CookieZenmilk

what is the big deal about aurifil thread? fatquartershop is constantly pushing this brand. is it stronger, brighter, better than say mettler or sulky? is aurifil a brand of thread or a type of thread?

Ginaky

It is a brand. The 50/2 weight is used for piecing. It is a very fine strong cotton that takes up less space in the seam line and makes it easier to get your 1/4 or scant 1/4 seam allowance. It is all I use for quilt piecing. I also like it for machine applique with the buttonhole stitch if I don't want the stitches to show a lot.

joe'smom

Aurifil is a 2-ply thread, rather than a 3-ply, so I assume it is not as strong as 3-ply threads, which is why I haven't used it for piecing or quilting. But being 2-ply, it does take up less space in the seam line. I think the other thing that makes it so popular is all the beautiful colors available. I've used it for applique, and the heavier weights for hand quilting and embroidery. My favorite piecing thread is Masterpiece, which they changed from 2-ply to 3-ply for strength reasons, but that doesn't come in nearly as many colors as Aurifil.

Jane Quilter

I like the aurifil because it doesn't throw off lint and fuzz. My work area and bobbin (and I pray my tension discs) stay cleaner. The colors blend better and don't peek through the seams. If you use a different color in the bobbin, it really goes invisible. I love it for piecing.

quiltedsunshine

I got a few Aurafil spools, just to try it out. And I find that it breaks more often than my Metler or Guterman thread. We have a lot of people (at the store where I work) who can't find the colors they want. I think I'll stay with to Metler as my main thread.

Dolphyngyrl

I had the same issues with aurifil

mamagrande

I love Aurifil!!! I use it for piecing and also on "Harriet" (HQ 16). I do have to adjust the tension when I change and use other threads and I have to be sure that Harriet has a new needle every time I start a new quilt. It is quite expensive as I buy it on a cone. I have 8 cones in common colors and 10 spools of specialty colors.

Bree123

Aurifil is in a class by itself. There are 2 main reasons why most people like it: it's very low lint so less maintenance for your machine, and it's 2-ply making it easier to do more precision piecing.

Here are the other reasons I love it:
- they use extra long staple cotton instead of long staple cotton. that makes a stronger thread that is less prone to breaking (also, combined with the mercerizing process that makes it the ultra low lint).
- Extra long staple Egyptian cotton is the best cotton there is & within that category, Aurifil only buys the XL variety that is the highest rated (cotton is rated similar to beef; Aurifil buys the equivalent of Grade A)
- the 2-ply thread is twisted rather than braided, resulting in less pressure on each of the plies, which is supposed to make each ply less prone to breaking/splitting/fraying/weakening
- 2-ply generally means I get more thread per spool, resulting in a cost that isn't that much more than Gutermann or other decent-but-not-as-good brands
- 2-ply thread means I can use a size 70/10 needle with 50wt, or 80/12 needle with 28 & 40wt, resulting in smaller holes for quilting (& piecing)
- it comes in 270+ different colors
- all 270 colors are available in 50, 40, 28 & 12wt, and their 6-strand floss
- their dying process is the leader in the industry. it is almost entirely automated, resulting in great consistency with the solid colors (variegated threads are not consistent because the multi-color ones are printed, not dyed & the multi-shade/single-color ones are sand-blasted to remove some of the color [lighten] and the sand goes where it wills). No process is perfect & it depends in part upon the cotton itself, but from one year to the next, Aurifil thread colors are very consistent when stored in similar conditions
- on the large size spools (1100-1300m), the cap comes off the end, so when I put it on my machine, there is nowhere for the thread to puddle/wrap around/get caught. it's a small benefit, but I've had issues with that on other brands so I do appreciate that little touch

And finally, check out this link to see what different threads look like under a microscope: http://owensolivia.blogspot.com/2012...icroscope.html

gale

I use it because I was able to get a good deal on it. Even at full price it's so much cheaper than guttermann cotton. I use a size 14 needle because I stocked up on those when my Connecting Threads thread kept breaking with a size 12 (I don't buy that kind anymore). Good to know i can use it with smaller needles if I need to.

Cybrarian

Everything Bree123 said!