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Modern Art Quilters
Sewing Machines and Other Tools for The Best Quilting Results...
by Helen Howes NEW SERIES: PART 3 - Picking Threads
Crack Cocaine for Quilters. Be warned: variegated cotton threads are addictive!
Now, you can hand-sew with almost anything you can push through a needle's eye, but sewing machines like Good Thread. It was the invention of the sewing machine that really pushed thread manufacturers to improve thread quality, and to standardise the weights and types of threads. More on that in a moment..
Now, for almost every sewing purpose, there is the Correct Thread, and that usually does not mean "all-purpose", because this is usually polyester. Now, don't get me wrong, polyester thread is fine for most general sewing, and if you plan to sew synthetic fabrics (I sew a lot of ripstop nylon) you really want a poly thread. It's cheap, easily available, and comes in about 4 million colours. But, and it's a huge and bumptious but, it's not really any good for proper patchwork. It is a bit stretchy. You don't want stretchy. It's a bit strong, which may not be ideal. And it melts when ironed if you have the heat up high. Now, this is a disaster. Spend all day piecing, then dissolve the thread with a moment's inattention? Ouch! (Then, there's Rayon. Don't Go There). Yes, some of the poly threads out there are delightful, but if you want to use them, put them on top of your quilting, not inside your patchwork, please.
Cotton threads are wonderful. There are hundreds of brands, colours to delight the eye, reels from 50 to 50,000 metres in length, dozens of weights. Variegated threads are just sooo nice..
Now, with cotton thread, you will usually see a number, like 60, 50, 40, 36. There are others. These come from an ancient method of winding a set weight of thread and measuring the length - the thinner the thread, the bigger the number. This is a simplification, as the thickness is also affected by how many strands (or plies) are twisted together to make the thread. However, in essence, for the purposes of this sort of work, the bigger numbers are good for piecing, and the smaller for quilting. Poly and other threads have different systems. I don't understand them..
When choosing a thread for your work, first look at weight and colour. I use a lot of slightly grungy colours for piecing, grey, beige, dirty blue, plus black, red, cream and others. If I plan to make a quilt largely in one colour I will match the thread, otherwise a pale or darker grey does most things nicely. For quilting I much prefer my threads to have a visible presence. If you wish to modify the colour a little on a quilt a darker or lighter thread can make a huge difference. And there have been some fantastic quilts made as whole-cloth with different colours of threads for the image.
Always make a test sample with any new thread. Use the fabric and wadding you plan to use for the project, check the tension and the effect before you launch into the Real Thing..
And, match your needle to the thread. Heavier threads need thicker needles, and finer, thinner. If you use a needle that is much too big or small the stitches will be poorly-made and the thread may fray and break. My rule of thumb-and-finger? If the needle is really hard to thread, use a bigger size, if really easy, try smaller. And the finer and more closely-woven your fabric, the finer and thinner your threads and needles need to be...
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