What Weight Thread To Use For Quilting

The best way to determine if the weight of thread is right for your project is to run the thread through your fingers to feel the thickness or thinness of the thread.

What weight thread to use for quilting. A 50 3 thread is commonly used for piecing but other equivalent sizes work just as well. Thread and a 100 16 needle when sewing with a 30 wt or 12 wt. We recommend a size 90 14 when sewing with a 40 wt. It s gassed to reduce lint and designed to smoothly pass through the fabric without damaging it.

A lot of people only use 100 cotton thread in every part of the quilting process. Generally you can use machine quilting thread for hand quilting as well. With this system thread weight decreases as weight numbers increase. A few years ago aurifil introduced its 80wt cotton thread.

Because the quilting is pronounced people really think i m wearing a quilt when i have them on. I love using this weight for needle turn applique. If you use a 75 11 or 80 12 size needle for 50 weight thread you should use a needle with a larger eye when sewing with a heavier thread. For general sewing 50 60 weight thread is good for usual sewing and piecing and the thinner thread won t bulk up your seams.

The first number reveals the thread s weight and the second tells us the number of plies a 50 3 thread has a weight of 50 and is made with 3 plies of yarn. Use a needle with an eye that allows the thread to pass through it easily such as a metallic needle with a longer eye for metallic threads or a topstitch or quilting needle sized 90 14 for 30 weight or 40 weight threads. Needles are sized ranging from 60 8 to 100 16 for most quilting and thread painting use. Generally quilting thread is either cotton polyester or a blend of both.