Skip to main content

Free Motion Quilting: Tension and Thread

Ah yes, this thread tension thing. Just thinking about it makes me break out into hives and my hair stand on end. I've read books, manuals and tutorials. I've watched tutorials. I've spent hours trying different threads and techniques, but each free motion experience requires an individual approach and many experiments. Balancing the thread is unique to each project depending on all the variables the materials present; fabric, colours of fabric, type of batting, needle make and size, thread type and weight, etc. and of course, that all important element of "zen-ness".

Using an ochre thread on the top and a deep red in the bobbin for these placemats didn't make the balancing act any easier, but, the first 2 samples below show that success was eventually achieved. The top thread and bobbin thread finally balanced.

Balanced on the top side ...

... and finally on the underside of the sample.

The next 3 photos show the progression of the different threads and tensions as I went through the trial process. On the top side, the stitch was good with most variations (see below). I prefer using a lighter weight thread, such as Aurifil, Superior's "So Fine" or a silk for the top thread and Superior's "Bottom Line" (a 60 wt. poly) in the bobbin. Superior's "Kimono silk", used for the bottom two petals of the center leaf, would have worked fine, but I didn't have the right colour nor the time frame to wait for an order.


The underside was a very different story. Because I like my threads to disappear into the fabric when quilting, I needed two very different colours for the top and the bobbin. My normal bobbin thread for FMQ has been Superior's "Bottom Line", and that's what you see below. It balanced nicely with the silk thread, (the bottom 2 petals of the grape leaf).  But the other top threads didn't fare well with the Bottom Line.

Bobbin thread was consistent for the grape leaf. Top thread varied.

So I played around with different threads in the bobbin, all with disappointing results. After much experimentation, frustration and tension, the left side of the feather on the sample below finally balanced with a plain old Guttermann 50 wt. poly in the bobbin. The bobbin tension also had to be seriously tightened, which made the hair on the back of my neck stand up on end, but I did it and it worked. I had settled on a "Mettler Metrosene" ( a 50 wt. polyester glide) on the top and the Guttermann 50 wt. poly in the bobbin. Yowzaa!!!

Balance is finally achieved on the left side of the feather on the sample.

Because of the gradations in the fabric, I used two different colours for the top; an orangy saffron and a rusty red.


The Mettler sews up like a much finer thread and it blends into the fabric quite well. I had not used it for FMQ before this.

Top of placemat. The Sanglier and palm tree were embroidered with Superior's Magnifico (top) and Bottom Line (bobbin). The combination of those two threads worked well with free motion embroidery.

There were no further problems while stitching and the tension issue seemed to disappear almost completely. I quite enjoyed stitching with the Mettler and am happy with the results. As for the happy state of "zen-hood", that may take a while longer.


I still prefer the look Superior's Bottom Line creates and will likely go back to it for my next FMQ project, but this time the Mettler and Guttermann did the trick.

Comments

  1. MonicaMarch 14, 2017 at 7:24 PM

    It is looking so gorgeous! Your care has certainly paid off. You didn't find the Mettler linty? I have some of the cotton and it leaves a little cloud around the needle in a short amount of time.

    Anyway, I love the colours in this project! So rich and warm. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seams FrenchMarch 18, 2017 at 8:22 PM

      You are right about the Mettler. It is not as "clean" as some of the other threads I use,but in this project it worked a charm. There was excess lint that appeared, but despite that, I liked the way it looked on the finished project. The tension issue is ALWAYS the biggest challenge for me, so when I find a thread that works, I'm willing to give it a try.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMarch 15, 2017 at 5:33 AM

    Wow...what a stressful time finding just the right thing. I didn't realize this was part of your beautiful machine quilting. Quite a project! I admire your commitment to finding just the right thing! Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seams FrenchMarch 18, 2017 at 8:30 PM

      Thanks Karen. The first few days of quilting a new project are always extremely frustrating, trying to find the right combination of threads and needles. Every project is different, and I have come to realize that the set up time is as important as the actual quilting time. In the long run, it's time well spent.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Boutis: Traditional French Needlework

" Piqûre de Marseilles" or "Boutis" is a traditional French hand stitched and corded needlework technique, which uses embroidery stitches to create intricate channels that will later be stuffed with yarn, thereby creating a raised design with three layers. It's origins, and it's name, can be traced to the port of Marseilles in southern France to the 15th century. Traditional boutis was a technique invented to embellish otherwise plain white cotton with intricately patterned channels that would later be stuffed with a plump white yarn to give it relief. The resulting corded whitework created an elegant, embossed textile that was much sought after. Not only was it aesthetically appealing, but it also provided warmth and absorbency, so could be used for bed coverings, toilette linens (like towels), clothing items, home decor, etc. The first two photos below are from the collection of Mme. Monique Alphand, a well known French expert and collector of antique t...
3 comments
Read more

Amish Hand Quilting in France with Esther Miller

Esther Miller, was born into an Amish family in the U.S., and now lives in Germany where she has for many years taught the techniques and methods of Amish hand quilting to anyone interested in learning these skills. As a child, she would closely watch as the women of her community worked together on a quilt, and eventually she was rewarded with a needle of her own and encouraged to join the group. Through the years, she has mastered these skills and techniques and now generously shares them with anyone who has a genuine desire to learn. Esther Miller in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines in Alsace France. An example of her own work, Esther brings this intricately and perfectly hand stitched wall quilt to class as inspiration for her students.  Last week, at the "European Meeting of Patchwork" in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines, in Alsace France, www.patchwork-europe.com , I had the privilege of taking a 2 day workshop with Esther. The Amish...
1 comment
Read more

Blocking and Squaring Boutis

The door of her cage has been opened. She is free to fly off and find her destiny. After many months of hand stitching and then many more months of cording, my little "colibri" is ready to set off on her own. As this was my first attempt at designing so large a boutis piece, it was a learning curve. All of the tight swirls, curls and circles are a great deal more difficult and time consuming to cord then are the longer more gentle channels. Maintaining an even tension is absolutely necessary throughout the process, so patience comes in very handy when doing the cording. The process of stitching and cording a work of boutis subjects the fabric to a lot of handling and manipulation that can distort the design. For this reason, once all of the stitching and cording is complete, the boutis must be washed, blocked and squared.  The first step of washing is to remove all traces of the marking pencil as well as any soil that may have collected over the many months of working w...
17 comments
Read more