Win Yourself Some Wonderfil Thread

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm giving away a sampler package of Wonderfil Thread's Invisifil. This is a fabulous thread for couching, top stitching, quilting and even piecing where a large number of seams will all come together. It is 100 weight and almost invisible. It is by far my favorite thread for stitch in the ditch as it hides in the ditch and should you happen to "swerve" a bit while stitching it is almost impossible to notice. I don't know about you, but I don't always sew straight and sometimes stitch in the ditch is quite difficult if the seams are not pressed properly. I will be making the draw for this thread on January 15, 2011. (Wow 2011 already, can you believe it?)

All you have to do to enter this draw is one or all of the following:
1. Sign up as a follower to this blog and leave a comment here that you have done so.
2. Visit my website: http://www.pinefreckleforest.com/ and leave a comment here about your favorite pattern.
3. If you are already a follower, tell me what kind of topics you would like to see in the future.
4. If you have a blog, mention this draw on your blog and let me know you have done so to receive two entries to the draw.
5. Submit a name for the quilt shown below. (I may or may not use your name for the pattern.)

Sadly, this contest is only open to Canada and the Continental United States. Later draws will be open to other areas as well.

Below is a picture of what is going to be my new pattern. It will be available for sale starting next week. The trouble is that I don't have a name for it yet. It is entirely made of scraps (except the binding.) The center is strip pieced and the borders are made triangle scraps. I used all the same white, but it would look lovely with all different whites as well.

Question of the Day: What would you call this quilt?

A Word About Thread

I am Cathy Keevill, and I am a thread-aholic. I love thread. At last count I had over 1000 spools in my studio. Every color under the sun, and many, many kinds.
The most important thing to know about thread is how thread weight works. The large the number, the finer the thread. A 12-weight thread is thick and heavy. A 100-weight thread is very, very fine.

Now, I admit to being partial, but I love Wonderfil threads. They are by far my favorite. With only one exception, I piece exclusively with Konfetti. It is a double-gassed 50-weight cotton thread. Double gassed means it has been passed through a flame (very quickly) twice to burn off those pesky little hairs and fluffs that end up trapped in your bobbin case. I have never found a knot or a slub and I have used literally hundreds of miles of the stuff. I use it for piecing and I love it on the long arm. I leaves almost no lint behind and it runs clean and smooth.


Jan Krentz: Quick Star Quilts



The only time I use anything other than Konfetti for piecing is when working on projects that have many seams coming together at once. For this I use Wonderfil’s Decobob. It is an 80 weight-polyester. My quick star project is an example. I made my own version of the cover quilt on Jan Krentz’s Quick Star Quilts. This quilt has 16 seams coming together in the center. That means 32 threads! Gather up 32 threads of your usual type and see what kind of bulk that is. It is huge. So, I choose to use Decobob or Invisifil, which are much finer and reduced the bulk considerably. I cannot believe the difference it made. The center of this quilt lays virtually flat. Impressive!



Before I talk about the quilting of a project, let me say that I don’t make heirloom quilts. I don’t expect my quilts to last for all eternity. I want them to be loved, and used up so I can replace them. So, I don’t worry much about that old adage that "anything but cotton will cut through your fabrics and destroy your quilt." I have quilts here that were quilted ten years ago with no signs of wear and that’s good enough for me.

So for quilting, I will use anything that will run well on my long arm machine. I love Konfetti, Tutti, Fruity, Decobob and Invisifil. Invisifil is a 100 weight polyester. In my studio, it has replaced monofilament threads completely. It is wonderful for stitch in the ditch as is disappears completely into the seams and is hard to detect even when you miss by a bit. It is great for add shadows when quilting. I love to use a color that matches my background fabrics as it adds depth without making it look too busy. I choose patterns that enhance the blocks and the Invisifil add shadows without adding busy-ness. Invisifil runs much easier than monfilaments and does not deteriorate in sunlight as many of them do. It also withstands the heat of the dryer better.

I also find that the cost of Wonderfil threads suits my budget quite nicely. But don't take my word for it, try them for yourself!

Question of the Day: What is your favorite piecing thread and why?