IF you had asked my mother many many years ago which one of her daughters was going to one day craft up a storm ~ much like my mother has done (and still does) throughout her life ~ I can assure you that my name would not have been at the top of her "Most Likely to enjoy Crafting" list.
I wonder just what my mother would have predicted for my future; certainly the quiet achiever and perhaps most well-read although all of my siblings enjoy reading. Regardless, I have enjoyed stitching my way through many a spool of thread and keep the empty spools as "proof" of my unexpected journey.
Today was a 'restock thread' day. As you can see I, and my sewing machine, like using Gutermann thread for all of my piecing and quilting. It is a 50wt 100% cotton general purpose sewing thread great for patchwork piecing and working with cotton fabrics. The wt specifically refers to the length of thread in kilometers required to weigh 1 kilogram (about 2.2 lbs), and as such the finer the thread the higher the number.
The spools of thread pictured are my most freqently used neutral colors/numbers: 5709 ~ white, 618 ~ light grey and 919 cream in 800m spools. What I particularly like about these threads is that not only do they come in an extensive range of neutrals and colors, but more importantly they don't mess with my sewing machine tension. I am ready for more stitching ...
Rita
Hey! I use the same thread. My machine is a little touchy and prone to tantrums. This is the only thread that consistently works well in her.
ReplyDeleteI like Guterman thread also for many of my sewing needs. But I didn't know about wt. Thanks for sharing that!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, there goes my Friday night! Actually that's a wonderful way to spend an evening!
ReplyDeleteI knew the wt was about thinner and thicker but had no idea that it was based on KM per KG. Fascinating!
Rita, seeing as you are also the numbers girl are you going to dazzle us with the ams of thread you have used on your crafting journey? I bet you can! Love your spool collection ......wished I'd thought to do the same!
ReplyDeletewhat a fun list...i just went and joined up. i can not wait to look through the rest
ReplyDeleteI use the same thread too! I used to keep my empty spools in my sewing 'room' but now my girls stalk them out and use them for everything from play currency, to stamps, to building blocks.
ReplyDeleteRita, is there anywhere online that you get a good price for thread? Thanks.
ReplyDeletei can relate with your mom not thinking you'd be a quilter. my mom *constantly* reminds me - especially if i've just finished something - that she would NEVER EVER had guessed i would become a quilter.
ReplyDeleteoooo there's something very touching about a bowl of empty spools. You did just give me a craft idea however :)
ReplyDeleteI'm curious - have you EVER had thread cut through anything you've ever sewn? I took a class given by Bob Purcell of Superior Threads, and according to him that's an old wives' tale. After that class, I did a little survey of my own and asked every quilter and guild I could find if they've ever had thread cut through fabric - I did not get a single affirmative answer. I also examined every antique quilt I could find, and I couldn't definitively say thread caused any worn, torn, or threadbare areas in the quilts, especially since they seemed, for the most part, to be away from the stitching. So I'm just wondering if you say this because it's happened to one of your quilts.
ReplyDeleteMy machine also loves this brand thread - where do you purchase yours? I have been buying mine anytime I have a JoAnn's coupon, but sometimes I go through more thread than I have coupons!
ReplyDeleteKeeping your spools is a fun idea! I used to use gutermann...still do for hand work. I use aurifil now, also in a light grey. I wish the spools today were as pretty as the old time wooden ones... But I wonder if people back then thought they were nice. Probably not...
ReplyDeleteI love Gutermann thread. My favorites are # 21, #829 and #3260 they are all neutrals also.
ReplyDeleteOh No!! I already spend too much time looking at blogs and not getting things done. Now I HAVE to go through this new list too...
ReplyDeleteIt took a while, but I finally discovered Gutermann--to my great pleasure.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love your blog links. I am not letting myself look at that page though until I have enough free time to get sucked in. Cuz all those blogs looks really interesting! :)
I have a Bernina 440 QE and it does not like that thread. Isn't that strange? How different machines are so temperamental?
ReplyDeleteI am NOT able to link up on your blog list post. :( There is no choice at the bottom to add a new link.
Such a great picture of those empty spools... lovely and fun.
ReplyDeleteAnd wow, what a great blog list! (Oh, what a distraction you have just provided me!) Added my link, too... thanks. :0)
Surely it is one of a daughter's many jobs to surprise her mother with her 'grown up' attributes! I only wonder what my two have in store for me! Can I ask Rita, do you purchase your machine threads in bulk, locally, online etc?
ReplyDeleteHey Rita, Thanks for creating the bloglist. It's awesome! I've added my link just now. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that I thought - even when I just saw a thumbnail - was "ooh Pyrex bowl!" I love it! and the blog list!
ReplyDeleteYes you have surprised me very much with your
ReplyDeletequilting,fantastic job Rita.
Love Mum xx
I'll put my hand up as another Gutermann fan!
ReplyDeleteHow will I ever get any quilting done now that I have such a loooonnnng list to go through?!?
Hello Rita! I love your new quilt with small patches! I enjoy working with tiny scraps! I was happy to see 'made in Greece' on your threads - I can't find good fabrics here but I'm happy if Greece is making good thread.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great blog list! I just found it and add already my link. I shall spend days visiting those exiting qulting blogs!
I enjoy always to see your lovely and creative works!
Sunny wishes from Finnish woman living in Crete! Teje
Just found your blog. I love love love your quilts! I love the fresh happy colors! They are inspiring me to get into my sewing room and use my Gutermann thread. I bought a huge spool of white Saturday...usually use a tan color, but that won't work with all the white on the modern quilts.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the little light bulb that just went off - I just switched to Mettler thread and my tension is completely off! Back to Gutterman for me. Never had a problem with it.
ReplyDeletei started collecting my empty spools from thread just this year. i thought it would be an interesting experiment to see how many spools i finished in a year's time. so i had to laugh when i saw your bowl of spools. it's lovely!
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