Sylvia Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 Hello apqs community In a few posts I have read that people like to use King Tut on the top of quilts and Bottom Line in the bobbin. Do any of you worry that the poly in the bobbin might cut the cotton on top over time? Has anyone had a customer complain about their threads breaking? I haven\'t yet but have only been in business for not quite two years. Just a thought about mixing thread types. Have a lovely quilting day Sylvia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 Sylvia, mixing thread types and eventual breakage----this is not going to happen. Feel confident that all will be OK. There are lots of (false) rumors out there flying around. Bottom line is designed to run in the bobbin with a variety of thread types. I love Bottom Line and have no trouble with it at all as long as I keep my bobbin tension (and therefore my top tension) loose. In fact, I am currently using Bottom Line on a customer\'s quilt with a variety of top threads: Cotton, Rainbows and Metallics. Smooth sailing so far! Ever since I started loosening my bobbin tension a wee bit more, I haven\'t been having breakage on top threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judysmith Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 My thoughts on poly threads. Hope you\'ve got a few hours ... I\'ve been quilting with Rasant threads for 5 years. They are a polyester core thread, which is wrapped with cotton. Theoretically, with wear, can it cut through the cotton? My utility quilts do not receive special treatment. I wash them in my domestic washing machine (gentle cycle) and give them a gentle and brief spin. They are then hung on a clothes line to dry (not dried flat). In addition, they are draped over couches as well as beds and enjoyed by all the family and pets too. I have to say that they are standing up to the wear and tear very well. The only thread breakage has been where the dog has tried to bury a bone and got very enthusiastic with his digging! Of course, with all the washing they receive and the constant exposure to sunlight in my very sunny part of the world, I don\'t expect them to last a life time. From research into antique quilts, the only ones that seem to survive are those that are \'best\' quilts that probably have not received a lot of use in their lifetime. This is of course, my personal observation and opinion. I suppose the bottom line for me is that the combination is used successfully by many, many professional and domestic quilters. Take advantage of the many threads out there to produce lovely and exciting quilts! Regards, Judy;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 Sylvia, you will find some that will swear that cotton with cotton is the only way to go....but personally its an opinion of the past. Years ago the cottons weren\'t as strong as they are today...they weren\'t made of the long fibers that are used today, and weren\'t able to stand the others threads with them. Cutting the material, no, but threads wearing against each other breaking yes. With todays threads, I with Shana and Judy, and wouldn\'t even hesitate to mix and match the threads. You will find a blend that fits you and makes you happy, just keep trying till you find that special spot and work with that. And should it be a cotton with cotton or a mix of So Fine with King Tut....go for it, you know the look that you want to see on a quilt. That\'s the important thing more than the worry about which type goes with which thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sylvia Posted June 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 Thanks, all, for the info and reassurance. I like to use Bottom Line with a cotton in the top, partly so the back quilting is not hugely visible. I will now continue to do so, without the nagging question of whether it is a good idea. Sylvia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeoldeforest Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 I heard another interesting theory about the cotton vs. polyester... Piecers use cotton thread so that they can press their blocks - cotton thread resists heat...so most quilt makers prefer to piece with cotton. However, at the quilting stage, polyester (and all of the yummy colors) is perfectly fine for quilting because you are not going to press it again with a hot iron... I\'ve also heard that the thread makers have tested the "theory" of polyester thread cutting the quilt top by making samples and washing the quilt samples a gazillion times...proved that the thread lasted longer than the cotton material...and the thread didn\'t cut the material. (like mentioned by the experts above...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judysmith Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 As an afterthought. The polyesters we\'ve been talking about are for machine sewing, not the threads sold for embroidery. The embroidery threads are not made to withstand heavy use - they are decorative only. I\'ve used both polyester and rayon embroidery threads for quilting on small quilts that I knew would not become heavy with water when washing. The drag from being saturated with water and then lifted can be too much for these delicate threads. Having said that, you can use an embroidery trick and run a stronger thread through with the delicate or fussy thread, eg run monofilament with the fussy thread. Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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