What thread types and/or brands do you choose?

[FlorenceM]

I had to separate my hand quilting from other threads because I would pull the labels off the end then I didn't know what it was!

[silly-quiltr]

I use mostly vintage machines - about 99% of the time, I piece and quilt on my beeyoooteeful 1947 Singer 15-91, so I try to keep the lint down.

I piece with the poly equivalent of 60 or 70 wt cotton. I like Bottom Line, Essential Pro and serger threads for piecing. I don't usually match the fabrics - I have tons of neutral colors in different values of light and dark, some warm and some cool. A fine thread in the right value won't show.

I do match white fabric with white thread, though.

When I first started quilting, some people told me that the serger thread wasn't strong enough and would break too easily, and some told me that since it was poly, it was too strong and would tear up my quilt tops! So I tested a bunch of different threads and found that the serger thread did neither. In fact, it did better than some of the cotton threads.

Good news for me. I was on a very tight budget and I could get 3,000 yards of serger thread on sale for $1 - this was a huge savings, so I had more money for fabric and rulers.

The budget loosened up a bit, later, and for special quilts, I could buy King Tut, which I love for quilting. But I still piece with the less expensive threads.

I've only made a few (very few) heirloom quality quilts - and none for shows. Mostly, I make quilts for use and that means regular laundering, starting with the first wash right after I finish the binding. Hot water and a hot dry and then an inspection. I figure that if the quilt makes it through that with no troubles, then the recipient will probably be able to use and launder it as s/he sees fit.

[TooMuchFabric]

Aurifil or Glide...love both brands. Glide is much less expensive.

[QuiltGram8]

Great advice and lots of ideas. Thanks for all the responses.

Velda