Using Gray Thread?
 

I have a question about using Gray thread. I read once that gray thread works with almost every fabric. Is that true? Then I read a post on organization the sewing room and it made mention of all the bobbins having gray thread. Is that an option too? Sew with a colored thread on top and gray on the bobbin? My! That would make life easier!
Thanks for your thoughts.
Gloria in Kansas City

I sew top and bobbin with grey or ecru/beige for just about everything, no show

If I'm sewing on a lot of white I might use white top and bobbin.

Gray is the color I do most of my piecing with. I also use ecru and tan!!

Wow! Thanks. Not only would it be easier but also cheaper than always buying new colors.

Yes, yes, yes....I have two shades of gray that I use all the time, medium light and medium dark. And I TRY to always have a box full of all white bobbins, all black bobbins, medium gray, and dark gray. I think the box holds a dozen. So easy to just wind a whole lot of bobbins at once and be done.....

I piece with a funny green color that blends in to nearly everything even better than any shade of gray I've tried. It's kind of a pale, sagey green. I'll use black or white if the quilt is predominantly those colors.

I have used a grayish green - or greenish gray - the color of the water at the end of an Easter egg dying session - that works amazingly well. If I can't find that, then I go to one of those sagey/lineny greens - I also think that color works getter than gray or tan.

Some great ideas- will definitely try them

I use cones now and have grey cones and white cones. Right now I'm using white and it seems to work just fine. I use it in the bobbin as well. Usually I use medium grey.

I have a taupe that works very well.

For piencing I use grey or taupe. Neutral colors blend in well and that way I don't have so many different colors to store.

ali

I only use beige or grey for piecing. Good tip about the sage green - I got spool that colour in a swap. Now I know why! :cool:

I use up bobbins left from quilting, the ends of spools, etc. The best match I do is dark colors on dark fabrics and light colors on light fabrics. For the most part, what you use for piecing is never seen and then I don't have all these half-used bobbins and spools laying around. (None of my machines is a picky thread user.) If I have used up my leftovers I use white or black. I mostly use C&C because I am cheap when it comes to thread.

I like the grayish green, rather yucky color but it goes with all print fabric unless it's very light or black. Usually the odd green color that never sells but is always on sale is the perfect choice. If I need an empty bobbin I will unwind one that is less then 1/3 full. I don't save thread. I save fabric scraps, batting pieces and binding ends but I draw the line at half empty bobbins.

I generally use 3 colors. A beige of some sort, black and then red.

My friend calls all those shades of gray, tan and taupe, shades of mouse! I also like the sagey green for piecing and sometimes even a mauve works well.

I use mostly a natural or off white, sometimes gray.

I use two shades of grey for almost everything. I do use white on white and black on black.

I always use shades of grey or beige and not necessarily the same top and bottom.

I use ecru for everything except white. It blends well most of the time, but that doesn't matter since it doesn't show anyway. I use a dark gray on very dark colors. Saves a lot of time winding bobbins when you can do a lot at the beginning of a project.
Sue

I use the grey, beige, black and ecru of Master Piece thread on cones by Superior Threads. I may try adding a green per your suggestions.

wow that would save alot of money, for me anyway. Think I will try this.

I use grey thread on all quilting unless the main color in the quilt is ecru or cream or beige. Grey is much more blending than beige and does not show nearly as much. IMHO

When I was just starting out, I took a class where the instructor mentioned her preference for Superior Threads. I found they had some neutrals - dark and light - so I ordered some. I found they were wonderful for piecing. I only use colored thread now for quilting. Here is what I initially ordered.
https://www.superiorthreads.com/shop...eutral-colors/

Same here..works well for me also.

I use a light grey most of the time. other thread I use is a green kaki color which was recommended by Edyta Sitar only time I use other colors is if mostly white I will use white or mostly black will use black. saves changing by matching thread. I wind several bobins at once too. I use Aurifil thread.

That's a good idea! I usually piece with gray too! I also use ecru, black, and med. gold. The gold blends with most fabrics too. I learned this in my early dressmaking years.

I agree with all the colors as I do that too however one color not mentioned is light lavender. That too, blends well with most fabrics.

I use all colours, but mostly brown as I do a lot of quilts with an underlying red or maroon colour way. Brown blends in very well. I use grey on lighter quilts.

I have black and white bobbins in Bottom Line filled. I plain on getting some grey as soon as I can afford a spool. I figure between those 3 I will never have to have a colored bobbin unless I am doing some stitching that will show on the outside. Like the tote bag handles I just did.

Me too, right now I have cones of light grey and a medium beige. I hardly ever use white for piecing. Light sagey greens sound like another good choice.

When I began quilting about 12 years ago my instructor told us about using light grey and at that time she said it was difficult to buy it in large spools so she grabbed whatever size spools she could.

This is so smart! I never thought of it and have been buying way too much thread. I'll get some larger amounts of gray going forward!

Well now, I learned something new this morning! thanks y'all!

If I am piecing, I use whatever color I have, top and bottom, unless it shows through on light colored fabrics....uses up all those extra bobbins! For quilting, I use a matching thread on the bottom (my quilting isn't that exceptional) and a color on top that will blend the most.

I use a grayish white, I think it is called silver, in superior bottom line thread. I use it in the bobbin and what ever color I want with the top thread. It just disappears into the fabric, I use it for piecing and quilting. It is very fine so a bobbin goes on forever.

Be aware that on dark colors it may show way more than you will like. My first quilting class I was told the grey thread theory and as the teacher was a bit of a quilt Nazi, that is what I used. Just before quilting I had to stop and un-sew a lot of blocks because the grey thread did not disappear into the dark purple fabric I was using. Just a little heads up.

also use a grey or tan thread in the large cones, it seems to work very well

I use, white, black, tan, medium grey, and dark gray....The most important thing to add to the mix is your brain.... Look at the first sewing and see if it is going to work, sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't....you do need to use your eyes to know for sure !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm with Deb, the taupe that I use blends with all colors. However, at the moment I'm trying to use up all the colors of the rainbow from my clothing construction days and since I am piecing scrapy quilts all the different colors work well without trying to match a thread color to a fabric.

I usually use grey, especially if my fabrics are all different colors as in a scrappy-type quilt. If the fabrics are earth tones then I choose an ecru color. I find that I can always buy these colors in bulk spools so I end up saving a lot of money not buying multiple small spools of a matching color.