aurifil. I have a longarm so I only use the cotton for Piecing, not for quilting— cotton breaks too easily with the high speed machine. Polyester is much stronger.

Do people piece with poly? My understanding was that poly embroidery thread is to thin or fragile for quilting and that I should get some standard 50 wt . Cotton.

maybe I should offer up my winnings for sale or trade on this board, it’s a nice box of Robison-Anton poly. I just don’t need more poly.

You can quilt with the poly EMB thread and piece with it too. It can also be used as bobbin thread.

For reassurance, try a snap test. Take about 12-14 inches of thread an pull it to see how easily it breaks or not.

PS: I have also used pre-wound bobbin to piece when I forgot to change out the bobbin from EMB. It worked fine.

You can certainly piece and quilt with the thread you won. However, if you'd rather not, then my choice of the other two would be Aurifil. It's so smooth and leaves almost no lint behind. Since it's pricy, I consider it a treat rather than a staple. So if I were to "win" something, I'd love Aurifil thread. But again, if you don't want the hassle of sellng the embroidery thread, keep it and play around with the effects for fun.