There are no products in this series that I do not use and use often, though sometimes my opinions may change as I grow and move along in my journey of quilt making. To view all posts in this series click here.
Hiya, quilty peoples!
As you know Rachel from Stitched in Color has been hosting a stitch along for everyone to learn English paper piecing and make a GORGEOUS quilt called “Kingfisher” that she and Jodi designed. I spoke about this last month in this article.
A couple of weeks ago, she asked me if I would try stitching with some threads that she is using and post my thoughts on them, so Superior Threads sent me two of their threads to try (this is after I wrote the big thread article). The two threads were: The Bottom Line and MicroQuilter.
Superior Threads has offered one of my readers a $30 gift certificate! So be sure to scroll to the bottom to find out how to enter this giveaway.
My EPP Supplies
Now that I’m doing EPP everyday I’ve updated some of my favorite supplies (I’ll tell you why in just a bit).
Favorite Supplies:
- Silhouette Cameo machine – to make my hexagon papers.
- Snip-eze scissors
- cotton thread for basting
- Bottom Line thread for hand sewing
- Dritz milliner needles
- this thimble
The Bottom Line
- 60 weight polyester thread.
- I’m using it for hand sewing.
- They say it also makes a great bobbin thread.
In my big thread article last month I went on quite a bit about how much I loved this thread for hand sewing my hexie flowers. When I was offered a few new threads and a gift certificate for one of you, I was already using this thread.
I have tried MANY threads for hand sewing and I’m very sold on this one. Here’s what I like about it:
- It’s very thin, which makes it easy to hide my stitches.
- It’s polyester, and it has some bounce to it. I’m fond of pulling my stitches tightly and I haven’t had this thread snap on me yet.
- I like the color silver the best! It’s a great color to blend and means I don’t have to run out and buy a bunch of color threads for matching (except for dark colors). It’s been hiding well with all my greens and reds and low volumes very well.
- It’s also smooth. Like butter. I’m not experiencing any tangling or having to tug my thread through. When I pull, it slides.
If you zoom into this picture you can really see the difference on these two hexies flowers. The one on the left (the green) is sewn with a 40 weight polyester thread that I liked until I found The Bottom Line. The flower on the right (the blue) is sewn with the Bottom Line thread.
I liked the thread I was using prior to the Bottom Line, but I could see most of my stitches. It’s really just fine, I’m anal sometimes, but not a perfectionist, but if I can make those stitches disappear, then why wouldn’t I? In the blue flower, you can’t see my stitches. Even when I make a mistake like a bigger bite of fabric, my stitches are very minimal.
And ya’ll, I’m not that great at hand sewing! I’m working on my consistency. I’ve still noticed several things that I could do better, but this thread has really taken me up a notch. I’m very grateful to all of you who have turned me on to it.
I’ve got a list of things for me to work on and that’s what is putting me off doing video tutorials of hexie flowers. I’m not sold on how I make my knot and I’m looking for a better way to do that. When I feel like I’ve perfected “my” way, I plan on showing you.
Buy The Bottom Line here on Superior Threads website, or here on Amazon.
MicroQuilter
- 100 weight polyester thread
- Designed for micro stippling, stitching in the ditch and detail quilting
- Also perfect for invisible machine applique
- And according to me, the single best thing that ever happened to hand applique
So this thread is brand new to me. As soon as I got it, I did my usual quilting meander pattern. You can see it in this quilt. It is dainty and fine, a perfect thread for blending into your quilt and disappearing like when you want the quilt design to pop and not the actual quilting. I did have to change my needle to a 70/10 to make my machine accept it. I thought with the horror stories I’d heard about extra fine thread being tangly I was going to have trouble, but I promise you there was not a lick of anything like that. No tangling. No breaking. Just make sure you do change that needle.
If you like to stitch in the ditch (I do not), this is a very good thread for that. You won’t see this thread, it literally disappears.
What I will be using this thread for the most is hand applique (probably machine applique too, but I haven’t tried it yet). Look at my stitches in the picture above! My skills have SO FAR to go before they are great when it comes to hand applique. I tell no lies to you when I say that though I love hand applique, I need more practice.
This thread being so fine and with it’s ability to disappear has certainly made me feel as though I’ve GOT THIS. All this time I think I just suck, but look! It was the thread!
MicroQuilter also has all the same qualities of The Bottom Line, it’s just thinner. So it’s smooth and buttery too without being tangly.
Buy MicroQuilter here on Superior Threads website.
One Con
So the one con I have about the thread is that it is so thin and smooth that it has a habit of falling out of my needle. This can be extremely frustrating, especially when you are on a roll making your hexie flowers. Nobody wants to stop and re-thread a whole lotta times.
This is what’s made me slightly change my favorite supplies list I mentioned above. I was using a needle with too big of an eye. I swapped to milliner needles and use the one with the smallest eye. Now my thread doesn’t slip out. Problem solved.
The Giveaway
Superior Threads is offering one of you sweet readers a $30 gift certificate to their website. That’s like SO many threads for you!
Leave a comment below telling me what you’d buy with that $30 and your email so that I can reach you if you win. I’ll edit this post on Monday announcing the winner. Good luck!
Edited 7/2/18: Winner of the $30 Superior Threads giveaway is Gina. Gina’s comment said, “I’d never put much thought into thread quality until you began to post about it… I’ve always just bought my thread at a big box store. I’ve recently made huge changes to my fabric choices based on your advice. I would love to try new thread as well.”
Gina, I am passing on your email address to Superior Threads. They will contact you about your gift certificate. Thank you all for participating!
Go and check out Rachel at Stitched in Color. She’s going to be posting her thoughts about these two threads in the near future as well and she is always so helpful and thoughtful when it comes to fabrics and other supplies. I’m all ears at everything she has to say.