What color thread for the back of this quilt??
 

I am ready to start FMQ on my DSM, I have the quilt sprayed and pinned, I have never had real good luck with using a different color thread in the bobbin then the top thread, it seems like I get little dots of the darker thread coming through to the top. I am not sure if this is fixable or not..

My question is, the back of this quilt is a solid dark blue and the front is a white background with blue stars. What color would you use to quilt this quilt. would you use a dark blue for the bobbin to match the backing fabric and white for the top? I am not the best FM quilter and I think if I used white for the back it would show up all of my mistakes, and I am sure there will be a lot..The same goes for the top if I used blue for the top it would show up all my mistakes too and I don't think the blue would look good on the front of this quilt. + I have to think about the little blue dots showing up on the front using white thread on the front and blue on tie back

Anyone have thoughts on colors of threads to use, I would love to hear from you, Thanks

I would use a blue bobbin and a white/off white top thread,. I would balance my tension so no "dots" appear. It can be done.

I always use the same bobbin thread as the top thread. I think it is almost impossible to balance the tension so that you don't get "pokies" on one side or the other.

I am not good at FMQing but I just had to tell you I LOVE YOUR TOP!!!!

Invisafil by WonderFil might be a solution. It's 100wt polyester. It is not clear like the invisible thread, but it "sinks" into the fabric. You could use white Invisafil in both the bobbin and the needle. The white would sink into the dark blue of the batting, and it would work well on the top. No worries about "pokies". It's a good alternative to invisible thread: some machines don't like invisible thread ....

Lovely quilt top!!! What is the name of the block?

Monofilament on the top and dark blue on the back. Or a light blue that will show up on all blues on the top with dark blue on the back.

You have a tough choice here. The challenge is on! How about a medium blue blend on the back and top. Good luck and please let us know how it turns out.

The tension can be balanced and that can take many tries. It might seem impossible so don't give up. Do some practicing on some scraps of lights and darks with both threads. You could also try monofilament in the bobbin. Superior has a great mono thread.

The top is fantastic. Anxious to see it quilted.
peace

Not the answer you are looking for, but I would use a backing fabric with a design just to avoid this problem:) I have enough things to think about while FMQing and don't want to add finding the perfect tension or using invisible thread. I hope you find a solution that works for you. Please let us know what works for you.

I've decided to make sample of the top fabrics, not necessarily in a block, with the same batting used in the quilt, and the same backing. Then I'm ready try out the quilting on the sample without having to rip out the quilt if it's not the look I'm aiming for.

Since you said you are still working on your FMQ skills, I would definitely go with a matching color front & back -- which means white, in a 50wt.

The only alternative I'd consider, though I seriously dislike monofilament thread, would be monofilament on the front & then adjusting your tension so that it's pulled slightly to the back (generally hard to see mono pokies). Unless you adjust the tension to force it to be unbalanced, or you have a high loft batting, there is a pretty good chance you'll get some of the thread from the backing poking through on the front. Unfortunately, mono usually doesn't play well in the bobbin.

One other thing I'll mention is that I learned the hard way is even when I did a practice sandwich, to still stop and check the back before I get too much quilting done on the real quilt because sometimes things don't always go as expected on a full sized quilt. Not sure if that's due to the extra drag/fraction from the larger size, or the fact that we sometimes hold/move it differently or what, but I'd just encourage you to stop & check your work before you get too far along -- and keep checking it periodically to make sure it's still looking the way you had hoped.

No suggestions but that is one absolutely lovely top. I've always been partial to blues and this top both talks and sings to me. Beautiful job and good luck with the quilting.

Lovely top. When you are FMQ, there will always be some dots (preferable on the back) because we can NOT match the perfect timing like the machine does. Try dribbling various shade of blue and gray thread and see what looks best. I would not have chosen a dark blue solid when you had so much white in your top. Picking a "busy" print with both blue and white would have been easier. It also depends on how you want to quilt this beautiful top. I myself would ditch the blocks changing thread color to match each block. Then you can either do a background stitching such as stippling or just ditch the sashing. Good Luck and take many breaks when quilting.

Where will the quilt be used? Is it going on a bed? No one will turn it over to check stitches. On the wall? Same thing, the back won't be seen. Will it be a cuddle quilt? After washing, it will crinkle up and the stitches will bury. No matter which combo you choose, have fun! Practice makes perfect!

I use Material Witness 's method of making a sample with the leftovers and see what thread looks best. I would probably go for a verigated in light blues.

I also don't use different thread in top and bottom, for the reason you stated. In these cases, I go with having the front look good, so I would use white thread. Beautiful top!

