Exploring The Basics: How to Choose Thread and Quilt Designs for Your Quilt

 

You've made it this far - you've completed your quilt top (yeah you!), you've pieced your backing, chosen your batting.  Now what?  Yup - you guessed it - that beauty now has to be quilted.  But slow your roll - let's look at some things before the quilt goes under the needle.

 

Thread

Consider your thread color AND your thread weight.  Some questions to ask yourself to narrow the selection:

 

Do I want the quilting thread to show?

When looking at thread weight, the larger the number, the finer or thinner the thread.  For reference, most folks sew with a 50 wt thread.   Many will choose a heavier weight thread for quilting, such as a 40wt or a 28 wt.

Do I want the quilting motif to stand out or just add texture?

 

In the example above, I used some of my fun Just My Type fabric (in stores in November 2020) and two different 28wt thread colors from my Aurifil Kismet collection to make simple straight line quilting on the coaster.

I wanted two things:

I wanted the thread to show - so I selected a 28wt AND contrasting colors

I wanted the motif to become a design element for the project - so again, chose contrasting thread colors AND a heavier weight.  

 

In contrast to the coaster, in this fun bright version of Mustache Bash, the quilting is more of a texture element, and not the focus of the quilt.

 

Two other elements to note with Mustache Bash:

Thread Color - the quilt is quilted in a limey yellow.  Close up, it does contrast strongly with the non-lime colors.  But - look at the overall picture again.  Yes - the limey yellow blends to create texture.

I do a TON of fused appliqué projects.  Whenever possible, I try to quilt the base first (or have my quilt fairy, Pat Yearwood of Stitch'n Quilt, quilt the base) and then I add my fused appliqué.  This makes the project easier to quilt.

 

Do I want to hand quilt this or machine quilt my quilt?

Hand quilting as an option might affect which thread you use.  There are threads from some brands that are specifically for hand quilting that are pre-waxed to help them glide through the fabric easier.  Or you might choose to use a floss for even more impact.

Remember the limey yellow from Mustache Bash?  Well, tuck this away in the back of your mind for future reference: fun fact is that many yellows actually BLEND when used as a quilting thread.  Yup - crazy, I know!  But look at this close up of the vintage quilt.  You can see the quilt artist hand quilted her lovely, soft creation in a yellow.  Up close, you can see it, but when just looking at the quilt, it is almost invisible!

Let's talking quilting designs or motifs now.  I touched on some of these elements when discussing thread colors, but let's look at it again.

 

Do I want the quilting motif to stand out or just add texture?

In Tartary (above), it is quilting in an overall, edge to edge, design.  That simply means it is a certain motif (in this case bamboo leaves) that is repeated over and over again across the surface of the quilt.

 

Here's a close up.  Notice that my quilting fairy (Pat) chose a neutral thread for this motif.  It provides a nice texture and compliments the fabric as well as the overall quilt.

Do I want straight line quilting, free motion, or something else?

Several of the examples I've shared so far have had computerized, edge to edge, or hand quilting. But...you can combine the styles as well.  In the sample above, look closely at the center of the block.  

Yes - there is some free motion quilting in the block center.  And then there is some simple, straight edge echo quilting, both inside and outside the lines of the dark gray fabric, which accentuates the lines of the block.  You can combine different styles of quilting!  After all - it's your quilt!

Here is a perfect example of some custom quilting - with a different motif in different areas of the blocks.  This is from one of my favorite quilts, Checkered Past.

Check out those wavy lines!  They provide some fun texture and contrast to the very linear quilt, and stand out from the concentric, slightly rounded quilting in the other blocks.  Fun!

 

Here's another great example of some amazing custom quilting from Pat, this time on Granny Squares.  Notice that the lines are straight and simple, accenting another very linear, graphic pattern.  

Keep that straight line quilting in mind.  If the idea of free motion quilting makes you break out in hives, try some straight lines.  They can be VERY appealing!  Mix it up - change your thread colors and your thread weights.  Make it your own.

It's all too much - I want something simple!

Just breathe.  Let's go back to that straight line quilting.  It can be super easy and really make an impact.  Just look at the mini quilt above.  Straight lines around the border add some interest and texture, but are very easy to do!  I use the edge of my presser foot as a guide and control the width of the rows of quilting by moving my needle.  Easy!

Let's take a closer look at what is going on.  

Stitch in the ditch: this is quilting IN THE SEAM LINE.  I did this in the seam between the center of the mini and the border.

Easy straight line stitching IN A MATCHING THREAD.  If you are less than confident in your quilting, matching your thread color to the fabric helps disguise any less than perfect stitches.  Yes, folks will see the texture, but it won't stand out as much as if you had a contrasting thread.  

And then there's quilt as you go.  Pretty much like it sounds, you are quilting as you are piecing!  How does that work?  Well, some projects lend themselves to quilt as you go easier than others.

This close up of an upcoming release, Coneflower, is quilt as you go.  The strips are pieced together AND stitched through the batting and backing at the same time!  Awesome, because when you finish, all you have to do is trim and bind.  Awesome!

Need some more inspiration?  Every time I teach a beginning machine quilting class, I ALWAYS recommend this book: Quilting Makes the Quilt (link below for you).  It is amazing - she offers visual examples showing HOW a change in quilting motifs, style, and size can impact the final look of the quilt.  

Personally, I think it is one of those items that every quilter should have on his or her shelf!

Kate is going to have more eye candy and words of wisdom on selecting your best quilting design for you as well, so hop on over to her blog to get more helpful suggestions!

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