gable428 Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 Am I supposed to have prewounds in every color that I would use on top? For instance, if I use red on top then I use red prewounds, if I use blue on top then I use blue prewounds, if I use gold on top then I use gold prewounds, and etc. That can get really costly. I'm trying to narrow down how many colors of prewounds that I would need. How do I figure this out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoryJM Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 Don't buy them all at once. I added prewounds as I added thread, but much slower. I spent alot of time winding my own bobbins until I decided whether I liked prewounds. I now have prewounds in most every color, but only a dozen of each, except the ones that I use more frequently. Just buy a little at a time for whatever quilts you're working on. Before you know it, you'll have them all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg_marsh Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 I have prewounds only in basic colors - wind the rest. I agree that it would too expensive to have all the colors. I have a good selection of sew fine which I use a lot for the bobbin and the top so it is a good investment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 Hi Gable, Well honestly with me I don't have every single color of BL in my stash of colors. I keep a few cones of some colors that blend well with the back of the quilt. It's pretty rare that my top thread matches my bottom thread. In my stash of bottom line, I keep these colors: Black, White, cream, Gray, and Taupe. That's it. Oh and I also bought some BL in the lime green! I USE it a lot!! The thread is so thin it pretty much melts into the fabric color. For example if my back is Black, most likely I use black BL. If my back has some blue in it, I will probably pick the gray, or cream. I use a lot of the white, cream and gray. Just depends. The top thread I pick depending on the colors or look I want. I hope this helps. PS: I don't have prewound bobbins. I wind my own. Always have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltingnanny Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 Hey Shana, isn't that lime green awsome ? Glenda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyLake Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 I very seldom match top and bottom thread anymore. I generally use neutral Bottom Line. The neutrals I use the most are: #618 medium brown, #620 cream, #613 sage, and #617 taupe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witha'K'quilting Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 I too wind my own bobbins. I have never used prewounds. I have lots of BottomLine thread and I use it on top and bottom depending on what I am doing with the design. I have to keep my cost down as I do not do this for a living. It is a hobbie for me. I have all the bright colors and neutrals and basic colors on the cone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gable428 Posted October 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 Lots of good answers here. I think my biggest concern is that sometimes my top thread shows on the bottom so that's why I am thinking I have to match both threads. For those of you who use different colors, how do you keep this from happening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg_marsh Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 When using 2 colors, I find that the biggest help for me is the batting I use. Using a thin batting makes it almost impossible for me to totally control show through of the threads top to bottom & bottom to top all the way through. As I work through curves, etc & because of needle flex, etc., this is a very tricky thing. I find that the thicker battings such as Dream Puff, Wool & often combining batting really makes all the difference. Using the thinner threads also helps, but not as much as the batting issue. Sometimes I will loosen the tension top and bottom and that might help a little, but again, batting is the key issue for me. Any hints about handling this in a better way would be wonderful. Great question Gable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyLake Posted October 24, 2009 Report Share Posted October 24, 2009 I do a thread tension test when I first start the quilt. I have a separate bobbin case for each type of bobbin thread that is pre-set for tension (although I have to check it once in awhile). I do a test line of stitching and tighten the top thread tension until it doesn't show through to the bottom. I have to keep in mind that if the pattern has lots of curves, the top tension will need to be even tighter. This works for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted October 25, 2009 Report Share Posted October 25, 2009 When I first started I would wind my bobbins, now, like some of the others have said I have about 6 neutrals that I can match to the back of my quilt. Rarely do I use the same color thread on top and on bhe back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted October 25, 2009 Report Share Posted October 25, 2009 Originally posted by gable428 Lots of good answers here. I think my biggest concern is that sometimes my top thread shows on the bottom so that's why I am thinking I have to match both threads. For those of you who use different colors, how do you keep this from happening? Here are some things that I do: 1) Bobbin drop test... drops slow, steady like a spider would on a web. 2) Tighten top tension until you start to see a tiny peek of the bobbin thread in the hole where the needle went in. Then just very slightly loosen your top tension a smidge. Teeny bit. You should be good to go. 3) Loosen the quilt sandwich on the frame so it has a very slight sag (not too tight) 4) thicker batting is your friend. More space for the top & bottom threads to lock. 5) Keep your bobbin assembly area clean and oiled. I am always blowing out the bobbin case and bobbin assembly and putting a few tiny drops of oil in there. (I have a precision tip oiler that works PERFECT for this) not too much oil; just right. For blowing out the bobbin case, I cup the bobbin case inside my left hand and using my right hand, I blow it out real good with my air compressor. Cupping it like this works great to get all the fuzz out of that bobbin case. 6) Every few quilts or so, I religously give my bobbin assembly a nice bath in WD40 which cleans the moving metal pieces in there; gets rid of the oil build up and any goo that might be in there from specks of fabric fuzz and thread. I think eliminating most of our problems with tension all start with keeping a clean bobbin assembly. In general, just keep tweaking top tension until you have nice stitches on top and bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gable428 Posted October 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2009 Thanks Shana for the great info!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted October 25, 2009 Report Share Posted October 25, 2009 U R Welcome Honey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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