Blog Quilt #3 - Size 60, 80, and 100 Thread

Sometimes I like to use really fine thread to blanket-stitch with.  I use it when I want a really fine line or when I really don't want the thread to show.  You can tell that the thread in the far right picture is really fine.

The thread on the left is YLI 60/2 cotton thread.  The 60/2 means it's a 60 weight thread and it's made of two pieces of thread twisted together.  The thread in the middle is Wonderfil 80 weight Deco-bob.  It's shiny and great and very thin.  The thread on the far right is Wonderfil 100 weight Invisifil polyester thread.  It's very fine and wonderful to work with.  

The picture above shows all the different weights I used in this project.  40 is on the left, then 50, then 60, then 80, and finally 100 weight.  You can tell the difference in thickness.  It will be nice to have a sample to look at when I'm choosing threads for projects!

Suzy

Applying What I've Learned

In the course of writing this blog I have learned a lot about thread selection for blanket-stitch applique.  I have learned what to use when I want something to recede and what to use when I want something to stand out.

Receding: thin or flat (not shiny)
Use a thread that is flat and not shiny.  I would recommend cotton for this.  You can also use something really skinny so it leaves a lighter line line InvisaFil 100 weight polyester thread by WonderFil Threads or Bottom Line 60 weight polyester thread by Superior Threads.  Both of these threads are thin.

Standing Out: off in color, shiny
Use a thread that is slightly off in color (lighter makes it pop more than darker) OR use a thread that is an accent color in the fabric instead of the main color.  It also really makes things pop when you use a really shiny thread.  There are many, many threads that have great shine.  I like Fufu Threads, Deco-Bob by WonderFil Threads, Glide by Fil-Tec, and just about any rayon thread out there.

Here is a block that I did after gaining this knowledge.  I used it to make my choices.

The first pieces I put on when building this block are the outer petals and the accent piece (top) on the middle petal.  In this case, they were both yellow.  I knew that I wanted the top piece to have a thread that didn't stand out, so I used Gutermann polyester thread because it doesn't have a lot of shine.  The other yellow pieces that had more print I knew I wanted to use the darker shade of yellow so the thread stood out more.  I also chose a shiny thread to make them pop.  I used Madeira 40 weight Rayon Thread.

Then I added the dark blue piece with the yellow and orange dots.  If I'd used a yellow or orange thread they would've popped those colors.  However, I really wanted the piece to be blue.  If it had been orange the orange thread would've run into the orange petals and created a line connecting them which I didn't want to see.  If I'd used yellow it would've bled into the top yellow accent piece which again wasn't what I wanted.  So I settled on blue.  I used Fufu Thread which has a nice sheen to it and was really, really dark blue.

Then I added the orange petals.  I knew I wanted them to stand out.  There is a slight variation in color to the batik so I went with the darker of the orange and used Deco-Bob by WonderFil threads which has a nice sheen to it.  I am happy with the results because the slightly darker color of the thread pops out which is what I wanted it to do.

Then I added the two dots.  I stitched the red dot in Deco-Bob by WonderFil threads because it was shiny and slightly off in color which makes it stand out.  The dot was a challenge because it was a pale peachy-orange color which is hard to find.  I used a Glide by Fil-Tec thread that I had because it was the only color that complemented the fabric at all.

Now you know why I chose the threads I did!  Happy appliqueing!

Suzy

How to Choose Thread Color

How do I choose thread color?  Good Question.

There are a few things to consider.  First, what colors are in the fabric?  For the inner purple petals below there are two colors: blue and purple.  As you can see I took out a few spools and unwound a little bit on top of the fabric.  This gives me an idea what they will look like.  In the upper photo, the two purples I choose were too warm so I tried two cooler purples in the bottom photo.  I decided I didn't want to use the light blue thread because I wanted the purple to stand out instead of the blue on that piece.  I ended up using the bottom thread in the bottom picture which is an Art Studio Colors by Superior Threads.  

When looking at the final block you can tell that this purple is a shade lighter and a bit warmer than the actual fabric.  Finding a nice dark purple that is blue in tone is a challenge.  My current favorite for this purpose is Glide Thread by Fil-Tec in a color called "Raven."  It works well most of the time.  In fact, it is the exact thread I used for the little dot at the bottom.  However, I knew I didn't want to use the exact same thread for both fabrics.  I couldn't go darker for the purple and blue fabric, so I went a little lighter.  It definitely shows up more.  I have learned this golden rule of thread choice through applique AND machine quilting:

                    If you don't have an EXACT match, use something slightly DARKER.  It will hide 
                    better than something slightly LIGHTER....the LIGHTER will make it stand out. 

