Do you ever wonder what kind of thread a longarm quilter uses? Here is my thread rack.... these are 6,000 yard cones. My most used color is Coronado- a light cream color that seems to work on a variety of quilts from tan to pink to light green or brown. (It's towards the top left corner of the rack.) I use quite a bit of Permacore thread by American & Effird, also use Sew Fine by Superior Threads, and a few cones of Signature thread, also by A&E.
I started using Permacore after well-known award winning quilter Linda Taylor recommends & uses this thread. It is strong enought to stand up to the high-speed sewing conditions of longarm quilting, and comes in hundreds of colors while being reasonably priced. When a thinner thread is needed, the I use the SewFine thread by Superior Threads. I also have gold & silver metallic thread from Superior, and have had great results using this thread. I just finished a table runner using the gold metallic, and I think this really gives it some sparkle and adds some fun to the quilt.
Unless the piecer has a strong aversion to clear monofilament, then I will use this for stitch-in-the-ditch quilting on a custom quilt. It will disappear into the ditch, and often there are so many fabric colors, it would be impossible to match them all. So, the monofilament is a great tool for this. Otherwise, I generally don't use the monofilament thread for all-over quilting, just stitching in the ditch (outlining blocks, etc.)
Thread thread is included in the quilting fee, unless a metallic is used. Then, depending on the size of the quilt, and density of the quilting pattern, there may be a small fee to cover the added cost of the metallic thread, and also the added time, since I need to stitch out the pattern at a slower speed to avoid breaking the thread.
Oh, and don't forget variegated threads. I have a few colors of these, too. I have a cone of blues, one of greens, a primary colors version, and also one called Mocha Almond Fudge- goes from dark brown to rust to tan & light tan. The added fee may also apply for variegated threads.
I generally use the same thread on the top & bottom of the quilt. Keep this in mind when choosing a thread color.
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Gold metallic thread used on this quilt |