tessagin

one of the articles I read was actually of a baby whose toe got caught in a loose thread of a sock. They nearly had to amputate the toe but grandma was a seamstress and use a seamripper. She used the eye of a needle to get between the toe and the seam ripper. It is easy to catch a toe or tiny finger in a loose thread such as a binding.

Barb in Louisiana

I am OCD about loose threads. I clean up each block as I go. It makes the whole quilt go together easier. I absolutely hate dealing with all those tiny threads sticking out of the seams and since the seam allowance is so small, I am afraid that if I pull the wrong thread I might actually end up having to remake part of a block. Have I done that...yes. It was a lesson in not using really loosely woven fabric.

Then, I check the quilting afterward just to make sure I don't have a couple of skipped stitches which could catch something. FYI...I put a toe through the first quilt I made when I didn't see a long stitch. It didn't hurt me, because I got my toe out of it immediately, but it really opened my eyes to the safety of the project if all threads weren't checked.

Yes...definitely OCD.

carolynjo

55 years ago, when my son was born, a baby lost a finger because of a long string inside the mitten that was placed on his hand in the nursery. That was a wake-up call for me.

KalamaQuilts

I'd like to see some specific documention too

It would be more likely on store bought bedspreads in my own experience the back thread has given out leaving inches of lose stitching on the top

Hair is the more commonly found culprit I think

charlottequilts

Hmm. I brought up a similar idea with babies' rag quilts a few years ago and didn't get much response. Looks like it's a real issue after all. I was thinking more, though, of their pulling threads loose and swallowing them.

hugs,
charlotte