This is what I wanted for this blue and purple fabric.  I wanted it to pop and the lighter thread definitely does that well.

Threads I Used:

• Outer Light Blue Petals - Mettler Silk Finish 50/3 Cotton - This thread is a 50 weight thread, but it is made of three plys (strands) of thread rather than 2.  It is surprisingly thick and a bit challenging to put through a size 80 microtex needle.
• Inner Purple Petals - Art Studio Colors by Superior Threads -  This thread shines and works easily in my machine.
• Inner Light Blue Petal - Sulky Metallic on top, Gutermann Poly in the bobbin -  I used a size 80 microtex needle and didn't put the top metallic thread through the last thread guide right above the needle.  I used a top tension of 1.5.  Usually I get a nasty mess when I try to use metallic thread, but was pleasantly surprised when it worked out beautifully.  I tested it first with a straight stitch and then with a blanket stitch. 
• Inner Turqouise Petal - Deco-Bob by WonderFil Threads - shiny and great to use.
• Dark Blue Dot - Fufu Thread - great texture and tons of shine.
• Small Purple Dot - Glide Thread by Fil-Tec - great and easy to use.  Shiny.

Suzy

Analogous Color Scheme

For this block I inadvertently ended up with an analogous color scheme.  Analogous color schemes are when you use colors right next to each other on the color wheel.  I started this block with the amazing orange and pink batik that is in the outermost petals.  It varies in the size of pink squares from big to small.  It was fun to play with that effect in the petals.  I then choose the inner central petal, an orange batik with bits of pink and purple.  It is a really versatile choice because it brings in many colors subtly.  I then added the purple and pinks to finish up the block.  I had a really hard time choosing the central dot.  I finally ended up with a dark blue because I couldn't get anything orange, pink, or purple to work.

I used the following threads:

• Orange and pink outer petals - Bottom Line by Superior Threads - I chose Bottom Line on purpose for these petals.  First, it is 60 weight polyester with little sheen.  I didn't want the thread choice on these petals to overwhelm the fabric.  If I had used a shiny pink thread it would've taken away from the print.
• Purple inner petals - Glide by FilTec - I used this thread here because it is one of the few threads that is a true blue-purple.  The color name is Raven.  It is my go to thread for anythign "blurple."
• Inner orange petal - Deco-Bob by WonderFil Threads - a great choice for ease of use and sheen. 
• Inner pink petal - Deco-Bob by WonderFil Threads
• Blue Dot - Fufu thread - I love the sheen and texture of this thread.  It comes off the spool and feels a little bumpy, but still smooth.  This adds to the sheen and texture of the thread.
• Pink dot - Deco-Bob by WonderFil Threads

I want to use the orange and pink batik with the squares in petals again.  I have it in turquoise squares on lime and purple squares on yellow too.  Oh, the possibilities!

Suzy

Opposites Attract and Shadowing

I love using opposites on the color wheel.  They really pop when you do.  This block prominently features blue and orange.  It all started with the light blue fabric with orange and yellow dots.  I then picked out fabrics to coordinate.  I love using the outer petal fabric, the yellow with orangy-pink lines making a grid.  It gives an interesting texture to the petal.

When making this block I had some trouble with shadowing.  Shadowing is when one fabric shows through another and creates two different colors.  If you look carefully at the block below, you can see a faint line about 1/8 inch away from the top edge of the orange petal.  The light yellow and the gray behind the orange petal show through differently.  It's faint, but I couldn't stand it so I had to fix it.

To do this, I cut a new orange piece to layer on top.  I took a second piece about 1/16 of an inch away from the original line to ensure the original piece was fully covered.

I then layered this over the original piece as shown below.  It will be a little thicker, but when using double blanket-stitch it isn't a problem because the thickness of thread hides the two layers.  This works with both Steam-a-Seam 2 regular and lite weight fusibles.  The line is gone.

If I know ahead of time that shadowing is going to happen another alternative is to line the piece in white fabric.  You use one piece of white that is 1/16 of an inch smaller than the original piece and then the original piece on top.  The white fabric helps to block other colors from showing through.  I have found it is equally effective to use two layers of the same color.

Now back to the stitching....

