dbz98236 Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 I'm new to this and have a question. Is there a formula for buying thread. How do you know how much to buy for a project. I have a California King quilt top to quilt and am doing a pantograph called "Wild at Heart". It seems to echo the heart 3 to 5 times. Just wanted to know if there was some type of formula for thread amount. The one she has picked is Sew Fine Aster which has 3280 yards on it. At this point, that sounds like a lot of thread but I don't have a concept of it yet. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks Debbie Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg_marsh Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Hi Debbie, I honestly don't know of a formula - have only run out once and Superior sent my cone right away. I do keep on hand extras of the basics: white, black, beige, etc. I do buy cones and not spools. Where in Oregon are you. You might find a shop that carries the threads near you. I know Bayside in Olympia & the Quilt Barn in Pullayup (my area) both carrier Superior so you might find someplace and then you wouldn't have to worry. Sorry I couldn't be of more help................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbz98236 Posted August 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 I'm in Portland. I was just hoping I wouldn't run out and have to leave the quilt on the machine, waiting for another cone. I think I will order 2, one for machine and one for bobbin and go from there. I just thought that all the experts might have an idea of how to plan for thread. Thanks Meg Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Debbie, I think you have plenty of thread there to make it thru a King Size.. I've used 500 yards on a double, and one sparsely quilted queen, with some left over. What was left over was used on an odd project with no quilt shapes to measure it to. You Will quickly learn as you quilt, and sooon be able to guess pretty close to what you need. Enjoy, and Keep stitching. ritaR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Hi Debbie, Your cone of SewFine will be plenty to quilt a King size--including the bobbins. I charge for thread by the number of bobbins used. I stick with BottomLine pre-wounds usually and they have 118 yards per bobbin. A king size may run 10 to 12 bobbins, depending on the density of the stitching. Realizing that the top thread usage must match the bobbin thread pretty closely, 10 bobbins will use about 1200 yards of top thread. Check the yardage on the cones you use and that may give you an idea of how much thread a quilt will take. I will also venture that with cones of BottomLine and SewFine, what looks like a meager amount on the cone can be quite a bit--maybe enough for two quilts--because the thread is so thin. I have quilted since 2004 and have only emptied three cones of thread--but I have 200+ cones to choose from. The wonderful neutrals out there are the type to keep two cones on hand. They are great for winding your own bobbins and then you won't have to wait for a re-order. I use lots of taupe-y, putty, blue-gray, silver-gray, black, cream, and white. That variety seems to cover a lot of territory. Hope to see you in October at Nora's. And perhaps at Innovations in September--great place for classes from the big girl quilters! If you make it to Innovations in September, Superior will be there with wholesale pricing for their full line of thread. Try to go on Wednesday for the best selection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBQLTN2 Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Debbie If you saw some of the collections of threads that some of these gals have you would see they dont worry about running out, some could open their own thread shops. When going to the big shows they stock up at the Superior booths for sure. I bought a 2000 yd cone of king tut and used it as the top thread of a queen quilt, there is probably about 1/3 of a cone left and the quilting was a fairly dense panto. So I would have to say if you have a 3280 yd cone you shouldn't have to worry about running out. Are you using it for the bobbin as well? If you are that may make it a little closer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbz98236 Posted August 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Linda, thans for the info. Yes I'm already signed up for Innovations. I'm glad you told me about Wednesday. Thanks IBQLTN2 - Yes I will be using it for the bobbin also. I think I will get one and see how it goes. I can wind about 8 bobbins to start with. Or maybe 6, I think I have at least 6 bobbins. Can you tell, I just have what they sent me with the machine. Hope that by innovations I will have a good idea of what I should pick up if they have booths with supplies from the different vendors and APQS. Thanks Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srichardson Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Debbie, I have a Superior Threads chart that shows for a king sized quilt you would need approximately 700 yds for light quilting, 1300 yds for medium and 2000 yds for heavy quilting. The chart says these yardages are for the top thread only and to double the quantity if you are using the same thread top and bottom. It gives suggestions for crib through king size quilts and I think that I probably picked it up during a lecture that Bob Purcell (Superior Threads) gave at a show. Perhaps they will also be available at their booth at Innovations. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judi Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Linda - you are SO smart!!! I know how much thread is on a prewound, but actually never thought - DUH!!?!?? I guess I would use about that much (give or take with thickness and tension issues) on the top thread!! I need a smiley face here with a bright RED blush in the cheeks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melora Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Hi Debbie, just wanted to say I use about 5-10 bobbins per row with microcraping. I also us thread other then superior and have always been pleased. Even with the smallwork I do, also on king size quilts, I have only run out of a cone thread once. Good Luck Melora Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbz98236 Posted August 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Thanks all for the info. It was very helpful. I have only been using the cones from the store that I have been using on my serger because everything I have done so far has been practicing on my own quilts and muslin. Now I have a customer quilt and want to do it right. Especially since it is top I did for my sister in law about 5 years ago that she never had quilted. Now my mother in law is paying me to quilt the quilt. Too much pressure. Does anyone know who sells the superior threads in Portland? I don't have a business license yet so I don't think I can go (ee schenk?) I have tried some of those spools from Fabric Depot and JoAnnes but they don't work very well on the machine. The cones seem to work better. Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliagraves Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Superior's website has a store locater. I found a chart (forgot where) that gave estimates for thread usage for size of quilt and density. I've found it to be pretty accurate. If your pattern is really really dense, of course, it could take more than what's listed for heavy quilting. A bobbin typically takes 150-200 yds of thread (depending on the size of thread), so you could see how far you get on one bobbin and estimate the total thread needed. Size Light Quilting Medium Quilting Heavy Quilting Lap 200 yards 400 yards 600 yards Single 400 yards 800 yards 1,200 yards Double 500 yards 900 yards 1,400 yards Queen 600 yards 1,000 yards 1,600 yards King 700 yards 1,500 yards 2,000 yards Julia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunningThreads Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Debbie I am sure you can order directly from Superior Threads. You just don't get the wholesale pricing without the business number. Their shipping charges are resonable and they ship quick (we get our delivery here in Canada usually in a week). Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Darlington Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 I've ordered from Superior without a business license. I just had to pay the retail price. In the future, you can usually get better prices on their thread at the quilt shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbz98236 Posted August 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 Thanks everyone for all the great ideas and info. I can hardly wait for Innovations to see all the neat new stuff that I'm sure I will need to buy. I have already started a list. Again thanks to all Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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