We are proud to announce that we are a new Janome Dealership. Stop in and share the excitement with us! Click on the site below to see all models.www.janome.com

Janome Club - Wednesday, October 1st 5:30.

There is no need to bring your machine this time. We will have a technical tip for you and then we would like you to share your experiences with ¼ inch seams. How do YOU achieve that perfection? Bob & Mark will also introduce the new Marie Osmond Signature machine with a special new feature. This is a member’s only meeting.

Membership is free with purchase of new machine from Quilted Cottage or may be purchased for $50.00 per year. (Valued at least $120).

Janome has a great newsletter available. Go to www.janome.com and sign up for their E-newsletter. This site also has free projects and tips.

We have also added the Magnolia 7330 to our models on display. We were able to purchase a few of these at a reduced price and are passing the savings along!

Stop in and check them out.

Thread Information

50wt is the “standard” size of home sewing thread.

The larger the number the finer the thread.

100% cotton means the core of the thread is cotton as well as the fibers
wrapped around the core. This is called the twist.

Threads also come with ‘ply’s. This indicates how many fibers are twisted
together to make the actual thread. 3 ply is stronger than 2 ply. Two ply
usually means it is a type of embroidery thread.

Also threads have different Twists.

Machine threads should have a final Z twist ( Handwork threads most often
have an S twist ) and do not work on the machine very well as the mechanism
of the machine un-twists a hand machine thread.

If it is hand quilting thread it probably has and S twist and often is
coated with wax. This was a wonderful convenience when quilters only hand
quilted and had to coat their own threads with bees wax. Waxed thread
should not go through the machine. If it is a petroleum wax it will
disintegrate plastic tension discs. If it is bees wax it will gum them up.
Un-waxed hand quilting thread through the machine will begin to loosen,
untwist and fray and cause all sorts of frustrations.

Most threads that say “Machine Quilting” (though not all) are 40wt. It is
thicker than the standard 50wt and will lay on top of a quilt when quilting
to show off the design more. (40wt is also the standard for good quality
commercial garment sewing. Hand quilting thread is also 40wt)

50 wt is the standard size for most home sewing projects. A good quality
50wt can be used to machine quilt as well and the stitching sinks a little
into the fabric for the look of quilting but doesn’t show up as much as the
 40wt.

60wt thread is a finer thinner size of thread. Most 60wt 100% cotton are
2ply and are actual embroidery threads. Great for embroidery machine use.
Quilters began using 2ply 60wt because of its thin-ness which makes it
easier to get that sought after accurate ¼”. But if it is 2 ply then the
quilt needs heavier quilting as 2ply is not as strong in the seams.

A 60wt 3 ply is ideal as it is thin and strong for the seams accurate ¼”.

Right now there is only one 100% cotton 60wt 3ply on the market ( and it is
possible even machine quilt with it, producing quilting that sort of
disappears into the quilt)

There are several polyester 60wt available which will help with the accurate
¼” seam.

A common problem of cotton thread is all of a sudden it will begin breaking
for no reason. Well just like our hair when it is overly dry it starts
breaking easily, cotton thread sometimes will do the same. A trick that
sometimes helps is to place the spool of thread in a plastic bag and put it
in the freezer for several hours, overnight is even better.

Then take it out of the freezer and out of the bag. As it warms up it will
draw even limited moisture from the air and ‘lubricate’ itself again.

This is why when threads are tested etc, it is all done in a climate
controlled room as different areas have more or less humidity. This is what
Carrie Hargrave (daughter of quilt educator Harriet Hargrave) did while
working on her Masters Thesis (on threads). A climate controlled room was
used on campus and all sorts of testing devises were used to test for thread
twists, thread strengths, ply, elasticity, etc.

Barbara Douglas

Stone Cottage Designs