Type of needle, size of needle, and quilting thread

[E.M. T.]

I have a question please. Last week I worked for four days making a complicated wall hanging. It consisted of many small pieces of fabric with "Steam a Seam" on the back, overlapping each other and ironed down. Now it needs to be machined quilted. I have not machine quilted much with fabric that has several layers of gluey stuff on the back of it, which makes the fabric fairly stiff and thick. I need to do a lot of free hand quilting on it, almost like thread painting.

So, my question is, what type of needle, size of needle, and thickness of quilting thread would you use in your normal, everyday, machine?

All of your input will be appreciated.

Thank you,

[Kathryn S.]

Hi Janice, if your quilt has a lot of fusible, you'll need a sturdy needle. A topstitch size 14 would be pretty strong and handle most threads.
If you use a 40 weight thread such as King Tut cotton your stitches will show up on the quilt well. A smaller thread like a 50 weight might not be heavy enough to get noticed. For ditch stitching to stabilize the quilt, if you need to do that, 50 weight is fine.
A word of advice here, based on my previous experience . Test your threads on a sample first- when I used Rainbows I had to play with the tension quite a bit to get a good stitch. Make a quick sample with your fusible and batting that you are using and try it out.
I hope you post a photo of your quilt when you are finished. It sounds intriguing!
Kathy

[Kathryn S.]

Thank you, I appreciate your answer. The wall hanging is a woman with long flowing hair. The hair is thin, long pieces of fabric, overlapping each other. So I was concerned about the thickness of the layers of fabric, along with the stickiness of the fusible. I will make sure to do some testing ahead of time.

[Kathryn S.]

Just a tip about your needle. If you find it is getting gummy, take it out and put a bit of machine oil on your fingers and run it over the needle. Don't put too much, or it will get on your fabric. Also, if what your are sewing through is stiff like you say, then you will want to use a larger needle than usual, perhaps a 90/14

[Kathryn S.]

You might also want to consider using a titanium needle. Superior threads carries it. Titanium can take a good beating and lasts longer so you might get away with a smaller size needle.

[Kathryn S.]

In addition to the 14 needle, if you have any thread shredding, you might try a poly thread that is stronger than a cotton. The fusible can sometimes shred delicate threads. Testing on scraps of that same fusible with the same amount of layers is the best way to know what you are dealing with.

Good luck, can't wait to see it!

[Kathryn S.]

Fairly new to hand quilting. Hello! I have hand-quilted a small wallhanging without a hoop. and, to say so myself, for a first project totally hand quilted, the stitiches aren't too bad. A few other experienced quilters said so too. Yeh! Now, I have a bigger quilt to hand quilt and it's in a hoop. The NEEDLE bends! Really wonky. Is there something I am doing or not doing that is causing this? Or, is it cheap needles? I used the same type of needle in the other work. I am using (don't know if we are to name names, but it's CL-VER) I am using size 10. How many needles does a quilt take?

[Lotti D.]

i'm absolutely lousy at quilting in a hoop - have generally ended up doing them without - of course these are not quilts for shows
i've got quite a collection of needles - my favourite's are john james but i actually buy everything i come across to try out
have found that the fabric (and batting) i use makes a huge difference - with some batiks i can bend or break needles at record speed, using 5 or more needles in an hour - then again there are times (and fabrics) when i can use one needle for days and days... when the fabrics are really tough - the softer needles bend - the ones that don't bend snap in two - bending is a lot less dangerous

[Lotti D.]

:roll: Oh.

Thanks, Lottie - don't know if that was encouragement or not, but thanks for answering :roll:

[Lotti D.]

By-the-way - I took a course from Debbie Kemball - a Houston winner and she doesn't use a hoop. Maybe that somehow makes it quiltingly 'legal' that we don't use one?

[Lotti D.]

crocus,
what about the tension of your fabric in the hoop? if it is too taught and there isn't enough give as you go up and down needles to bend. i have just finished quilting a lap top freely and love the slightly puckery and antique look it has. good luck
Jeanine

[E.M. T.]

Hi Crocus...about those bent needles....indeed, we do go thru needles..some times more than other times. :roll:
There are lots of reason why...as have been mentioned. There are so many ways to quilt that I feel you have to try
different methods 'till one fits you. Certainly you need not use a hoop if it works for you and you like the results.
I prefer a floor hoop so that both the quilt and I can move easily. Your quilt needs to be well basted so that it can be
fairly loose in the hoop in order to get an even stitch. I also use a slightly longer needle than most. Check out "The
Thimblelady's" method. Tried lots and ended up with hers. Happy quilting !!

[Lotti D.]

good morning crocus, it wasn't meant to be discouraging at all.... just to say you have to try out different methods and different needles to find what suits you. i struggled with the hoop (but not being very patient with myself i probably did not give it enough time :roll: ), then i saw two japanese ladies showing their work at patchwork europe in the val d'argent in france, they were both quilting beautifu beautiful huge quilts as they talked to us and both said they never used a hoop. i took this as my personal "go ahead and do it the way it works for you" :wink:

[Rita C.]

Terrie, I have never used a hoop either. I just sling mine over the dining table if it's a big one and otherwise I have it on my lap. I tuck it in under both sides of my thighs which gives it enough tautness for me so that I know that I am not going to get any puckers on the back. As for needles, I have bent a few in my time. I have used all sorts of different makes and sizes and I think that I am as whimsical about needles as everything else. Everytime I sew something by hand I test a few needles to see how easily they go through the fabric. And that's before I thread it. If I like it I continue, if not I try another until I am happy. I don't worry too much about whether it's big or small so long as it feel right and slides through the fabrics. I always try my best to put that needle somewhere that I can find it again easily but that's the bit that I forget everytime. :roll:

[Rita C.]

Thanks, Lotti - it was 'tongue in cheek' when I said the thing about encouragment, but they don't have a smilie face with a tongue in cheek :roll: I'm learning that although quilting has 'rules', they can be broken and we can suit ourselves as long as we end up with a finished project that we like!
BTW - my hoop 'broke' (the screw bent) last night, so today I will be quilting without one! It's the HST exchange quilt, which I wanted to hand quilt since it's so special. Nothing fancy,, but this will be lots of good practice!
Hope to see you in March/April!
Thanks too, Rita!