mscott2611 Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 When you are trying to decide what color thread to quilt your quilt top with how do you decide? What are your go to colors? I have a purple and gray quilt top that I cannot decide what color thread to use and this is not the first time this problem has come up for me so I need some good rules of thumb from you wonderful ladies of quilting experience of all ranges PLEASE. Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susanri Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 last purple and grey quilt I used a grey thread that seemed to blend into both and not too shocking on the white. I try to choose a thread that is neutral to all the colors. I use a ton of taupes. they seem to blend the most, i don't like when threads stand out too much. to choose I lay several threads across the quilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judy Bland Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 Mary, I lay a selection of threads on the top if I'm undecided, Glide Sand and Warm Grey are favourites, it really comes down to whether you want quilting to blend or be a bit more visible, I don't think there are hard and fast rules, each quilt is individual, chances are if you really can't decide between threads, then any of them will look fine, you will know right away if it's not appropriate, have faith in your intuition.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 Many tones and types of neutrals--greys on blue/purple, taupe on greens/browns, all pales from icy white to sand, a peachy tone for oranges and other warms, etc. You will find a thread color that works on a lot of fabrics, but collecting neutrals is a wise idea. You never know what the best color will be. I pull lots of threads and pool them on the fabric. Choosing thread color is one of my favorite parts of the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie H Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 Do you choose the thread color yourselves or let your clients choose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 Originally posted by Bonnie H Do you choose the thread color yourselves or let your clients choose? Situations vary, but if I tell them I will match thread to fabric colors, I usually do the deciding. If they want one thread color (due to budget constraints usually) we will choose the thread together. Most of my customers are thrilled to play with the thread, just like they like to play with fabric. And I imagine they are glad to be included in the decision process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susanne.Hughes Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 I am normally given the choice. I try to match the colours of the quilt or find one that plays nice with all the fabrics. To me, the job I do is to enhance the quilt so unless I have been asked to make the quilting stand out, neutral it is. I like Signature's Mother Goose colour. It is amazing how it will blend and give texture for the broadest range of fabrics. I also like a colour from Aurifil, it is an "old gold" colour, very much like new born Babypoo! Sounds horrible but it blends with gold, reds, blues, purples and greens and is a little bit of a maverick, taking on the colour it lies on. (Clear as mud?) I too will unspool about one to one half yards of thread over the quilt top if undecided and choose the one that sits the nicest. It is also wise to do this in good day light. Maybe I just have old eyes, but colours look different in daylight to artificial. Cheers, Susanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Darlington Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 My customers like to choose their own thread color and type of thread. A recent new customer insisted on knowing the websites for Superior and Fil-Tec so she could "research" which thread she wanted on her quilt. It took her 4 days to decide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinequilts Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 Hi. This is an opportunity for me to share my thread organization. I have all my threads on embroidery bobbins in a book (I use velcro). This has proven to be very helpful when picking thread with my customers as they are organized by colour (not manufacturer). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcclannan Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 Wow, Caroline. I like your organization. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janette Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 Great idea for organising thread - I may just steal that idea, as at the moment I unwind a cone and lay it out on my customers quilt, and ultimately they decide what colour they prefer. I use Glide the most, and my favourites which tend to blend on alot of quilts are Mocha 20727 Sand 20466 Copper 20730 Khaki (which is more gold) can't remember than number something like 24525 The silvers are good too - oh and coffee.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little House Creations Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 oooh - one more thing on my to-do list - organize my threads! Caroline - what a great idea! As far as thread choice goes, I try to give the customer two or three options (not too many as it gets overwhelming) and let them do the picking - and, I prefer my quilting to blend and not over take the piecing . . . so my go to colors are neutrals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Della Posted July 29, 2012 Report Share Posted July 29, 2012 Great organizer, Caroline! I usually ask what they had in mind, show them what I have and offer any suggestion that I think would be better. Sometimes, they just tell me to choose the one that would look best and sometimes I don't especially like doing that but I do it....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beachside Quilter Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 I have my thread arranged by color in a glass-front cabinet. Customers usually ooh-ahh over the colors and point out a couple that catch their eye. I pull them out, along with a couple that I think will work and spool out some thread onto their top and backing. Caroline, that is a great organization idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 I generally try to find a color that reads neutral on most of the fabrics. I have many shades of neutral in whites, beige, golds, taupes and grays. I will unspool the thread on the quilt to try them out. Normally I do this with my customer. They all know that I'm a blender. I want their quilt to shine not my thread. There are exceptions to that but I'd say 95% of the time it is neutral. Caroline now that is organized! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaLKB Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 If I have a quilt waiting, I will lay it out on my table and spool different threads on it that I am considering. As I pass by and get a "read" of what the thread will look like and then take away the NOs - eventually leaving the YES! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shar Schmutz Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 When I have a new customer, we go over tread choices, if they are returning customers they usually say "you choose, you know what looks good ". I try very hard to not make the quilting stitching stand out but add texture and dimension to their tops. Like most of the others I use a LOT of neutrals. I have one customer who is a very well known hand quilter and quilt book author. I am amazed when she brings me a quilt to machine quilt for her now and then. She is very particular about thread color and she told me when I get stuck do as her mother taught her; " When in doubt, go light". I have used her advise more than I can tell you and it has worked out well for me so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustee Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 What a great way to organize. I keep my threads in a glass cabinet organized by color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltedsunflower Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 I'm working on a very bright twin size for my niece. It has lots of neon green, blue and orange. There is pink and yellow, and a brown speckled border with all the colors in it. I was wondering what thread color, and this has given me lots to think about as to how to choose. Guess I'll be spooling off lots of colors to see what works best. Gotta love this forum. you get answers before you even ask questions :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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