Grammahunt

The normal (I think) process for trapunto (in very abbreviated form) is to trace with water soluble thread, cut away batting, and then trace with sewing thread.

Can someone please explain to me why we don't simply use cotton thread and cut around the shape. What is the advantage of first using the washaway thread???

sewingitalltogether

Because then you all a second batting and the backing. Then you quilt it again. If you don't use the water soluble thread, you would have 2 quilting thread lines instead of one. There are some great utube videos out there. I did it once on a queen sized quilt. Never again. The first time around it the water soluble, the second time is with the quilting thread.

DogHouseMom

The reason for the water soluble thread is so you don't have two layers of thread sitting on top of the quilt. Once you quilt it the second time, then wash the quilt - the water soluble thread will disappear from the top of the quilt showing ONLY your final quilting stitch. If you had used regular cotton, your final quilting would have to be exactly on top of the trapunto quilting thread or you would see both threads.

And it's important to use water soluble thread in the top and the bobbin. Had you used ordinary cotton thread in the bobbin and water soluble in the top on the trapunto, the cotton thread would always be there and would "float" around in the middle of the quilt, and could bunch up and cause a lump of thread and be unsightly. If you only used cotton thread in the bobbin and not the top, the first time you washed the quilt the bobbin thread will disappear and the top thread will have nothing holding it - except where you may have overstitched it on the second quilting pass.

Now ... you *could* use water soluble thread in the bobbin and cotton on the top for the trapunto (to save money) - but if you do this, make your trapunto outline larger so that when you make your final quilting pass you don't stitch over it. If you do it this way, the first time you wash the quilt the top thread will just fall off.

Grammahunt

Thank you both. I knew it would be a "DUH" moment for me. I knew that and could not remember it. I'm getting old. Let's just leave it at that.

feline fanatic

There are situations where you don't have to use water soluble thread. I am currently working on an applique quilt where I did the tapunto outline stage with invisible thread. Because it is applique and I am in the ditch it is well hidden and I don't care if I quilt on top of it because the build up isn't showing at all. Especially now that I have sandwiched it with another layer of batting and reditched it again.