Thread size for quilting?
 

I plan to use my home machine for quilting and I want the thread to be visible as part of the design. What size thread would be appropriate? I know there's a couple different scales with 50 wt being pretty much the standard for piecing. I'm considering something like 30 wt for quilting. There's also the tex scale and I'm thinking something around 60 in tex scale as well.
Has anyone used heavier thread in their home machine? What did you use and how well did it work?
Thanks for any info,
Rodney

I am going to follow this one because this is often my dilemma. And pardon my ignorance, but, what is "tex scale"?

Tex scale is a way the manufacturers use to classify thread sizes. I don't know enough to properly answer the question or even to ask the right questions here. Apparently the thread industry isn't standardized to any great degree. Sizes vary by diameter and by how many strands make the thread.
Coats & Clark dual duty use weight as a measure so it would be 50 wt thread. With that standard as the numbers get bigger the diameter gets smaller.
Tex scale is used by industrial thread manufacturers. I don't know all the details but the bigger the number the bigger the thread.
My general impression is hand quilting thread is generally 30 or 40 wt. That may be sufficient for what I want. Tex 60 would be the size of top stitching used on your average pair of jeans.

I'm not even sure how to phrase my questions correctly but basically I want to know if people have used the larger thread diameters to quilt in their home machines, not long arms or industrial machines, what they used and if they were satisfied with the results.
I want the finished quilting stitches to be sort of like the decorative top stitching on jeans or like sashiko when I'm done
I want to find out if there's a reasonable chance of success before I spend the money on thread or ruin a quilt top.
I do plan on practicing on a quilt sandwich before I attack the quilt.
Clear as mud, right?
Rodney

I think you can use any thread weight you want as long as you use it with the appropriate size and type of needle. You may also need to adjust upper (and possibly bobbin) tension for the thread. Probably the first thing you want to do is choose a thread that has the "heft" to it that you want, then choose the needle, then experiment with tension settings.

This book likely contains information that would be of use to you:
http://www.amazon.com/Machine-Quilti.../dp/1564772160

I use 50 weight for piecing. Recently used Superior thread variegated king Tut(40wt) in bottom as I wanted it to be a visible design on the backing and. I used a Bottom Line (60wt) for the top. Combo worked fine and I know people often do the reverse. I have not used 30 wt. for MQ but I agree with the others. I'm sure it would work fine if you adjust the tension and have correct needle.

you can certainly use 30wt thread for quilting if you want to- I've seen some projects quilted with 12wt---which is really heavy- as long as you use the correct size needle for the thread you are using you can use what ever you want. you may want to experiment a bit on a small practice sandwich to decide what to use in the bobbin & make sure you have tensions correct before starting on the 'real thing'

I am old fashion and mostly use Mettler Silk Finish for piecing and quilting 50/3 because that is what my Bernina dealership recommended.

Use a 90 needle for 30 wt. thread. I learned this the hard way.

I have one spool of thread that is labeled as tex 40. It's definitely heavier and thicker then other thread i've used. I used it on one quilt and you can definitely see the difference if you are looking. I plan on using it on a quilt that has a lot of denim and heavier weight fabrics. It doesn't disappear into the fabric, not even sandwiched flannel. However, this was done on a singer 31-19. I wouldn't trust my brother to play nice with a heavier thread.

I see what you mean about there not being a standard. The tex 40 is military black. It says GOVT Cotton Wrap Core. I also have a bunch of other military thread but none of those have a tex #. Instead some list sizes of letters like A and E and others have numbers like 3.

It wouldn't surprise me if there is a different sizing system based on the purpose of the thread. Some of my threads were intended for flight jackets, parachutes, duffel bags, etc.

My old Singer Golden Touch and Sew would sew with just about any thread. It's all about the needles having a big enough eye to let the thread flow through it. For my Brother Innovis 4000d, I have used a 30 in the top and bottom for top stitching...wanted it to show up... and I had no problems. I did NOT try free motion stitching with it. If this were me, I would buy a small spool of whatever type thread you wanted to try and test it. If you like the results, then buy enough for the project.

My Nolting longarm machine really likes the bigger threads and I love the way the thread show up on the quilts. The larger threads do tend to pull going around sharp corners and into pivot points and back. I have to make sure I don't go too fast and everything ends to work better.