Thread, Needle & Feet Guide

There are so many needle and thread options available that it's difficult to know which combination to use, especially for a quilter. As a general rule, the thicker the fabric, the larger the needle and heavier the thread needs to be. I tend to use the smallest needle that will accommodate my fabric and thread. A larger needle will make a larger hole that will compromise seams and quilting stitches. I've found that Coats & Clark is very suitable for most of my applications. However, Superior Threads has the best selection and quality of silk and polyester threads while Aurifil has the best quality and selection of cotton threads. I use Schmetz needles exclusively.

My Sewing Kit for $4.99 is a great way to keep up with all of your supplies and projects.

Thread

Cotton is the preferred thread to piece with, because it can be ironed with high heat. Short staple cotton is spun from several fibers. It has a rough texture and a lot of lint. There is usually a knot where the fibers join. Long staple 50 wt. thread will make the best seam because it doesn't add any bulk.

100% polyester is perfectly smooth and produced in one continuous thread with no lint. It's the best for quilting. Core Spun polyester is best for garment construction and sergers, but also works for quilting if the quality is good. Trilobal polyester is best for embroidery.

Download my Thread Cheat Sheet pdf to keep with you or print. It does not include thread from every manufacturer, but it does include information on every type of thread available and how to use it.

Thread Book is the best thread inventory app available. It can cross reference and match sewing and embroidery thread from 120 different manufacturers according to color and fiber type. It can even color match thread from a photo. It only works with iOS 12+ and costs $14.99.

My Fabric Sewing Cheat Sheet pdf contains information on the right needle, thread, and stitch settings for sewing different types of fabric from delicate silk to Naugahyde upholstery fabric. The settings are for my Brother SQ9185, but they are pretty universal.

Weight

The smaller the number, the heavier the thread. Both cotton and polyester are available in 10, 12, 15, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 100 weight. 

100 weight is silk for thread painting.

70 weight is extra fine bobbin and clear polyester thread. 

60 weight is fine for micro quilting. 

50 weight is medium cotton piecing thread. 

40 weight is polyester and metallic embroidery thread. 

35 weight is all purpose cotton that is a medium weight sewing and quilting thread. 

30 weight is cotton long arm quilting thread. 

25 weight is hand quilting thread. It cannot be used in a machine because it has a wax finish that will gum up a needle. 

15 weight is heavy top stitching thread used for twill denim quilts and sewing jeans.

12 weight is hand sashiko thread, not suitable for machine use.

10 weight is bold hand quilting thread, not suitable for machine use.

Ply

Ply indicates the number of fibers that are twisted together to form a single thread. Heavy upholstery, Cotton covered polyester, All Purpose Cotton, Machine and Bold Hand Quilting thread is 3-ply. Most other polyester thread is 2-ply. Clear polyester and silk thread is 1-ply.

These are the threads you need to invest in for machine quilting:

Aurifill 50 wt 100% cotton thread is used for piecing. It's available in 1422 yard spools to full size cones and a variety of colors. I've found the best deal on eBay. When I’m piecing with this thread in the bobbin, I set my top tension to 4.

Embroidex bobbin thread is available in king spools and comes in white and black. I've found the best deal for bobbin thread on eBay. When I’m free motion quilting with this thread in the bobbin, I set my top tension to 7.

  

From left to right: Paper Piecing thread for paper piecing; Dual Duty XP thread for visible quilting and appliqué. Transparent Polyester thread for invisible quilting.

 

Superior Threads Micro Quilting thread for micro stippling.

 

YLI or Superior Threads Silk thread for thread painting.

  

 From left to right: Metallic, Trilobal Polyester and Dual Duty XP Fine thread for embroidery.

Hand Quilting Thread

   

From left to right: Cotton Hand Quilting; Polyester Hand Quilting; Aurifil Kantha used with a sashiko needle; Bold Hand Quilting used with a big stitch needle.

 

Embroidery floss and #12 Perle Cotton can be used for hand quilting with a sashiko or big stitch needle and can also be used with a cording foot.

XStitchter is an embroidery floss inventory app for $1.99.

Spool and cone adapters prevent wobbling. Thread nets prevent unspooling. They're essential for vertical pins and fine threads.

I like to store bobbin thread in tubes and keep them in my machine organizer when I'm not using them. Nickel coin tubes are the perfect size for Class 15 bobbins. One tube holds 5 full bobbins. Get 10/$4.84 on eBay.

These bobbin genies prevent thread from backlashing. Stack them and they prevent the bobbin from bouncing. The M size is for drop in bobbins. The L size is for side or bottom load bobbins.

One of my favorite inventions is the spool pin adapter. Thread flows to the needle best if it's unwound in the opposite direction that it's wound. Both horizontal and vertical pins force the thread to be pulled off the spool in a way that catches the thread on the spool or the cap. The orientation is all wrong. I removed my horizontal pin and drilled a hole in my machine case and mounted a vertical pin just so I could use this adapter and have an extra pin. I like the double pin for switching between piecing and quilting thread or two quilting thread colors. The extra thread guide closer to the spool prevents metallic thread from tangling. As much as I enjoy using this thing, it still has drawbacks. A spool net is necessary to prevent thread from spinning off the spool and wrapping around the pin.

If you ever start thread painting, you'll want a thread stand. The small one is good for general quilting to switch between piecing and quilting threads, and it keeps bobbin thread handy.

This type of stand is for ribbon spools and binding. It clamps to the sewing table.

Wind your binding on a wooden spool and hang it from yarn around your neck or use the ribbon spool stand.

I use these bobbin clips and mini ponytail elastics to keep my thread organized on the thread rack. Choose a rack with longer pins so you can store thread of any size up to king spools.