• Outer Yellow Petals - Polyneon by Madeira - I love the sheen of this thread and it is really silky and easy to work with.
• Inner Light Blue Petals - Deco-Bob by WonderFil - It turns out this thread is 80 weight, who knew?  I love it.  It behaves well and is easy to use.
• Light Yellow Central Petal - Polyneon by Madeira
• Orange Central Petal - Aurifil 50 weight cotton thread - I use this thread all the time for piecing quilts and machine quilting.  I admit I own 90% of the colors (few browns and grays as I prefer bright colors).  It has very little lint and it takes me a long time to use up a 1422 yards.  Since it is 100% cotton it has no sheen, but for this orange I really wanted a flat look.
• Dark Blue Dot - Fufu thread - again, I love the texture and shine of this thread
• Orange Dot - Aurifil 50 weight cotton

I am having so much fun trying out all my different threads.  When I start my next project I will definitely be thinking about what I want to use a flat thread on and what I want to really shine!

Suzy

Wonderous WonderFil Weights

I have used a lot of WonderFil InvisaFil 100 weight polyester lately.  I enjoyed it.  But it got me to wondering what would happen if I tried using thicker thread instead.  I have two sampler packs of Wonderfil Spagetti 12 weight cotton thread that I bought once upon a time in Houston.  I decided it was time to take off their wrappers too!

My question I wanted to know for this block was this:  what do the thinnest and thickest threads (that will go through the needle and don't have to be bobbin drawn) that I own look like in the same block?

I started with adjusting my machine for Spagetti thread.  I put in a size 100 topstitch needle (it was the largest I had and the thread wouldn't go through a size 90 microtex needle).  I grabbed my spare bobbin case that I used for making adjustments and set it for Spagetti thread.  I keep a spare that I adjust tension on so that my master bobbin case never gets messed up and I always know it will work on most of my threads.  This really comes in hand when I want to bobbin draw or work with thin/thick thread.  You can see from the picture below that I put some pale pink nail polish on the outside of the bobbin case so I will always know which case is which.

Next, I set my top tension lower to 1.0 and tried sewing a single blanket-stitch.  The machine gobbled the thread up into the throat plate...not good.  So I tried straight stitch.  Here are my results:

After many attempts I decided it was time to switch my bobbin thread to something thinner.  I put in lime green so I could see what was happening better.

The bottom was first, then the middle, then the top stitching example.  To achieve the top I set my upper tension to 0.5.  Now I was ready to try it with one layer of stabilizer (rinsaway) and one layer of fabric:

I was happy with this result, so I went for it.  Since the thread was so thick, I used a single blanket-stitch instead of a double blanket-stitch.

Here is the final block:

The turquoises are stitched in WonderFil Spagetti 12 weight cotton thread.  The purple petals with blue dots are stitched with WonderFil Deco-Bob thread.  The two dots and central purple petal are all stitched with WonderFil InvisaFil 100 weight polyester thread.  You can really see in this example how thread weight affects the outcome.  The Deco-Bob and InvisaFil stitching were done with a double-blanket stitch and they are still not as thick as the Spagetti thread.

After working with Deco-Bob I went and read about it on WonderFil's website.  It turns out that it is an 80 weight polyester thread.  That's thin!  It surprised me because I expected it to be more like a 40 weight.

Overall, I decided that I like the Spagetti thread, but it was too thick for this purpose.  It was easier to do a double blanket-stitch with a thinner thread to get a thicker line.

I need to order some more colors of Deco-Bob!

Suzy

Warmth

I just finished a quilt in which I had to do all the flowers in cool colors because the background fabric was red.  I love it and I enjoyed working on it, but I definitely am having fun picking out warm colored fabrics now.

The center orange and yellow print is part of a rose fabric.  It had a shape similar to the piece I had to cut out so I wanted to try it.  It's really high contrast, but the shapes in the fabric add movement which I like.  The inner dark orange petals went nicely and added some more dynamics to the block.  I used a lighter orange thread to blanket-stitch those petals so that they stood out.  Again, I found that the large dot had to be the darkest fabric.

Since I wanted to outline the large dot in red, I also chose an orange for the inner red and orange petals because I have found that I don't like it when two pieces right next to each other are blanket-stitched in the same color thread.  If they're different their is more definition and separation between each piece.

