molly oldham

I mostly use monofilament thread because of the bobbin and/or top thread will pop up. I really want to be able to use cotton thread but I'm afraid I'll run the quilt top. What do you do when you want to do an all over design on a multi colored top? I'm so used to using the monofilament, I've gotten spoiled to not thinking about it. I would appreciate some advise.(oh yes, I have adjust my tension, both top and bottom)

jillnjo

I first started out using monofiliment so my FMQ mistakes wouldn't show and it was a good choice for me. I bet your skill has improved lots and colored thread would be fine to work with. I have sometimes used 2 or 3 colors, like a matching one on the boarders and sashings. It is a personal choice-Do you like the look of unmatched threads running across the blocks? It depends on the individual quilt to me. As for the thread popping I think it must be something with tension. I'm not a good one to advise on that. Be brave and try colored thread-bet you will surprise yourself!!

newestnana

I am amazed that both of you (who posted above)find it easy to use monofiliment thread! I just did a tiny sample since I'd like to use it for FMQ, especially if the bottom thread pops up to look like tiny hand stitches. However, I couldn't get it to stitch smoothly (with no puckers).

So what is your secret? What type of thread do you use on the bottom? Do you adjust your tension up? or down?

molly oldham

When I first started trying to learn fmq, I read all the books, Harriet Hargrave and Diane Gaudynski, etc. I can't remember which one or if both said they almost always use monofilament because of the convenience of not having to use different colors of thread and because it makes the stitching look more like handquilting. I started out using it and got used to it but there is a learning curve of sorts. First of all it's like sewing with a hair. I have always used SewArt. There is another brand that is similar and just as good but I can't remember right now the name. The cheaper brands tend to be like fishing line. I usually use cotton in the bobbin but I have used the monofilament in the bobbin and not had a problem with it but you do have to loosen your tension a bit and I can only fill the bobbin half full. It gets really really tight. Also, when filling the bobbin, fill it a little looser if you know what I mean. Wow, sorry for the info overload. Hope this helps. I sure would love to get brave enough to use the beauiful cottons and silk colors on the top and bottom but since I do all my fmq on my domestic machine and my stitches are way less than perfect, I keep using what I'm used to.

jljack

I have never gotten monofiliment to work well for me. And I am afraid of it breaking and pulling out in the future.

I have never had a problem with quilting with colored cotton or cotton/poly or poly thread, and I really like how it looks against a quilt top. I pick a coordinating color, or a somewhat neutral color (i.e. taupe or gray) depending on the effect I want. I have really enjoyed watching a somewhat neutral looking quilt come alive after being quilted with varigated thread, for example. It really makes a difference. Don't be afraid of your errors showing...that's all part of the process. No one but you is going to criticize it.

loves_2_quilt

I started using monofiliment on top and matching thread on bottom. I started using the same on top and bottom when I learned how much softer/cuddlier the quilt is with out monofiliment thread. As for the "non matching" of thread and fabric, I try to match as much as possiable, but if not, oh well! I have not had a quilt given as a gift returned because the thread didn't match every fabric.
D

newestnana

How do you control whether the bobbin is tightly wound or looser? Doesn't the machine control that?

molly oldham

On my machine there are two thingys that the thread wraps around before it is wound on the bobbin. When using the mono. thread I only use one those guides and use the half speed on the machine. When I first filled a bobbin with mono., I did it the same way as with cotton and it was so tight that I couldn't get the bobbin off the spindle thing and had to break it off. I think its because the mono. stretches while filling .

QuiltNGanny

I started with the colored thread and used mostly the varigated threads. Usually I could find one that pretty well went with everything in the quilt. Then I decided to use a solid cotton and liked that look too. Just this past weekend I used the mono on the top and a cotton on the bottom and liked that for the particular projects I was working on. I even used mono for part of the quilt and then used cotton for the borders for one of my projects. So I found that what I like depends on the project I'm working on. I haven't had problems with any of them other than tension issues. I guess I just play around with the different options and have fun!

molly oldham

Well, girls just wanna have fun :-D