Monday, June 1, 2015

Thread Choices for Free Motion Quilting - Part 2 - Mettler 50 Weight Silk Finish Cotton Thread

There are so many thread choices when it comes to free-motion quilting - choosing the right one for your project can be a bit overwhelming. In this series, we will look at a variety of options and their benefits.

Last month, we overviewed Mettler 60 Weight Silk Finish Cotton Thread.

 The second thread in this series is Mettler 50 Weight Silk Finish Cotton Thread.

Mettler 50 weight Silk Finish cotton is a medium weight, two-ply cotton thread. It is double-mercerized for a smooth and strong finish. The mercerization process helps prevent breakage and reduces thread shrinkage. Mettler Silk Finish 50 weight thread is the "middle of the road" choice - thick enough to show up, but not overly heavy.

Mettler 50 weight is a versatile size - it can be used for piecing, construction, and even embroidery. Silk Finish 50 weight is also a common choice for hand quilting. 

 As the most commonly used thread weight for quilting, Mettler Silk Finish 50 weight also has the widest variety of colors available. Available in three sizes, 164 yd spools (available in 250 colors), 547 yard spools (available in 72 colors) or 2000 yard cones (available in 67 colors).

 Mettler Silk Finish 50 weight is also available in beautiful multi colors in three sizes: 109 yard spools (54 colors), 500 yards (36 colors), and 1500 yard cones (42 colors). 

To learn more about Mettler Silk Finish 50, visit our website here, or check out this blog post comparing 40, 50, and 60 weight Silk Finish Cotton.

Check out the video below for a quilting faux bois technique using Mettler 50 weight cotton:

The video below overviews the different weights, sizes, and spool colors of Silk Finish Cotton.
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Saturday, May 9, 2015

Thread Choices for Free Motion Quilting - Part 1 - Mettler 60 Weight Silk Finish Cotton Thread

There are so many thread choices when it comes to free-motion quilting - choosing the right one for your project can be a bit overwhelming. In this series, we will look at a variety of options and their benefits.

The first thread in this series is Mettler 60 Weight Silk Finish Cotton Thread.

Mettler 60 weight Silk Finish cotton is a lightweight, durable, and smooth thread. Because it is fine yet strong, it is an excellent choice for free-motion quilting where you want the quilting to almost disappear - choose a color that matches or blends with the background and the quilting will be very subtle.

Mettler 60 weight Silk Finish is also great for those projects where you'll be quilting heavily, with patterns like bubbles, stones, or bricks, like those shown in the video below. The lightweight thread can be layered many times without adding too much bulk to the project.

 Available in two sizes, 200 m spools or 3000 m cones, Mettler Silk Finish Cotton 60 is available in 214 colors in the 200m size and 53 colors in the 3000 m size. You will find Silk Finish on green cones or spools.

To learn more about Mettler Silk Finish 60, visit our website here., or check out this blog post comparing 40, 50, and 60 weight Silk Finish Cotton.

The video below overviews the different weights, sizes, and spool colors of Silk Finish Cotton.

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Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Using Web Bond Temporary Adhesive Spray and Goo Away Cleaner

Do you use temporary adhesive spray? Have you tried Web Bond? This innovative adhesive has very little overspray and bastes your projects perfectly.

Have you every gotten a little overzealous with your spray? You can clean nonporous surfaces with Goo Away - a spray made especially for use with temporary adhesive sprays.

Watch this video to learn more about these great products!




Visit your local sewing or quilting shop to purchase Web Bond or Goo Away.
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Friday, April 10, 2015

When Should Top and Bottom Threads NOT match?

In most cases, it is recommended to use the same type and weight of thread in the needle as in the bobbin. This creates a balanced stitch that is equally strong on both sides.

There's an exception to this rule, though - when doing appliqué, embroidery, or other decorative work, we typically use a heavier thread in the needle and a light weight thread like Mettler Silk Finish 60 weight cotton thread in the bobbin.

Using the heavier thread on top allows for a more visible decorative stitch, which falls slightly to the backside of the project. This way the decorative stitching lies nicely on the front of the project. The lighter thread in the bobbin allows the project not to be too bulky and keeps the bobbin thread from showing on the back of the project.

For this appliqué project, we used 50 weight Silk Finish multi in the needle and 60 weight Silk Finish in the bobbin.


For this monogrammed tie, we used PolySheen 40 weight embroidery thread in the needle and Metrosene 50 weight all purpose thread in the bobbin.


For very fine embroidery projects, you may use 60 weight thread in both the needle and the bobbin, such as with these monogrammed handkerchiefs.



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Saturday, March 28, 2015

Fine Monogramming with Mettler Silk Finish 60 Weight Thread

Machine Embroidered Monograms are typically designed for and stitched with 40 weight polyester embroidery thread, like Mettler PolySheen.

However, particularly on delicate or heirloom items, a softer, finer finish to the embroidery may be called for. In this case, Mettler Silk Finish 60 weight cotton is the perfect choice for gracefully stitched embroidery.

Follow the instructions in this tutorial for how to stitch a fine monogram on a handkerchief.

To machine embroider a linen handkerchief, start by hooping a piece of water-soluble mesh stabilizer. If the monogram will be less than 3" tall, a single layer should be sufficient. For larger monograms, two layers may be needed.

Lightly spray the hooped stabilizer with Web Bond temporary adhesive spray.






















Center the area of the handkerchief to be embroidered onto the sprayed stabilizer.






















Thread the embroidery machine with Mettler Silk Finish 60 weight cotton thread in both the needle and the bobbin.

Position the design over the desired area and stitch a basting line if possible.






















Stitch the desired monogram. For very fine linen, use a smaller embroidery needle, such as a 70/10. This will prevent the fabric from showing holes around the embroidered area.






















Remove the basting stitches and cut away the excess water-soluble stabilizer.






















The Mettler Silk Finish 60 weight cotton thread creates a beautifully smooth finish, which a subtle sheen appropriate for heirloom quality projects.


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Monday, February 23, 2015

A Little Instagram Love!

Love Instagram? Us too! Here's a few #mettler photos from Instagram we <3!
A photo posted by wendy (@petitecouture.be) on

A photo posted by Cathy M. (@mujiedg) on


A photo posted by Erin Erickson (@dogundermydesk) on


A photo posted by Jacqueline Sava (@jacqueline_soak) on

A photo posted by Ekaterina Ermakova (@katerina_ermakova) on


A photo posted by Debs Nixon (@madbirdtextiles) on
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Thursday, February 5, 2015

Mettler Transfil Invisible Thread

Transfil is a monofilament thread made of polyamide (nylon). Available in clear or smoke, this flexible thread allows you to stitch “invisibly” without fuss. 
Resistant to heat, it can be used for quilting in both the top and bobbin, and it is excellent for creating unique techniques. See the projects and videos below for ideas on using Transfil monofilament thread:

This mug rug project uses Transfil for the quilting and the invisible appliqué technique:






















This video explains the Invisible Applique Technique:



This mini-card holder uses Transfil to create a hand-look quilting stitch.















This scrappy mini-quilt uses Transfil clear thread for a unique "Stitch Over the Ditch" technique.





















In this video, Paula Reid describes how to use monofilament thread in the bobbin for free-motion quilting:

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