Quilt Qua

Eavesdrop on a Conversation with Dierdre McElroy, hand quilting expert

 

Question: Can you tell us how we can find a good quality thread for quilting?

 

Diedre:The reason a lot of people probably responded to that is because it is one of the biggest aggravating things going on in the quilting world as of last year to two years ago. Unfortunately, with this particular subject there is no quick and easy answer because the problem has not been solved yet.

It would be easiest if we start by explaining to everybody how thread is actually built from its very core construction, so they can understand why they’re frustrated. The number one thing to understand is that no thread company in the United States makes its own thread. You can’t listen to the manufacturers because most of them have no clue how a thread is actually built.

Like fabric companies, they buy what are called their “gray goods” from overseas. Then they have it dyed or add whatever finish they want. They wind it on their spool, put their mark on it and call it their own thread.

The way a thread is built is to take short staple cottons, which are very small, and twist them together to form one layer of thread. Traditionally, thread is twisted to the right. They twist and twist until it is so tightly twisted that if they twist one more time, it will kink up like an old-fashioned phone cord.

 

Then they do that to another section of thread. They put the two together and when released, they wind over each other. That forms a 2-ply thread. They can also do a 3-ply thread. It goes from there as the base construction.

 

We discovered that sewing machines naturally build a right twist on thread, just by the thread going down through the machine. If you put a thread that is built with a twist to the right in a sewing machine and it builds that extra twist to the right, the thread knots up inside the machine very quickly, jamming everything.

 

As of five years ago, all threads on the market switched to a left twist, which is specifically built for sewing machines. It’s no longer built for handwork. It really causes a lot of aggravation to hand quilters. That’s why threads constantly knot, fall apart, fray, and cause the frustration we’re all experiencing in trying to determine which thread would be better.

 

To a certain degree, we can stop those problems by the finishes we put on a thread after it has been constructed. The finishes are what we want to start looking for in hand quilting.

The types of finishes that are available are things like a soft finish, which is literally nothing. They dye the thread, wind it on a spool and sell it to you. That’s the number one most frustrating thread you can possibly buy as a hand quilter because your thread is completely open to your fabric.

 

When you pull an 18-inch length of thread through a quilt, it takes the full abrasion and abuse over its entire length every time you pull it through. It could be 300 times by the time you get to the end of that thread. The thread just can’t take that abuse, so it breaks, frays or knots up. The knotting comes from the fraying.

 

The way to avoid that is to start buying a thread which is what we would call “waxed.” That’s a misnomer, because nobody actually uses wax. I’ve never found any company that literally uses wax to finish their thread.

Most companies use a starch, which is actually much better because it washes out 100% the first time the quilt gets washed. It’s on there as a coating to provide an insulation to protect the thread as you pull it through your quilt.

 

It also makes a stronger thread as far as stiffness goes, which means you’ll have much less problem threading your needle. My studies show that 90% of people’s problems threading needles aren’t actually the needles. It’s the thread they’re using.

 

Happy Quilting!

Penny is the author of 9 books for beginner quilters and a self-taught quilter of more than 25 years who seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful quilts.

www.How-to-Quilt.com
Specializing in Information for Beginning Quilters

www.TheQuiltingCoach.com
Where Quilters Connect

www.Rag-Quilt-Instructions.com
Fast, Fun and Funky Quilts

www.Fabric-Postcards.com
Quilt Greetings Across the Miles

 

This article courtesy of http://www.How-to-Quilt.com.
You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

©2007, Penny Halgren