I used the following threads:

• Outer yellow petals - Madiera Polyneon 40.  This polyester thread has a lot of sheen, but not as much as I expected; almost as much sheen as glide, but not quite.  It's very smooth and silky and was wonderful to work with.
• Inner red and orange petals - Gutermann Polyester thread.  I use a size 80 Microtex needle and I had a hard time getting this thread through the needle.  If I were to use it again I would definitely use a larger size 90 needle.  I did like that it was a thicker thread with little sheen.  I didn't want the thread on this busy fabric to take away from it so I was looking for something quiet with little sheen.
• Inner orange frame outline - Isacord machine embroidery thread.  In comparison to the Madeira Polyneon it definitely has less sheen.  This might be useful when trying to add sheen to accent something, but not as much as a focal point.
• Yellow and orange print - Deco-bob by Wonderfil Threads.  This thread is easy to use and definitely has a nice sheen to it.  I was trying to find a thread that matched the lightest orange in the fabric so that I could accent that color instead of the darker red.
• Large red dot - Fufu embroidery thread.  I must admit that I love the way this looks.  This thread has a ton of sheen, almost like metallic thread without all the peskiness that metallic requires....but that's another story for later.  I definitely want this thread in more colors! 
• Small orange dot - Isacord machine embroidery thread.  Again, little sheen, but that's okay because it's not what I wanted to accent in the block.

I must admit that sometimes I end up using a thread simply because it's the only one I have that is the right color.  That's okay too.  What I'm discovering is that different types of thread are adding more dimension to my blocks and I am truly happy with that.

It's also interesting to compare this block to the other one I did in red and yellow.  They have similar colors, but that pink dot definitely makes a statement.  It's also interesting to note where the lights and darks are in each block.  I think I like their placement in the top block better than in the bottom block, but I am unsure why.  Something to think about.

Suzy

My Mother's Favorite Colors

This block is dedicated to my wonderful mother who taught me to quilt and continues to encourage and inspire me.  She loves teal and purple.  Many, many, many of her quilts are teal and purple.

I was inspired by a batik that combined these two colors.  I wish more of it showed in the block, but the scale of the print was rather large.  Sometime to think about in the future when choosing fabrics. I then picked various shades to go with it.  I knew there would have to be some contrast, so I purposely chose light and dark turquoise to help bring sparkle to the block.  It's really important to make sure to have enough contrast.  A block that is all medium value fabrics has little sparkle because there is no contrast for the eye to notice.

I also had to be careful with the dark purple fabric on this block.  You can see the lines of dots in it.  I fussy cut these pieces to make sure the dots were all going inwards.  To do this, I placed my fabric on a light box as I was putting down my fusible so that I could see what pattern I was getting.

The following threads were used:

• Outer dark turquoise petals-Glide by Fil-Tec Threads.  I love it's sheen and it continues to be my favorite polyester thread.
• Inner purple petals-Artist Studio Colors by Superior Threads.  This is a polyester thread and it has nice sheen.  It's a little thinner than the Glide and leaves a thinner line.  I like to use it on purpose sometimes when I don't want as thick of a line.
• Light turquoise and little dot-Isacord machine embroidery thread.  It is a similar thickness to the Glide thread, but does not have as much sheen.
• Turquoise and purple print-Sulky Rayon 40 weight.  This thread is thick like the Glide and has almost as much sheen.
• Big dot-Artist Studio Colors by Superior Threads.  This particular color of thread is interesting as it is very gray in tone.  I find it a challenge to use sometimes as I tend to use very bright colors.  However, this particular dot was a little grayer than I normally use and so I decided to try it.  As I was stitching it out, I wasn't sure it was going to be the best choice, but in the end it blended well and lets the other fabrics and threads stand out which is what I wanted.

Love you mom!

Suzy

Working with High Contrast Fabrics

I fell in love with the red fabric with yellow dots in the middle of this block.  It is a very high contrast fabric. The yellow is very pale and the red is pretty dark.  When deciding what other fabrics to put with it, I knew I was going to have to go beyond the two colors in this fabric. I went with a darker shade of yellow that had light orange dots and a red a shade darker.  The orange dot seemed to go well with the dots on the dark yellow fabric too.  Then I had to pick out a fabric for the large dot.  It was a challenge.  I tried reds, yellows, oranges, but nothing seemed to work.  So I finally decided that dark pink was a shade darker than the two reds I'd already used.  I didn't expect it to work, but it did.  I really think that a dark dot is necessary for this block to help tie it all together.

The outer yellow petals are blanket-stitched in Glide by Fil-Tec Threads.  The inner red petals are stitched in an Aurifil Polyester 40 weight thread.  I have searched for more of this, but they no longer make it.  The very pale yellow fabric is stitched in Mettler 60/2 cotton thread.  Since this Mettler thread is cotton it has no sheen and really blends into the background.  Using this thread is a nice way to make part of the block soft and flat in sheen.  The dotted red and yellow fabric is blanket-stitched in Deco-Bob by Wonderfil Threads, a nice polyester thread.  It doesn't have quite the same amount of shine as the Glide, but it's close.  The large dot is stitched in Sulky Rayon 40 weight thread.  The little dot is stitched in Isacord machine embroidery thread.

