Scrap41

Please don't skimp on the price of thread. The cheap stuff doesn't hold up very well. You want your quilts
to stay together for a few years. I have ablade sharpener and it works pretty good, but it needs a new piece
of sandpaper in it and I don't know where to get that. I would love to have the new one that is electric so
that goes on my bucket list for later.

Aurora

I have been using Star 100% Cotton thread and am very happy with it. I frequently purchase rotary blades with coupons and manage to keep a comfortable inventory, which allows me to change blades more frequently and has consequently improved my cutting skills.

misseva

I bought 10 pkgs of blades from Harbor Freight when we first heard about them over a year ago. They all worked great and I was generous and gave several packages away. Second batch was worthless!!! Makes me think because we overwhelmed the company their quality control suffered. I have to order on line because there is no HF store within 100 miles from me so it's really not cost effective to return them for credit.

jcrow

I buy cones of 50 wt. cotton Presencia thread for piecing. It lasts forever and it's thin and strong. You don't need a big hole in your needle. Your fabric lays flatter, and if you do a 1/4" seam, it is a true 1/4" seam because of the thinness of the thread. Lotss of spools are 40 wt. which is thicker and needs bigger hole in needle and fabric doesn't lay as flat and not as true a 1/4" seam. JMHO.

jcrow

I bought Harbor Freight blades and they were dull! Them out. Never again. You get what you pay for. I buy Gingher blades. Using first one for 6 months, still very sharp. Don't buy their cutter - too expensive. Use Olfa's - it works with Gingher's blades just fine. JMHO.

justflyingin

I'm one to always try something new but I definitely have noticed a difference in how sharp the HF blades are--I'd just buy fewer and get them with cpons or ebay. Skip the sharpener...I've tried 2-3 different ones and they don't seem to really work.

Thread...I'm not picky. I'm like the user who uses poly on the cones. It works fine. I buy the stronger for quilting as the cheapest tends to break. But, basically, I use the thread I have--I have some old and some new. I don't like my thread to be too thick. I've used a lot of C&C in my time. I've never had a problem. I don't buy the el cheapo stuff anymore, though (regular size spools)...as it does tend to be very, very linty.

I buy almost exclusively the cone sized spools now. It is a lot cheaper.

cricket_iscute

I took a class on threads, and we studied them under microscopes and with magnifying glasses. Many threads, including Coats and Clark apparently, are short pieces of thread sort of stuck together with many starts and stops; in other words, not good quality. Auriful is the best quality, as seen under the microscope. Superior isn't bad. Gutterman is so-so. I haven't looked at Connecting Threads. The best thread is long-staple Egyptian cotton, according to what I learned in class.

50 weight/3 ply of most threads is good for piecing and can be used for quilting. 40 weight/3 ply is for quilting, holding the three layers together. It is thicker. Most machines will take those threads. 30 weight and 12 weight are mostly for decorative uses. Rayon is mostly decorative; I would not expect it to hold my quilt top, batting, and back together when the quilt is used a lot. 60 weight thread would not normally be used for quilting (Bottom Line might be the exception, as is silk, possibly.) There are other threads, other weights, and hand dyes as well. Many machines will not take every thread. (I have one machine, called the Old Piecer, which is a Model 15 clone and excellent for piecing, but it will not sew with a thread heavier than 50 weight.)

I am cautious about YLI. I was in a class where we used YLI threads and 30 of 32 machines from a variety of manufacturers had problems with it, five or six machines having to go for repair. The innards of those machines were so snarled with that YLI thread that it took me five hours to cut it out of my Singer 301, which until that time handled any thread, and I am a sewing machine mechanic I had to take the machine apart. It is very loosely wound thread, despite wonderful colors.

Spun polyester is the lowest quality of polyester, I was told.

I do use Coats and Clark for homeless quilts. I do not use it for heirloom or "good" quilts. I think the dual duty is cotton-wrapped polyester, which works okay for clothing. If you like cotton-wrapped poly, try Permacore. It is excellent for general sewing and even quilting; google it or try ebay. I've used it for years with no problems. It is also cheap. It comes in cones only.

I have had friends sharpen blades for me with portable sharpeners and they were dull within the hour. (I do a lot of cutting.) I bought a large order of the Harbor Freight blades and the first blade was fine. The following six blades wouldn't cut and some had big nicks in them, straight from the package. I won't buy them again.

stirlingml

I read this board a lot but don't post. Just had to say how much I appreciate your great info on thread sizes.

Pickle

I would buy the blades there is nothing like a sharp blade. I have a sharpener but I prefer a new blade and use the sharpened blade only when necessary. Go with the blades they are the best sale at Jo anns

hperttula123

I buy the surger thread they have at joanns. It's about $2 for a big spool. It lasts a long time!!! I made a little contraption to feed the thread and just set the spool next to my sewing machine on the table. It is sturdy thread too.
Rotary blades...my mom found a good deal on ebay one time. If you can afford it, buy as many as you can(if you find a good deal). We haven't bought them in so long, I don't know where the best place would be to buy them at now.