Thread. As a quilter it is a vital component to our craft. I learned early on in my quilting adventure that not all thread was created equal. All of the “Learn to Quilt” articles I read emphasized that you would use cotton thread when piecing and quilting. So, with that bit of knowledge I ran to Joann’s and picked up a couple large spools of Coats & Clark 100% Cotton Thread. I went crazy piecing things together, quilted a few projects and then I started noticing some “issues” with my machine.
I was sewing on a Singer Futura SES2000. It has a detachable embroidery unit and was my first new machine purchase in February of this year. I noticed that it wasn’t working right when I would try to do a reverse stitch. It would mostly just stitch in one place. I called the 800 number for Singer support. The lady on the phone was super helpful and asked lots of questions. When she asked me what kind of thread I was using, I proudly told her Coats & Clark 100% Cotton. Then she asked what the weight was, I looked at the spool to see it was 30 wt, which I relayed to her. Then she said, you are using the wrong thread. Oh dear.
It turns out my machine “prefers” 50 wt cotton and all-purpose thread and a 40wt polyester or rayon for embroidery. I had been using Robison-Anton Rayon thread for embroidery and they recommended their cotton for my machine. The only problem is that it’s not readily available. At least not around here. I managed to find a local quilt shop that sold a little bit of RA 50wt super cotton, but they mostly sold the 25wt, which wouldn’t work in my machine. I bought a couple mini-king spools at about $7 each and headed back home. The good news is that my machine was very happy with the change, but I was sick thinking about how much I was going to spend on thread.
On a trip to Paducah, I happened to find a couple of king spools for $12 each… a total steal. I have used a good bit of both of those and have over a dozen quilts to finish before Christmas, so I worried about where I would be able to get more. I am happy to report that I found a great source online for my favorite thread. The prices are really great and shipping is always free (can’t beat that). Plus, depending on how much you spend, they give instant coupons. I stocked up on five King spools and five mini-kings for around $85. A lot of money for just thread, but hopefully this will get me through all my projects this year and then some.
Allthreads.com sells several brands, so even if your machine doesn’t have such discriminating tastes in thread, you should be able to find what you need.
Thread is the paint for your fabric canvas. It's so important. My Pfaff likes some threads better than others. I do really need to get several of those huge cones thou Do they have bottom weight on them too?
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