Upgrading Your Straight Line Quilting, Part Two: Using Thread Weight
Changing the thread weight you quilt with can give dramatic results with little change in the actual quilting process.
In part 1 of this series on Straight-Line Quilting, we explored how we can use the BERNINA Walking Foot to create evenly-spaced quilting lines on our projects. Now, in part 2, we get to explore the effect of thread weight on our overall quilting designs. Make sure you stay tuned for the final post, where we discuss how to add interest and variation to our designs through mixing hand and machine quilting.
What is Thread Weight?
Thread weight is the weight or thickness of your thread. We use different thicknesses for different types of projects. As quilters, most of us use 50-weight for both piecing and quilting, but there are many thread weights to explore that can add interest to your quilting designs.
The numbers indicate thread weights. Heavier threads have smaller numbers and thinner threads have larger numbers. A 12-weight thread is very heavy, and a 100-weight thread is thin and delicate.
Why do two threads of the same weight look and feel different?
Have you ever looked at a piece of yarn and noticed that multiple strands are twisted together to form its total thickness? Thread is made in a similar process. As you pull it off the spool, multiple strands are twisted together to create the finished thickness.
Sometimes, understanding thread weight can be confusing because some threads can feel thicker than other threads of the same weight that a different company manufactures. Since the individual strands determine thread weight, the overall thickness will vary depending on the number of strands in each thread.
Thread labels frequently include the strand weight and number of plies on the label. For instance, a 40-weight thread with three plies is labeled 40/3, while a 40-weight thread with two plies is labeled 40/2. Even though each is a 40-weight thread, the overall thickness of the 40/3 thread is more significant because it has an extra ply.
Which Thread Weights Work the Best for Machine Quilting?
Almost every thread weight can be used in straight-line machine quilting. You will select different weights depending on the effect you hope to achieve.
The Most Common Machine Quilting Thread Weights
50-weight thread is the most common weight we use because it is the weight we are most likely to piece with. 50-weight thread is relatively thin and tends to blend into the fabrics of our projects. If a quilting motif requires backtracking, the 50-weight thread allows multiple thread layers without overshadowing the piecing behind it.
40-weight thread is a favorite for quilting. It has more heft than 50-weight, making quilting stitches appear more substantial.
Less Common Machine Quilting Thread Weights
28-weight thread has a more significant visual impact than its 40—and 50-weight counterparts. It is an excellent choice for adding moments of impact within your quilting motifs. Color choice dramatically affects the degree of focus this thread will draw on the overall project design.
12-weight thread is the heaviest thread that will work well in most machines. Its physical and visual thickness means it plays a vital role in the overall design of your quilting project. Beyond machine quilting, this thread is an excellent choice for adding hand-quilted accents.
On the opposite end of the machine quilting spectrum, 80—and 100-weight threads are visually delicate. This creates opportunities for the thread to nearly disappear into the background, mainly leaving texture visible.
Preparing Your Sewing Machine for Heavier Thread Weights
Needles for Heavier Threads
When using a heavier thread, select a needle that is both larger and has an eye with a more rounded shape. Microtex and Topstitch needles both work well for quilting. I generally quilt with a Topstitch 90/14 needle, but I will go up to a 100/16 Topstitch needle if I have any issues with the thread moving smoothly through the machine.
Selecting a Straight Stitch
When you select a quilting-specific stitch, the machine helps adjust tension and stitch length. These settings are often perfect, but you may need further adjustments with heavier thread weights.
On the BERNINA 770 QE PLUS, I suggest starting with stitch 1302 for straight-stitch quilting.
Tip: Keep a few practice quilt sandwiches near your machine so you can test a stitch and adjust the tension or stitch length to work with your project.
Adjusting the Presser Foot Pressure for Quilting
Depending on the thickness of the materials you are stitching through, you may need to reduce the presser foot pressure to achieve the most even feed through the machine. If you have basted well but still notice small tucks or shifting in your project, you should reduce your presser foot pressure.
The base setting for presser foot pressure on the 770 QE PLUS is 50, but I reduce it to 45 or 40 for many quilting projects.
Setting the Quilting Speed
I am guilty of trying to run with my walking foot, so I set the speed for the machine to between half and three-quarters of the maximum.
Matchstick Quilting with Thread Weight Variations
I incorporate contrasting matchstick quilting into many of my quilt designs. The thread weight I choose for each plays a prominent role in the overall impact of the quilting.
In the quilt, The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum of Its Parts, I used 50-weight thread in colors to match the pieced segments of the circle. As these lines draw outward from the central motif, the background is lightly infused with these colors.
Infused Plaid takes the idea of extending color outward from a central motif further. I designed this quilt by determining the placement of the quilting lines first, then used that guide to decide the location of the pieced squares and rectangles in the quilt top. Since the quilting plays a vital role in the overall design, I chose to use a 28-weight thread to increase the visual weight of the matchstick quilting.
Complementary Convergence creates two separate motifs that interact with each other through the quilting designs. I designed the quilt using a technique similar to Infused Plaid’s but chose to use a heavier 12-weight thread to complete the colorful portions of the quilting. Since a significant part of the overall design is the areas on the side of the quilt where the quilting stitches from both motifs intersect, I wanted the thread to have the boldest impact possible.
Thread Weight Selection with Decorative Stitches
Varying thread weights with decorative stitches has an even greater effect. Since many decorative machine stitches require the machine to stitch over at least part of the stitch design more than once, the thickness of the thread builds up as the decorative motifs take shape. Test each decorative stitch in multiple thread weights for the best results before deciding which one to use on your final project. I select 40- or 28-weight thread for most of my quilts to stitch decorative motifs.
Here are two of my favorite decorative stitches done in multiple thread weights:
So far in this series, we have discussed the basics of straight-line quilting, incorporating decorative stitches along with straight lines, and how thread weight can alter the effect of your quilting. Join us for the final part of the series, where we will discuss how incorporating a small amount of hand stitching can further elevate your straight-line quilting.
