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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A Little Instagram Love!

Love Instagram? Us too! Here's a few #mettler photos from Instagram we <3!

Fabriclove #petitecouture #webshop #almostthere

A photo posted by wendy (@petitecouture.be) on Oct 2, 2014 at 3:14am PDT

#mettler #mint #metallic #inlove

A photo posted by Cathy M. (@mujiedg) on Feb 17, 2015 at 6:36am PST

#bpsewvember #day16 #sewing I won this #Mettler organizer box with 104 thread spools from Burdastyle in 2011. About half left now. Rarely buy thread again except for some neutrals or thicker thread. One of the best thing in my life ❤️❤️❤️

A photo posted by Novita Estiti (@verypurpleperson) on Nov 16, 2014 at 4:12am PST

Secret sewing so I can only show you the pretty thread I'm using. :P #shiny #mettler #hadtobuyathreadstand

A photo posted by Erin Erickson (@dogundermydesk) on Sep 1, 2014 at 12:38pm PDT

#Ночьбезсна #концептуальноефото #красотавнутри #простыевещи 💛💙💜💚#ниточки #mypassion

A photo posted by Ekaterina Ermakova (@katerina_ermakova) on Aug 26, 2014 at 12:34pm PDT

I get to hang out next to this all day at the #quiltsourcecanada open house! Might have to work on my #mettler thread stash...

A photo posted by Jacqueline Sava (@jacqueline_soak) on Aug 11, 2014 at 9:04am PDT

#Шьювяжу #мятный #cnd #vinylux2014 #threads #mettler💚💛💚💛💚

A photo posted by Ekaterina Ermakova (@katerina_ermakova) on Aug 3, 2014 at 7:51am PDT

#Ниточки #свитерочки #mettler #синийсиний #мятный 🎿🚴📘🌀🐟💙#ягодкинклубочек #жемчужнаявязка 🐚🐚🐚

A photo posted by Ekaterina Ermakova (@katerina_ermakova) on Jul 6, 2014 at 3:26am PDT

New threads bought this week, can't wait to use them! #threads #sewing #mettler

A photo posted by Debs Nixon (@madbirdtextiles) on Apr 27, 2014 at 4:15am PDT

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:

Cranberry Crush!

We are totally crushing on this multi color - "Cranberry Crush" (#9846)  - in Mettler Silk-Finish 50 weight cotton. (The purple cone tells you it's 50 weight - how cool is that?)

Did you know you can get Silk-Finish 50 weight cotton in large cones? Multi (variegated) colors like this one are available in 1500 yard cones, making delicious color blends like this totally affordable!

You can use the thread calculator to determine how much Cranberry Crush you'd need to quilt your next project.

Check out our Valentine Goody Bag and Valentine Mug Rug projects, both featuring this sweet multi thread.

Valentine's Goody Bag

We love this goody bag so much, we can't stop making it! We love how it turned out in Valentine's colors! The Mettler Silk Finish Multi color "Cranberry Crush" #9846 was perfect for the heavy topstitching.

You can find instructions for this project from our Fall Goody Bag project (Click here to find it). The only adjustment we made for the Valentine pouch was to use a lightweight batting to make a slightly softer pouch.

Valentine Mug Mat

There is still time to stitch up a cozy mug mat for your Valentine! This 5" square mug rug is the perfect landing spot for a cup of coffee or cocoa!

You will need:

Applique Patterns (Download them here).
5" square of background fabric
5" square of backing fabric
5" square tear-away stabilizer
5" square of Insul-bright batting
Scrap fabrics for applique pieces
Web Bond Temporary Adhesive Spray
Transfil clear monofilament thread
Mettler Silk Finish 60 weight cotton thread in a neutral gray
Mettler Silk Finish 50 weight multi (Sample uses Color 9846)

First, prep the fabrics for invisible appliqué. Watch the video below for step by steps on the invisible appliqué process:


Trace the patterns onto muslin or non-woven interfacing. Place the traced muslin with the marked side up onto the right side of the appliqué fabric. (The right side of the appliqué fabric and the marked side of the muslin will both be face UP).

Using Mettler Silk Finish 60 weight thread, stitch through both the muslin and the appliqué fabric, following the traced pattern.

Trim around the appliqué shape approximately 1/4 inch away from the stitched line. Clip corners and curves to prep the fabric for turning.

Cut a small slit in the muslin and turn the fabric right side out. Use a point turning tool to smooth the edges. Press well.

Spray the back of the appliqué pieces with Web Bond temporary adhesive spray.

Place the sprayed pieces onto the background fabric as desired.

Remove the top layer of appliqué and set aside. Layer a single piece of lightweight tear away stabilizer under the background fabric. 

Set up the machine with Transfil monofilament in the top and the 60 weight Silk Finish in the bobbin.

Stitch the appliqué to the background fabric using a blind-hem type stitch. The straight line part of the stitch will be in the background fabric and the zig-zag portion of the stitch should "bite" into the appliqué.

Layer the second appliqué fabric in place and stitch on with the same technique.

Use Mettler Web Bond to layer the top fabric, Insul-Bright, and backing fabric together.

Quilt the layers as desired, using Mettler Transfil thread.

Choose a 50 weight Silk Finish multi thread that coordinates with your fabrics.

Round the corners of your mat with sharp scissors.

Thread the machine with the Mettler Silk Finish Multi thread in both the needle and the bobbin. Using an overlock foot, stitch a wide satin stitch along the edge of the mat, encasing the edges in thread.

Trim any excess threads and put your new mug rug to work!

Thirty Minute Fabric Box

I stumbled across this fabric box tutorial by Joey's quilting company - the cute little boxes looked fun, and the tutorial claimed they could be stitched in 30 minutes or less - that's a challenge I wanted to accept!

The instructions were easy to follow, and sure enough, I had mine stitched up in less than half an hour - even with taking a few pictures along the way.

The instructions say to "quilt as desired" - I did mine in half-inch echoing squares, like the instructions suggest. The only difference - I used my machine's triple-stitch to really emphasize the quilting stitches. I used Mettler Silk Finishe 50 weight cotton in both the needle and the bobbin - and I love how the stitching turned out.

I love the end result so much I'm sure I'll be making many more of these in the future!