Quilting with Metallic Threads Goes International!

It has been a few days since I announced my new booklet on metallic threads. This has been amazing. I now have sent booklets to three different countries, Finland, Germany and South Africa.  It seems that quilters everywhere have problems with metallic threads. This has really energized me and challenged me to do more quilting with metallics.

Diane Gaudynski has been playing with metallics too, check out her blog. She has written an extensive blog about choice of fabrics and how it plays such a huge part in the success with quilting with any decorative thread!

My quilting isn't anything like Diane's but I have just finished a sample quilting with gold sliver thread on some hand dyed fabric.  Hand dyes have caused great challenges in the past. You won't like the fabric I chose, but its the only fabric I am willing to use up for samples.  I chose the color gold so you can more easily see the stitching. I've had to pull it out from under the cat, Oreo to take a picture so you can see it.  So here it is, in all its beauty:

Quilting with wool batting, hand dyed fabric top and backing

The thread didn't break once!  Here is what I did:

• The "Sliver"spool was sitting vertically on the machine
• The Bottom Line in the bobbin
• 14/90 topstitch needle
• top tension set on 2.5
• Take some time testing the tension setting on a sample swatch before you begin on a project

Now I'm thinking about places I can use a little bit of this wonderful shiny flat thread in quilts that are already finished!  Who knows.

Please let me know how you have found success with metallics. Or any tips you may have to share. Good luck to all of you that want to play with metallics.

Ann Fahl