Good Morning, Quilters!
Welcome to Open Line Friday! A day where EVERYONE asks and EVERYONE answers…This is a forum and we now have nearly 6500 people with yards and yards of quilting experience to answer YOUR questions!
IN DEFENSE OF MEANDERING
I don’t know about you, but I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday’s debate about the merits of Meandering and Stippling…(Read more HERE)…
I think the Number One Rule of Quilting is: If it’s not broken, don’t fix it! If meandering works for you, by all means stitch the stipple! However, if you’re in the other camp…find something that does work for you!
On that note…
THREAD DELIVERY SYSTEMS
Let’s start this discussion with the premise: If it’s not broken, don’t fix it!
If you are not having any tension problems, then don’t worry how your thread is wound or if you’re using a vertical or horizontal pin. On the other hand, if you occasionally have tension problems, you may want to consider a thread stand.
Let’s back up a bit. Thread can either be cross-wound or straight wound (also known as stacked or parallel wind). The top two photos of Sulky and Aurifil thread are cross-wound threads. You can see the angle of the threads on the spool.
On the other hand, some threads are straight wound. The thread is wound parallel to the base of the thread. The King Tut by Superior thread pictured below is an example of a straight wound thread.
In general…The Rule is….Straight Wind threads should be placed on a vertical pin, while Cross wound thread should sit on a horizontal pin.
However, there are exceptions…If your cross wound thread is on a cone, it won’t fit on a horizontal pin and therefore, place it on a vertical pin or a cone holder.
Here’s what works for me…
Many years ago, I purchased this heavy metal thread stand and I put all my thread on it. (No rules to remember) Even “cranky” threads like metallic do better on a thread stand. They have more time to unwind and relax before crossing the tension discs. (Read more about Thread Delivery from Superior Thread’s Education Articles HERE.)
Many people use a large coffee mug or a mason jar. I use a coffee mug when I’m at a retreat. At home, I prefer how the thread is elevated before it hits the machine in this method.
WEBINAR QUESTIONS
Meander No More: The Webinar
Just to explain, I use the term “meander” in this case to refer to people who feel lost about how to begin free motion quilting…
Several people have asked if the webinar will be recorded…The answer is YES! It will be recorded and offered at a later date if you can’t make the Wednesday, March 18 at 12:00 CST…(don’t you like how I worked that in to Open Line Friday Q & A!)
Meander No More: Learn to Free Motion Quilt With Confidence
OPEN FORUM
How do YOU handle thread delivery?
What works for YOU?
Any Questions?
We’d love to hear!
Lori
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to re-blog, share or pin with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com. Thanks!