I normally use the same color thread top and bottom as I don't feel apted enough to know how to tweak the tension so I don't get those pokies. A quilt I just finished about a month or so ago I was lucky enough that the same color worked for both sides but I had a cream colored pieced sashing before the large outer border that I didn't want to use the brown thread on so went with the cream on both sides. I like my backs to make a statement as well as the front side. The couple that received this quilt can't make up their minds which side they like best so I guess I do good this time. Here's a pic of my quilt. Can't see the cream thread on the backside but its all those little 3" triangles around the quilt, all 296 of them. What was I thinking???

I can't help you with color of thread. Just wanted to tell you that is one beautiful quilt!!!

I would like to know the name of the block also. It seems to me I have seen it in Block magazine by MSQC just a few months ago. I actually made a block like this for a QOV in March, but it was very difficult because I didn't know how long to make the strips. Having some directions would help. I love this pattern.

Which side do you have the problem with the 'little pokies' of color coming thru? Yes, you can get your tension tweaked to fix this, but, if this is difficult for you then use the mono thread in that location. Example, if your bobbin thread keeps appearing on the top, then use a white on top and the invisible thread in the bobbin. Or vise versa using a blue in bobbin and the nylon thread in top. If it is in the bobbin, be aware that there is a 'clear clear' thread and a 'dark clear' thread. I would use the dark clear against the dark blue or clear clear on the white.

Another alternative you could try is to use the same color (white or something to match your top) in both the top threading and the bobbin. If you have any "mistakes" on the back that you don't want to show you can always use a Pigma Micron pen in a dark blue to color over the threads that you see as mistakes---I've done this before and it works like a charm. You do then need to iron over the part where you colored the thread in order to set the pigment.

Your top is beautiful. I'm sure your quilting will be as well.

Rob
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After quilting for 35 years I still don't have the magic answer to this question. Some battings - weight and/or type -can show more pokies than others with the same threads. I have been using Aurifil lately with Dream Cotton's request weight because it is so fine yet strong. Not perfect, but satisfactory.

I just wanted to say I love your top and anxious to see what you decide.

Thank you Thank you everybody!!! I tried the invisible for the top thread and bobbin, what a mess so I got to be a good friend to my ripper, next I tried it just in the bobbin that was a mess too, Then I tried just a blue thread in the bobbin and white for the top, I had more dots of blue on the top so back to my friend the ripper.. GEE I hate to rip! I finally got really disgusted and went with the white thread top and bobbin.. I had a time getting the tension back to where it was before I messed around with it.. I even had to do some ripping with the white tread as the tension was messed up..

I finally got on a roll and decided to just do a loop to loop FMQ all over the quilt.. I was really beginning to get very digested with this quilt and machine.. I had to walk away for a few hours.. I though that I had finally got the machine quilting right, I did check the back a lot just in case it screwed up..So I kept quilting and didn't keep checking as I though all was going good, well in places on the back there was some loops but seeing I was way passed that part I figured I would just keep going and fix these places after I got done with the quilting.

I don't know what happened with this quilt and the quilting as I have quilted a few quilts doing FMQ and they were fine... The Machine I am using is my Brother VQ2400 with a 11 inch throat. I really have a hard time with the tension on this machine as it has buttons that you push and the numbers go up or down for the setting..

Oh well the quilt is almost done but for the repairs to the back stitching.. This quilt has been a big pain to get done.. It is a repair job for my nephew who is a special need person, he asked if I would fix his quilt. It was made with pictures on the front and they started to peel off. I told him that I couldn't put the pictures back but could make a new top and use some of the other fabric to make the new top. He really wanted the same back fabric, don't know why, if it was up to me I would have used a printed fabric as that doesn't show the stitching as much and your mistakes. he wanted the blue backing so be it.. Oh well live and learn and I have learned a lot from this quilt and my friend the ripper.. GEEEEE Thanks again..

Don't know the answer to your question but sure love the quilt.

I would probably go with a light shade of blue. Whatever you decide, I'm sure will turn out great. Please show when you get it done.

blue bobbin silver top

wow.. I love this.. you did a beautiful job on this! great question ,also..lol.. I will be looking for everyone's opinions on this one! good luck.. I am sure it will be gorgeous!

What about variegated thread in blue top and bottom .

Why not a variegated blue?? Dottie - great minds think alike!!

Interesting, I hadn't heard of this before. Thanks for the tip.

[I] would use light blue on both top and bottom.

When I have a dark back and light top, I loosen the top tension just a bit so the pokies are on the back. I then use a Pigma pen that matches the back thread to cover the pokies. This works best with cotton thread. I made a small Christmas wall hanging years ago that had a lot of different colors, quilted it all with white cotton and then colored the thread in each block to match the background. Drove everyone who saw it crazy trying to figure out what kind of thread I used.

I just returned from a 2-day lecture and the 'experts' tell me that monofilament in the bobbin can ruin your hook and assembly in your longarm. I was told to NEVER use mono in the bobbin.