Some things I have learned so far:

1. Cotton thread really has no sheen and is excellent if there is a piece you don't want to stand out.
2. Bottom Line Thread has a little sheen, but because it's 60 weight leaves a very thin line.
3. Glide, Isacord, Deco-Bob, and Sulky 40 weight threads all sew beautifully and have similar amounts of sheen.
4. Fufu thread is really shiny and way easier to sew with than metallic thread.

Suzy

Pink and Purple Possibilities

When I was a girl I loved pink and purple as most girls do.  Now my four-year-old son loves pink and purple.  I personally find the light shades of these two colors challenging to work with, so when I found the inner petal fabric below, I knew I had to try it.

I had a lot of fun playing with values for this block.  I kept trying to put a light blue in it and my husband finally said, "It really doesn't have enough light blue for it to work."  Trust the engineer to get right to the point!  And he's right, there isn't enough of the light blue for it to work.  So I picked out the different shades of pink instead.

As I've been working on this project I have realized that the large dot has to be a dark fabric.  It certainly helps to make sure that other colors beneath it don't bleed through and the dark value seems to tie the block together.

I had a lot of fun playing with threads on this block too.  The outer petals are blanket-stitched in Sulky Rayon 40 weight thread.  The inner petals are stitched in Bottom Line thread by Superior Threads. It's a 60 weight thread and I love how thin the line is.  Bottom line also has a low-sheen to it and so the fabric can stand out.  The darkest pink fabrics are both blanket-stitched with Deco-Bob by Wonderfil Threads.  It definitely has a lot of sheen, which I like for emphasizing the dot.

The inner petal fabric that has pink lines on the purple background gave me a lot of trouble.  I couldn't figure out what color thread to use on it.  I tried the three below.  I ended up ripping out the first two because they just didn't work.  I think the lighter pink worked well because it blended with the darker pink fabric behind it.  The white lines in the photo below are bits of stabilizer that I forgot to brush off.

The little dot at the very bottom gave me trouble too.  The background of it is a very warm lavender, but the dots on it are a cool lavender.  I had to go with one or the other and my thread choices were very limited in light lavender.  I ended up using Coats and Clark Dual Duty Plus which is 37% cotton and 63% poly because it seemed to be the right color.  You can see from the picture below the thread is kind of a combination between the two.  A pinker thread would've brought out the background of the dot more, whereas a bluer thread would'be brought out the dots more.  I didn't want to go too blue because the rest of this block uses very warm threads.  So I ended up with the final color as a compromise between the two: a little blue, but not too much.

Overall, I am very happy with my pink and purple possibilities and my four-year-old loves the block.

Suzy

Lime and Orange. Really!

One of the things I am enjoying most about this project is that I get to pick out lots of fun fabrics to applique with.  My current method is to pick a busy/funky/fun fabric and use that as a starting point.  Then I pick colors that look good with it.  I have noticed that it is important to be careful with value.  If all the fabrics are medium tones (no lights, no darks), the block doesn't shine as much.  The same is true with picking thread for the double blanket stitch.

I'm digging into all those really busy fabrics that are hard to use, but not too bad when cutting out a little piece.  The lime green fabric in this block came from this batik below.  I fussy cut the part I wanted.  I think I'll use a different section of it in a later block too. There are so many fun spots to choose from!

Here is Block 3 all finished up.  I really like the orange fabric with yellow dots as I think it adds to the "dottiness" of the block.

I dug into my thread collection for this block and used some new threads that I had to unwrap!  The outer lime green petals are blanket-stitched in DMC 100% cotton machine embroidery thread.  The cotton is very soft and has no sheen to it.  I like that on the lime green because it lets it be subtle.  The orange petals are sew in Bottom Line by Superior Threads.  It is 60 weight filament polyester.  I like it because it's very thin with not as much sheen as a usual polyester thread.  It added a finer, more delicate detail to the orange petals.  I thought about stitching them in yellow, but I didn't want them to stand out too much.  The focus green fabric and light orange fabric are blanket-stitched in my favorite Glide by Fil-Tec.  The big orange dot, which really stands out for sheen, is done in Deco-Bob by WonderFil Threads from Canada.  I will definitely be using this thread when I want something to stand out.

The biggest "ah-ha!" moment I have had so far came with looking at this block when it was finished.  I realized that I can control what your eye sees first with the sheen and contrast of the thread to the original fabric.  Something to think about as I move forward!

Suzy