I’ve never worried much about thread color unless it’s patchwork on a pillow or an object that will cause some tension on the piecing. When piecing dark and light fabrics together what thread colors do you all go for?
And while you have your thinking cap on…some suggestions on hand quilting resources would be great.
I knew you all would know.
If you are hand quilting I think orange or yellow would be really nice (but what do i know?)…and sorry, no help on hand quilting resources – so you probably shouldn’t listen to me 🙂
ok I didn’t read this right at all – thought you were asking for thread colors for hand quilting – duh! I use a light taupe like the other commenters….
I’m interested in handquilting resources too, so I’ll be watching the comments here. When piecing I almost always use a neutral thread color (usually light or med-dark taupe). I guess when piecing light to dark I just use the lighter taupe. I don’t worry about it as much as some quilters though. I am about to piece together some blue and green solids, so I am going to try a different neutral — med. gray.
I would tend to go for a darker color. When you are trying to match thread to one color of fabric, it’s better to choose a darker thread (if you can’t get an exact match) because the darker color will blend in while the lighter color tends to stand out. I go for the same rule here. The lighter color will probably stand out more on the dark fabric than the dark thread will stand out on the light fabric. Make sense?
As for hand quilting resources, I love the Q is for Quilter blog (http://qisforquilter.com/). Also, I have some hand quilting videos on my blog at http://www.amyalamode.com/blog/2009/06/21/hand-quilting-videos-at-last/ . I hope they are helpful!
I tend to try and work out if the quilt is warm, or cool overall, and that helps me decide on a neutral or mid colour to choose.
Mauve/lavender is a really unexpected but good blender colour for thread.
I also use is a mid taupe, or brown.
I tend to use neutral threads …. greys or soft taupy colours. Unless there is a clear choice to use white or black or red or something.
As for hand quilting … any questions in particular? I learned from a friend rather than online but I’d be happy to help out if I can.
ANdi 🙂
I just watched a series of short videos about handquilting that I found super informative (I’m a true beginner…). Amy from amyalamode.com posted them on youtube. Here’s a link to the first one in the series. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgNuRW9ycK8
i took a hand quilting class from laurie shifrin at the quilting loft a few months ago. she was a super teacher! i think she offers these classes occasionally. i learned a lot, but i also learned enough to be a little freaked out by trying anything large scale in terms of hand quilting. boy, it takes a lot of time and there’s definitely blood involved!
I’m like you, I never pay much attention to the thread colour but I think a soft grey would work, grey is my if in doubt go to colour!!!
I need some help with hand quilting too, are you thinking fancy or simple? I’m thinking simple, kind of biggish stitches, folky-ish.
Need to write you…been a while, hasn’t it? x
off white or gray is what i use the most when the colors are mixed.
and i know nothing about hand quilting, but need to give it a go too.
I always piece with a neutral (I have this favorite off-white that I can’t live without), so I don’t really have to worry. Off-white goes with everything! And for hand quilting, I learn better with someone teaching me, instead of reading. I would suggest going to a local quilt guild and asking one of the older ladies who hand quilts if they have any pointers. I find that local quilt guilds will usually let you visit for pretty cheap (like, under $5) and most of the ladies there really want to pass on their craft, so they ALWAYS want to help show you something. I love to hand-quilt, and can help if you need it. Good luck!
depends the fabrics colors i used gray, beige, kaky, mid taupe or brown, when the fabric is darker i use a darker thread.
Great book on hand quilting: Quiltmaking by Hand by Jinny Beyer. You may even find something online by her. When hand quilting, I always use a creme colored handquilting thread. Hope this helps! xo,
Yes, a color somewhere in between. My first handquilted quilt had such uneven stitches, I wasn’t totally sure how much I wanted them to be seen (although when I look at that same quilt now I love the character the stitches gave it). I’ve used handquilting thread (love), but some use Pearle Cotton yarn, to intentionally call more attention to it, which is a pretty effect. Sorry I don’t have any good resources for you, mine has been all trial and error.
For piecing, I pretty much always use a medium gray color, unless all pieces are lighter in color than the thread — then I’ll use a lighter color thread.
My current favorite is #155 Masterpiece by Superior Threads. It’s 2-ply long-staple Egyptian cotton so the seams lie flatter. It’s not strong enough for anything that won’t be quilted though, since it’s only 2-ply.
What is that butterfly fabric? I am in love with these colors.
When I peice light and dark I just use one of the colors. I never worry too much about which one (because I’m lazy that way). And for hand quilting I’ve only ever used the cheap thread at JoAnn (again – lazy and also cheap).
I can’t wait to see the finished product – I’m working on a yellow and orange quilt too, but no brown in that one.
I piece all my quilts with one of two colours: a cream for all lights/whites and a grey for everything else. If I am piecing lights and darks I use the grey.
No help here on the hand quilting resources, I’m no expert there!
For piecing I use grey or dark taupe… I only use 4 colors for piecing. White, cream, taupe and grey – I love superior Masterpiece… Love it!
can’t wait to see how it turns out!
An excellent ‘resource’ on hand quilting is Linda Franz – she has a tutorial I think on her site http://www.inklingo.com. She hand pieced the famous ‘Quilted Diamonds’ quilt (which has it’s own book), and I think hand pieces most of her work still.
She was featured on Canadian Quilt Talk this week, talking about Inklingo.
You may view the latest post at
http://www.lindafranz.com/blog/inklingo-on-canadian-quilt-talk/