Maureen NJ

good question and good explanation. I know they say batiks have a higher thread count and that you would not want to hand quilt with them (at least when batiks are used for both the top and backing). I have not taken the time to count and tend to go by the feel but I know what you mean. I was "obsessing" on solids after reading a discussion here. I bought several colors and brands of solids and now have my favorites. Glad I did it.

joe'smom

There's nothing wrong with wanting to understand your fabric better! I noticed, as I was doing the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt last year and dealing with scads of different fabrics, how different they felt from each other. Some felt more substantial, others were lighter and silkier. I would also like to understand it better (but wouldn't go so far as to pull threads apart, lol).

ManiacQuilter2

I agree too. The ONLY time I have ever heard of thread count is with bed sheets, not quilting fabric. You can actually tell by feel the difference between good quality cotton and the cheap stuff.

Pennyhal

I hold a piece of fabric up to the light. If I can see through it, it has too low of a thread count. After a while, I got the knack of being able to tell if the fabric is what I want for quilting by feel. That's what I don't like about buying fabric online. You can't feel it first.

EasyPeezy

As per wikipedia:
"Thread count or threads per inch (TPI)[SUP][6][/SUP] is a measure of the coarseness or fineness of fabric. It is measured by counting the number of threads contained in one square inch of fabric or one square centimeter, including both the length (warp) and width (weft) threads. The thread count is the number of threads counted along two sides (up and across) of the square inch, added together. It is used especially in regard to cotton linens such as bed sheets, and has been known to be used in the classification of towels."

There is a thread counter that you can buy specially for that purpose. It's a magnifying
glass with a 1 inch square. Used it when I was working in textiles.

ruby2shoes

"ood quilting fabric has a thread count of at least 60 square or 60 threads per inch each on the crosswise and lengthwise grains. " http://www.generations-quilt-pattern...ng-fabric.html
Found this in my googling this morning; so it does to refer to the count being seperate for each direction, not a total of both.....all explained now and my fabric has passed the test!!haha

sparkys_mom

I've always wondered why that information isn't supplied by the manufacturers of quilting fabric.

quiltingcandy

I have seen it when buying muslin - because there are so many uses for muslin that you would want to buy the higher thread count. When I was buying it to make Cathedral Windows I wanted to be sure to get a decent grade of muslin because I was buying so much.

Friday1961

I learned about the "feel" of fabric when I sewed clothing (made all my own clothes, and lots for my children and others, too). Back then, of course, 100% cotton was not preferable for clothes, unless making some children's clothes, but we knew what it felt like, it's weight, how it felt, how it draped, etc.

Handling cloth tells you so much about it, without ever knowing the thread content, you kind of do know it, just from the feel. I was shocked, when I first began quilting, at some of the loosely woven 100% cotton I came across. I assume it's easier to quilt, but it just looked -- and looks -- cheap to me and I don't buy or use it.

feline fanatic

For quilting fabric a higher thread count is not always a good thing (like an 800 count!). This is why many LAQ refuse to use sheets as backing. When sewing (machine or hand) your needle is meant to slip between the warp and weft threads without breaking them. Higher thread count sheets are so tightly woven that it is impossible for the larger size needles used on most LA to slip between the weave so threads are inevitably broken This leads to weakened fabric and weakened end product. Many LAQ don't care and use them anyway and I really don't believe any study has been done to see if the quilt actually wears out faster. IMHO a quilt made with a sheet backing is a utility quilt anyway and is meant to be used to death. But if warp or weft threads are broken during quilting it could lead to some unsightly pulls on the back that you can see.
Thread count can be very misleading because it also does not take into consideration the ply of the threads and the fineness of the threads. Some long staple cotton threads can be very fine others not so much. All depends on the manufacturing quality. I won't immediately toss out a fabric that seems flimsy if it appears to be woven well and the color is perfect. I consider the application and if I can reinforce the piece with quilting. I buy 90% of my fabric on line. I have only been disappointed with the quality a few times and not so disappointed that I did not use the fabric.