Thread Weight For Free Motion Quilting

Use the right thread size for the things you sew.

Thread weight for free motion quilting.

One of the most common topics my students want to know more about is needles and thread especially for free motion quilting so let s take a deeper look at those here. Our thread weight use chart lists over forty kinds of sewing projects and aurifil s product recommendations. So a 50 2 cotton thread would be 50 weight 2 ply thread that is thin and strong. It is adapted from the aurifil product guide.

Thicker thread weights like 30 40 make the quilting stitches stand out more. A lot of people only use 100 cotton thread in every part of the quilting process. For free motion quilting pebbles i love using a fine 100 weight super strong polyester thread that matches the fabric on the top of my quilt. Occasionally you will see thread weight that looks like a fraction and is labeled 50 2 or 40 3.

I m in love with the look of the 100 wt 100 silk thread from yli. Remember a higher thread weight number means a thinner thread. The second thing you need to know is the thread weight numbers aren t always clearly stated. The second number indicates thread ply.

It saves money and some people say it helps them quilt more smoothly. It is terrific for heirloom quilting. Once you are confident with your free motion quilting the sky s the limit as far as thread is concerned. Fmq is different than piecing we re moving our fabric in all directions there are more layers and the needle is often clipping along at quite a pace for all that moving.

A 40 weight thread is a popular choice for quilting while 30 weight threads are more visible. One of my favorite choices is invisafil thread by wonderfil.