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Poly vs Cotton thread


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Hi Everyone

I know, this topic has probly been discussed 100 times already but I have to ask...

Why is it that most everyone that does longarm quilting use Poly threads rather than Cotton when our quilts are 100% cotton? What do your customers have to say about that?

I'm placing my first order this morning to Superior threads and am ordering SoFine, Rainbows and Bottom line, which are all Poly. I know most of you love these threads so I can't go wrong with them.

Rita

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I use mostly cotton thread. I use Signature cotton mostly, some King Tut and have gone from using Bottom Line for microstippling and McTavishing to using Masterpiece which is cotton.

I do use Bottom Line some in the bobbin when I have highly contrasting thread from the backing fabric. Last week I was using black thread on top and white BL because the backing was white. Worked great.

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Thanks Judy

I'm still working on my thread order and am just not sure what to order. There's too many options and all the colors are so gorgeous! :>)

If you use poly on the top, do you use poly on the bottom...do you always match them, in weight I mean?

And in regards to bobbins...do you use prewound and how many would you use per quilt? I just read a msg where one of the girls used 12 bobbins for one quilt!? I also noted that most charge around $5.00 for thread per quilt. Well, if one is using that many bobbins I'd think the thread cost should be more. Superior bobbins have 118 yds per bobbin...that's a lot of thread! Maybe I misunderstood or misread her msg. :>)

BTW, I was on your site today, looking at your quilting pictures and you do a beautiful job. I also noted in one picture you had a stick, maybe a yard stick, under your elastics...what was the purpose of this?

Sorry, so many questions. I've got so much to learn.

Rita

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Rita: You will probably receive different answers from all of us but here are mine:

1. I do not always match the weight/content. I may use Signature cotton on top and Bottom Line in the bobbin. Probably 80% of the time though, I use cotton on top and the same cotton in the bobbin.

2. I wind my own bobbins. I used pre-wounds in the beginning but found it to be much more cost effective to wind my own, even considering my time. I keep 2 cones of most of the threads and by the time I stock those two cones, plus the bobbins, I had a lot of inventory $$ tied up in threads. I find it just takes a very short time to wind bobbins and I don't mind doing it.

3. Hard to say how many bobbins you use. It depends on so much. I would say 12 per quilt is about a minimum. I sometimes wind 20 before starting a quilt and have to wind more -- it just depends on the amount of quilting.

4. I do not charge separately for the thread. That's all figured into my quilting charges. If they buy batting and/or backing from me, that's extra.

5. The yards stick was to lift the clamps to keep them from hitting the extended base. I now have some trays that I use. I'm able to put "stuff" in the trays and the straps go over them so that keeps the clamps from bumping the machine.

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Judy

Thank you, you're so much help! I'd completed the thread order and hadn't added any pre-wound bobbins cause I was trying to figure out which colors I might use the most. I'm going to get some white and cream, maybe beige but will wind my own . I guess the best part with ubying the prewound ones is that they hold so much thread...118yds is a lot. :>) If you wind your own have you ever figured out how much yardage you can get on the bobbin?

Rita

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