Using clear thread -- what all do I need to know?

[E.M. T.]

:shock: Holey Moley !! :shock: You must melt there ! When most of the time you are cool and "shady" !
We've had some hot days already..a little early.. but now we're getting right
down to normally hot time of summer....100, 101...102 yesterday and to continue
all week..forecasting 104 on Sunday next !! Could go on for 2 wks or so...
Just hope the AC holds out. :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Rita C.]

Marilyn I suppose you would all melt without the AC. We don't have AC here as it's usually heating we need not cooling! Fortunately our house is an old stone one so it stays very cool even in the summer - a blessing in the last week - not so great most of the time. :roll:

[Lois B.]

It is stiffling hot back East too. We have temps in the mid 90's but with the humidity the heat indexs tells us it feels like 100+. This morning it was 74F before the sun came up. It's hot! By the way, I had a quilt hanging on my front porch for about 3 years through summer heat and winter cold quilted with Maderia's Monofil, a polyamide, made in Germany. The quilt faded long before the thread gave out. In fact, it did not give out.

[Annis C.]

Sulky has an invisible polyester thread. That's what I use because it's available in the local stores. It only needs a slight tension adjustment, maybe a 3 or 2.

We had a record high of 74 degrees yesterday and a lot of rain. Thanks to those in the northeast for sharing the cool weather. I'm sure you will have it back in a few days.

[Annis C.]

We have had days of high humidity(which makes the heat so much worse) and 90's. Today, 95.7*; 67% humidity.
I hope my AC holds on. I use YLI mono. most of the time when I use any and can't remember having problems with it. I will say my Viking will sew most threads without much problems. It doesn't like Sulky metallic but that is really the only one I can think of. And, I only have to drop my top tension from 6 to 5.5.

[Annis C.]

According to Superior threads, it doesn't melt with the iron which is why i used it on my t-shirt quilts. there are others that swear to never use poly threads.. So its a matter of preference. For me, I use it on top of T-shirts because it melts into al the different colors. So far I haven't had any problems. for the bottom I use bottom line. It really depends on the color of the t'shirts being used.

[Keith D.]

I don't want to cause any problems with anybody's quilt... So take this for what it's worth...

I've used YLI and Sew Art International nylon monofilament thread since 1990. My 23 year old quilts are still together, soft and pliable, and invisible - not yellow and brittle. And they haven't melted. Every spool I buy, I drag threads back and forth across my iron at the hottest setting and they don't melt or break...

I don't dry my quilts thoroughly in the dryer though.

I use a 60 or 70 needle. The tension setting I use depends on what I have in the bobbin and the batting and the humidity and the body of the top and backing fabric... It's usually on the looser side. I test and change tension with every fabric, thread, and batting change.

Superior's matte finish monopoly is a great thread though... I don't think it's as invisible as YLI or Sew Art International... I am using it, but not all the time.

For me, monofilament thread works best with a grabby/sticky thread in the bobbin. I like 60 weight cotton with it.

And I don't quilt much, if at all, with it any more. (It took me a while, but I'm loving visible thread for quilting.) I use monofilament a lot for my turned-edge, machine applique that tries to look like hand applique.

[Keith D.]

Keith, thanks for chiming in! I'll see what clear thread is available at my LQS when I go in a few weeks and go from there. Being a quilt for a kid's bed, washing/drying is going to happen, but that's a thought, dry on low and just to "mostly dry" and then let hang dry/air dry the rest of the way.....

I'll be sure and play with what bobbin thread to use, too, until I find what works best in my machine. I don't envision using tons of this, just this one quilt most likely.

[Keith D.]

Another thing that I will give for the monopoly threads is that they are much easier to pull out & unpick, because of their construction rather than normal spun threads - once you have found them that is :wink: and for that, it is a case of having the light reflecting at the right angle.

I am actually planning on using it to put in tempory template position markers for my latest quilt, rather than drawing on it.

[Lois B.]

Another thing that I will give for the monopoly threads is that they are much easier to pull out & unpick, because of their construction rather than normal spun threads - once you have found them that is :wink: and for that, it is a case of having the light reflecting at the right angle.

I am actually planning on using it to put in tempory template position markers for my latest quilt, rather than drawing on it.

I'd like more details! Sounds like a good idea. Marking is usually a pain for me and it's good to know many methods.

[Lois B.]

The Plan is that I don't want to do any marking with a pencil or pen that might need washing out. I do want to sew around templates to get the patterns evenly placed and because the white borders & sashing don't have seams where I need them for lining the templates up on (ie down the centre line of the sashing) I am planning on putting a line of masking tape down the middle, sew with the clear thread along the edge of the masking tape, which can then be lifted off in short order. Then I will divide the long sections into shorter sections, at right angles, again with masking tape and stitch along the edge of it and lift off the tape. This will give me a grid for locating the templates on that won't disappear and will take being scrunched up under my domestic sewing machine.

Yes I will have to do a load of unpicking at the end, but that doesn't bother me if it means that my quilting design is nicely placed and I can avoid fmq :wink:

PS I plan on making my templates out of sandpaper again, it works great.

[Nancy R.]

It's more expensive, but another idea would be to use the water-soluable thread for your marking. Then you don't have to pick it out and, if you weren't using white fabric, would be easier to see as you work. Of course, you would have to be able to soak your quilt after finishing.

Nancy

[Nancy R.]

Just a quick note that I use masking tape to mark my quilting lines *all-the-time* and it works beautifully, even scrunched up under my domestic machine. I've used either masking tape or painters tape, both work, and have used them on baby quilts up to full sized (double) bed quilt. You might find it saves you time just to cover over with masking tape and quilt, although I have only used it as a guide for straight lines, not to mark out a grid for sewing inside.

Will you be able to see the invisible thread against the white fabric to use as a guide? And if you are going to pick out anyway........would a contrasting color work better?

(not trying to debate, but helping think it through, as it were.... sounds like a very good idea to mark the grid since you don't have conveniently placed seams!)

[E.M. T.]

Like Nancy said....but try the water soluble in the bobbin and reg thread on top...you can see the marking and remove
when ready and the inside thread will dissolve went you wash it eventually. I hate froggin' !!

[Nancy R.]

Like Nancy said....but try the water soluble in the bobbin and reg thread on top...you can see the marking and remove
when ready and the inside thread will dissolve went you wash it eventually. I hate froggin' !!

Good idea!!