Why are my straight stitches slanted?
10-20-2014, 11:31 AM
#21
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The spool will say what weight it is, unless the label is gone, of course. 
Normal thread for sewing/piecing is 50. 60 is finer and used for embroidery. 40 is for actually quilting, or at least hand quilting, I am not sure about machine quilting.
Normal thread for sewing/piecing is 50. 60 is finer and used for embroidery. 40 is for actually quilting, or at least hand quilting, I am not sure about machine quilting.
10-20-2014, 02:07 PM
#22
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Location: Mendocino County CA
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Sheri, That's good information for me on thread weights. I just looked at the threads in my thread boxes and most of them do NOT have any 40-50 or 60 on them. A couple of the older ones "Talon" brand say 50 and many of them say "all purpose" . I saw one obviously thick thread and the spool said 35. I suppose when I buy thread now I should be watching and asking about the thread weight. I was happy to have so many colors now and to not feel like I have to buy a new spool with every project I do.
I would be curious to learn what weight is best for machine quilting too. I'll be doing that in the future.
I would be curious to learn what weight is best for machine quilting too. I'll be doing that in the future.
10-20-2014, 02:15 PM
#23
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Christy,
A lot of the old spools of thread were marked with the thread size/thickness. Many if not most I've seen for sale now are not marked. For some of the current Coat & Clarks thread I've had to go to their web site to find out and that was a job.
One thing I do know is the C&C Machine Quilting thread is 30Wt or Size 50 ( same thing only different method of measuring ). Others have no info I can find.
Joe
A lot of the old spools of thread were marked with the thread size/thickness. Many if not most I've seen for sale now are not marked. For some of the current Coat & Clarks thread I've had to go to their web site to find out and that was a job.
One thing I do know is the C&C Machine Quilting thread is 30Wt or Size 50 ( same thing only different method of measuring ). Others have no info I can find.
Joe
10-20-2014, 02:24 PM
#24
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Location: Ontario, Canada
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Using exactly the same thread (top and bottom) and needle and fabric in each machine, do the stitches look better on one machine than the other?
That bobbin thread looks thick on my screen. If it is, it would create a large obstacle to wrap around, giving the look of a twist much more than a thin bobbin thread.
That bobbin thread looks thick on my screen. If it is, it would create a large obstacle to wrap around, giving the look of a twist much more than a thin bobbin thread.
I.e a 60wt cotton top going around a 40wt cotton bobbin thread would look more twisted than a 50wt around a 50 wt - another good reason to match our threads.
I can make a FW or 301 stitch "crooked" by doing the same thing. The stitches will line up with a ruler, but look twisted.
10-20-2014, 02:36 PM
#25
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Idaho
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Well, Christy, I am checking my spools now. I haven't bought Coats and Clark for many years, because I don't like it in the machines, I find it gives off more fuzz. The ones I have left do not have their size on them. Maybe C&C only makes 50?
Piecing: My Gutermann all have the weights/size on them (C NE 50,) as do Aurifil (GR 30, NE 50/2,) Sulky (30 WT,) Mettler (NE 50/3.)
Hand/machine (?) quilting: YLI (40/3ply,) King Tut (#40,) Gutermann (Quilting,) Mettler (Quilting.)
Hand applique: YLI (Silk #100,) Mettler (Embroidery Ne 60/2.)
So, it may be just the "better" threads (my personal opinion, of course,) that have the sizes and info imprinted on the spool itself.
Piecing: My Gutermann all have the weights/size on them (C NE 50,) as do Aurifil (GR 30, NE 50/2,) Sulky (30 WT,) Mettler (NE 50/3.)
Hand/machine (?) quilting: YLI (40/3ply,) King Tut (#40,) Gutermann (Quilting,) Mettler (Quilting.)
Hand applique: YLI (Silk #100,) Mettler (Embroidery Ne 60/2.)
So, it may be just the "better" threads (my personal opinion, of course,) that have the sizes and info imprinted on the spool itself.
10-20-2014, 04:15 PM
#26
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Sheri, i would agree with you on "better threads". Not necessarily that they have the sizes on because I don't know that, but I went Wow! when you were listing off the thread you have. Those are nice threads!
10-20-2014, 06:49 PM
#27
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I generally just grab a spool of thread and am happy if the color matches! <snip>
I've gotton so many spools of thread when picking up machines that I now try and sort what seems thicker to one area. Most of them all feel the same to me! If I get a lot of breakage with a thread I double check the bobbin, the needle and the guides for rough spots and if none are found the spool is considered too old and dumped in the trash.
Both the bobbin and the top threads on this machine read cotton/poly blends but I can't find where it states a thickness. ?? Should it say on the spool?
I've gotton so many spools of thread when picking up machines that I now try and sort what seems thicker to one area. Most of them all feel the same to me! If I get a lot of breakage with a thread I double check the bobbin, the needle and the guides for rough spots and if none are found the spool is considered too old and dumped in the trash.
Both the bobbin and the top threads on this machine read cotton/poly blends but I can't find where it states a thickness. ?? Should it say on the spool?
It's not unusual to have it come off when you stick the spool on a pin. One thing that doesn't help is that the thread size that we use isn't really standardized. 50/2 50/3 with one company may look like a thin thread - think Aurifil, and it may seem comparatively quite thick in another brand, like say a Connecting Threads spool.
I am bad with needles. I not only rarely check size, but I've been known to piece with a leather needle. Thread, I notice more since I started quilting on a frame. I was warned early on that I would become a thread snob once I started frame quilting and it's true.
I actually have a "good thread" and "bad thread" drawer too. Thread Shelf Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84NrnFxAsZc He shows a thread break test here too.
Thread "Weight" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OJaftMW9uo
ALL of the Thread therapy videos are worth watching.
All Purpose will typically be about a 50wt. This is so that the Assumption, er... Automatic setting on most machines will work approximately right.
Last edited by ArchaicArcane; 10-20-2014 at 06:51 PM. Reason: Duh! Rotate photo that I took wih the phone upside down.
10-20-2014, 09:42 PM
#30
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Location: Olympia, WA
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Just because of Internet strangers, I threw out all of the C&C thread I had from odd hand mending or whatever, and have a special thread case full of good and very nice thread (gutterman, mettler, aurifil) that I'd only used to test machines until I pieced my first block for Ashlea's quilt. But the test runs do look so nice when done with purple and cream colored Aurifil...
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