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question about monofilament (invisible) thread

question about monofilament (invisible) thread

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Old 10-05-2013, 03:41 PM
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Default question about monofilament (invisible) thread

I have used this type of thread before on small items & I put it in the bobbin & the needle. I am getting ready to quilt a Santa wall hanging on my Juki and frame. I have not used this type thread in this machine before. The quilt shop owner where I bought the thread told me that I should only use this thread in the needle & to use thread that matches the backing in the bobbin. I can see how that would look good on the backing. I will have a dark solid green fabric as the backing. The wall hanging has a lot of dark green with red berries and there is a medium gold color oval with Santa in the center. Won't the green bobbin thread show through on the lighter colors and on the red in Santa's suit?
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Old 10-05-2013, 03:51 PM
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I don't use monofilament in the bobbin, but I do use a lightweight thread there. Yes, the green might show through on the lighter portion of the front, and if so you could switch to a matching thread in the bobbin when you quilt that area. The back would probably look wonderful with the two colors being used.
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Old 10-05-2013, 04:35 PM
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Hi You could try it in the bobbin on a practice piece. See how it goes. I don't have a Juki I have a janome and have used it in both. I was told by my dealer to fill the bobbin slowly so you don't stretch the mono. Otherwise swapping colours is a good idea. good luck.
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Old 10-05-2013, 05:26 PM
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I really like monofilament in the bobbin. That way if the tension is a little off and you get the dots on the top, nothing shows on the right side of the quilt.
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Old 10-05-2013, 05:57 PM
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I have done a large quilt with cream cotton in the bobbin, and yes, at times it did show on the top, which was red.
If you have used mono thread top and bottom and are happy with the result why not use it? A wall hanging won't have much wear & tear, and provided you loosen the top tension a few points there shouldn't be any problem.
Don't forget to post a photo, we'd love to see it.
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Old 10-05-2013, 07:09 PM
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I used a monofilament thread on a project not long ago and it felt like I was using fishing line. Did I get the wrong thing? Do they make a monofilament that feels likes cotton thread?
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Old 10-05-2013, 07:25 PM
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Originally Posted by amelia0607 View Post
I used a monofilament thread on a project not long ago and it felt like I was using fishing line. Did I get the wrong thing? Do they make a monofilament that feels likes cotton thread?
It was probably the wrong type. My favorite monofilament is YLI nylon monofilament. It is somewhere in the neighborhood of .003 or .004 in diameter, making it as thin and fine as baby hair. A lot of people these days prefer a polyester monofilament because it can stand higher heat than nylon and does not yellow, but I have not found one as fine as the YLI nylon. I have tested both polyester and nylon monofilament threads under my very hot Rowenta iron and found that the nylon will deform under the hottest heat while the polyester does not; however, since I never use my hot Rowenta iron on an already-quilted piece, this isn't a big consideration for me.

I have used monofilament in both needle and bobbin on my domestic machine for quilting -- no problems at all. You do have to be careful how you wind the bobbin. Nylon monofilament stretches, so you want to wind bobbins fairly slowly (so the thread does not stretch as it is loading onto the bobbin) and you want to underfill the bobbin slightly so that the edges of the bobbin do not deform from the pressure of the thread. You also need to loosen the upper tension quite a lot, so the monofilament does not stretch as it goes through the needle.

For any kind of free-motion quilting, I would recommend using monofilament in bobbin as well as needle because the tension changes slightly with the type of motion you use. This means that dots of bobbin thread are likely to appear on the top -- if not all the time, then at the times when the tension balance changes with changes in direction, speed, etc. I have to wonder if the shop owner has any valid reason for recommending not using monofilament in the bobbin; I haven't run across anything that would make me stop doing this!
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Old 10-05-2013, 07:43 PM
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Superior Threads is now selling MonoPoly pre wound bobbins
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Old 10-06-2013, 06:31 AM
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I have used it in both for wall hangings. The only thing that has happened so far is a tiny little hole effect when held up to the light. But since it's against the wall, doesn't matter. I have also used thread in the bobbin but did not like the dot look. I don't think I would use it on a real wash and use quilt. It is as fine as baby hair and just wouldn't hold up, no matter how careful I was.
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Old 10-06-2013, 08:44 AM
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Personally, I ABSOLUTELY HATE monofilament thread and will not use it at all.
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