So why did I try some completely different threads on my quilt “Flourish on the Vine”?  The story begins in Houston at the 2009 International Quilt Festival.  My quilt Instruments of Praise had won first place for Innovative Appliqué and I was happily sharing it with viewers at the awards ceremony.

One of the viewers that night was Heather Purcell of Superior Threads, also known as Mother Superior, who invited me to stop by her booth later in the week.  When I did, she asked me the very same question about the kind of thread I used for machine quilting.  We talked and she inquired if I would consider trying some of her thread called The Bottom Line.  B-b-but it’s polyester, I stammered.

Heather smiled patiently – she had obviously heard this all before.  She challenged my bias against polyester thread and highlighted its many virtues.  (See the video “Thread Therapy with Dr. Bob, Cotton versus Polyester Myth”.)  She pointed out that her polyester threads were used and endorsed by such accomplished and well-respected quilters as Libby Lehman, Carol Bryer Fallert, and John Flynn.  And then she gave me some thread!

“Flourish on the Vine” was already under way in the fall of 2009, and I had fabric swatches with me as I browsed the show in search of fabric.  This allowed Heather to select a variety of shades that would work well with my color scheme.  Try it, she urged, and then let me know what you think.

The thread sat there for over a year until it was finally time to begin machine quilting.  I made a practice sandwich of my background fabrics, batting and backing and auditioned a variety of threads and needles.

I was impressed!  The Bottom Line had great texture and perfect tension; with a 60/8 Microtex needle, I would be able to execute very fine, closely-spaced quilting stitches.

The quilting has now been completed and I am absolutely thrilled with the results.  I would not hesitate to recommend The Bottom Line 60-weight polyester thread for machine quilting and will definitely continue to use it myself.  Thank you Heather, for your generous gift and for challenging me to reach new heights.  I tried it and I loved it!

My goal with machine quilting is to add texture.  As such, I am looking for threads that blend almost invisibly with the fabrics in the quilt.

It should come as no surprise then, that one of my preferred threads for machine quilting is invisible thread.  The beauty of this clear (or smoke) nylon monofilament thread is its ability to blend with any color of fabric.  This is particularly helpful when the quilting lines cross over different hues and shades or to disguise any “slips” when quilting in the ditch.  As for brands, I have had good success with Sew-Art Invisible Nylon Thread and Unique Ultra Fine Invisible Thread.

Then again, you may be surprised about invisible thread because of the mixed reviews it has received over the years.  I have long admired the machine quilting work of Diane Gaudynski.  In her book Guide to Machine Quilting (American Quilter’s Society, 2002), Diane explains her reasons for using nylon monofilament thread:  “…it eliminates the problem of color matching, it doesn’t cover my quilt top with heavy machine stitching, it allows me to quilt exceptionally fine designs and closely spaced stippling, it permits me to double stitch over a line of stitching several times with no visible build-up, and it doesn’t make my quilt look ‘thready’.”  That’s good enough for me! 

I am also looking for good tension.  With a domestic sewing machine, this often means balancing the weight of the threads in the needle and the bobbin, adjusting the tension settings, or both.  Some quilters match their bobbin thread to their needle thread, but I use the same bobbin thread throughout a whole quilt.  Therefore, it is important to know how to adjust the tension setting for every different needle thread choice.  It is also helpful for the bobbin thread to be available on large spools, especially if the quilt is large and the quilting extensive.

My bobbin thread of choice for many of my recent projects has been Aurifil Mako 50-weight cotton.  It is available in a large spool of 1,422 yards or a cone of 6,452 yards.  There are 182 colors to choose from which is important because I also like my bobbin thread to blend with my backing fabric!

But things change:  styles change; preferences change.  And I am open to that!  Stay tuned next week to find out the threads I used for my quilt “Flourish on the Vine” and the circumstances that prompted me to try something new.

This is a great little tool.  I got it out recently and thought again how useful it really is.  It’s called the Easy Edge Appliqué Tool, by Heidizine Products, and I use it primarily for glue-basting seam allowances to freezer paper.

Soft Tip

It measures a little under 5 ½” in length, fitting comfortably in your hand.  One end has a soft 45-degree angled tip, ¼” in diameter.  The soft tip grips the fabric for turning over the seam allowance and sticking it to the freezer paper.  But the best part is that it keeps the glue from sticking to your fingers!

The other end tapers to form a thin 45-degree angled edge.  This part of the tool is useful for lifting, repositioning, smoothing out edges, and creasing outside points.  It can also be used for spreading glue in hard to reach places or for removing excess glue.  My favorite use for this end is for turning over stray threads at inside points and making sure they stay adhered to the freezer paper.

Thin Tapered Tip

It is true that I prefer to appliqué by hand using the needle-turn method.  One of the main reasons for this has to do with the preparation work involved.  Needle-turn appliqué eliminates the time-consuming process of basting the patches to freezer paper.

However, there are times when the speed of machine appliqué is appealing.  And these are the times when basting to freezer paper makes sense.  The time taken at the basting stage is made up for at the stitching stage.  And I wouldn’t be without my Easy Edge Appliqué Tool when it comes to glue-basting to freezer paper, because I hate sticky fingers!