Older threads
#11
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 16,426
It's amazing how all the new in touch quilters know so much more and become experts in such a short amount of time. Now any quilter with a following seems to be a master quilter and expert of all things quilt related. The last few well known new quilt designer/instructor classes I have taken they have given out contradictory info from each other. One says don't the other says do. Too many are being hyped as the next new star in the quilting world that really don't know much other then what they want to sell.
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 838
Robinson Anton makes beautiful thread for machine embroidery or decorative stitching. I probably wouldn't use it for piecing, though. Check the fibre content - if it's cotton or polyester, it will probably hold up for piecing. Anything else I would set aside for decorative stitching only.
#13
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 133
Robinson Anton makes beautiful thread for machine embroidery or decorative stitching. I probably wouldn't use it for piecing, though. Check the fibre content - if it's cotton or polyester, it will probably hold up for piecing. Anything else I would set aside for decorative stitching only.
#14
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: northern minnesota
Posts: 2,480
Robinson Anton makes a number of different types of threads and sizes. I have RA polyester, rayon, and cotton threads. I use the RA polyester thread when I am embroidery free standing lace for things like bookmarks. It is a fairly strong sturdy thread. I used a lot of the rayon for embroidery as it has a nice luster and looks beautiful...but it is not strong enough for use in piecing. I use 50 weight cotton RA for embroidery of fine free standing lace like delicate snowflakes and have also used to applique as it is fine and blends in. I am sure these threads can be used for other purposes too. I would go to the manufactorers website and do some researches on various threads as they make several kinds for different uses. I have some coats ad clarks dual duty thread and find it fine to use for piecing although a bit thick and what I mostly use it for is top stitching on binding which I apply by machine when I want the color I have. I would not use dual duty for embroidery or even long arm quilting as it, if I remember correctly is a poly thread in the core which has cotton thread cross wound around it and tends to fray in break in embroidery machine or at the speeds long arms go.
#15
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Va.
Posts: 5,753
As others have mentioned, I do a break test and if it passes and is cotton or polyester it gets used for everything, piecing, quilting, etc. If it passes the break test but is rayon, "art silk", nylon, or unknown content. I use it for decorative stitching on art quilts. I've used very old thread (as in 75 to 100 year old thread) as well as thread from the later half of the 20th century and never had a problem with it in any of my machines (including the PQ1500s and the Sweet Sixteen) as long as it passes the break test and is paired with the correct needle.
Also, some vintage machines are "high speed" if you consider 1500spm to be high speed and some modern machines aren't if you consider 850smp to be slow.
Rob
Also, some vintage machines are "high speed" if you consider 1500spm to be high speed and some modern machines aren't if you consider 850smp to be slow.
Rob