Machine Needles

I won't bore you with the different parts of a needle and their functions. I will tell you about a special needle known as multi directional. This needle is designed for free motion quilting. It's flexible so it will bend rather than break when moving at high speeds in all directions. It also has a groove that allows the shuttle race to get behind the thread easier preventing skipped stitches. 

Schmetz makes a High Speed Quilting needle (HLx5) with a flat shank that will work on home machines. According to the package, it was designed for high speed professional machines like the Brother PQ1500SL or Janome 1600 P-HL and is not suitable for regular household machines. The length of standard Schmetz needles is 38.1mm and this needle is 38.9mm. Despite all this, it works in my home Brother machine just fine. I really like it. My sewing is smoother with no skipped stitches. It has greatly increased the quality of my free motion work.

It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with shank diameters since most specialty needles are classified this way. 125-200 are long arm needles.

1.0 = 60/08
1.5 = 65/09
2.0 = 70/10
2.5 = 75/11

3.0 = 80/12
3.5 = 90/14
4.0 = 100/16
4.5 = 110/18
5.0 = 120/19

5.5 = 125/20
6.0 = 130/21
6.5 = 140/22

7.0 = 160/23

7.5 = 180/24

8.0 = 200/25

Twin needles are sized according to the distance in millimeters between the needles. One width may be associated with more than one eye size. Triple needles are only available as 80/12.

1.6 = 70/10 or 80/12
2.0 = 75/11
2.5 = 80/12 (twin & triple)
3.0 = 90/14
4.0 = 75/11, 80/12, 90/14, 100/16
6.0 = 100/16
8.0 = 110/18

I only use Schmetz needles in the following sizes and categories.

Q 75/11: Piecing w/50 wt. thread.

H-ET 90/14: Embroidery for appliqué w/35 wt. thread.

E 75/11: Gold Embroidery w/40 wt. Trilobal Polyester.

DE 80/12: Double Eye Embroidery w/60 wt. Fine thread.

H-M 60/08: Microtex Sharp for Thread painting w/100 wt. silk thread; 70/10 w/clear polyester thread; 80/12 w/water soluble thread. 

Spring with Microtex Sharp needle for thread painting.

MET 80/12: Metallic for Decorative embroidery w/40 wt. Metallic thread.

H-Q 90/14: Quilting for Binding w/35 wt. thread.

HLx5 90/14: High Speed for Free Motion w/35 wt. thread.

Floriani has a needle app to help you keep up with your Schmetz inventory.

Download my Schmetz Machine Needle Cheat Sheet pdf to keep with you or print. It's more inclusive than the above app. I also used it to create a needle organizer that I keep on the wall behind my sewing machine.

Hand Needles

Since most of us who quilt are also involved in other needle crafts, I thought I would write a guide for hand needles. Hand sewing or quilting is done with a rocking motion, with some exceptions depending on material. The point of each needle is designed to pierce a certain type of material. No matter what kind of needle you're sewing with, the distance from the point to the shaft is what determines the stitch length. The eye determines what kind of thread you use. The shaft diameter determines the needle strength in relation to the material being sewn. I purchase all of my hard to find hand sewing needles from Colonial Needle. 

Basting needles are used for basting quilt layers or gathering fabric to make ruffles. They come in only one size. Extra long with a long eye.

Betweens needles are used for fine hand quilting, binding and appliqué. They come in sizes 1-12. Short with a small round eye and a very sharp point. Sizes 1-3 are used to secure binding. Sizes 4-7 are used to attach appliqué. Sizes 8-12 are used for quilting.

Appliqué needles are used for sewing appliqués onto quilts. They are a hybrid of three different needles. They come in one size. Thin with a large round eye and an evenly tapered sharp point. Size 4-7 Betweens needles are also traditionally used for appliqué.

Sachiko needles are used for a Japanese style of big stitch quilting that features white #12 perle cotton on dark fabric. They come in three sizes. Extra long with a small long eye and a very sharp point.

Big Stitch Quilting needles are used for creating heirloom utility stitches with thick thread. They come in three sizes. The smallest size is used with size 10-12 quilting thread, embroidery floss or #8 perle cotton. The next size is used with #3 and #5 perle cotton. The largest size is used with yarn. 2-3/4" long with a large eye and very sharp point.

Big Eye Quilting needles are the largest needle in the Big Stitch pack. They are used with yarn and sometimes sold seperately.

Trapunto needles are used for stuffing quilting designs to make them puffy which is an Italian style of quilting. They come in three types: an extra long pointed needle with a large eye for heavy gauge yarn; a ball pointed needle for stuffing small areas with yarn; and, a short sharp point for couching.

Silk Embroidery needles are used for silk thread embroidery or thread painting. They can also be used for sewing silk fabric. They come in only one size. Delicate but strong with a small eye and sharp point.

Bead Embroidery needles are used for attaching beads to clothing, generally wedding dresses or evening gowns. They come in only size 10. Fine and thin with a long eye and ball point that pushes threads apart. 

Embroidery needles are used for decorating quilts and garments with cotton embroidery floss. They come in sizes 1-10. Crewel needles are the largest two sizes of embroidery needle. They are used with yarn on thick fabric. Medium length with a long eye and sharp point.

Bullion needles are used for creating special embroidery stitches and bullion knots. They come in only size 12 with four different lengths. Heavy with a large eye and dull point. Also used in knitting for sewing pieces together.

Double Eye Embroidery needles are used for creating shadow embroidery with two different thread colors. They come in sizes 15-24. Medium length with two eyes and dull point.

Chenille or Candlewick needles are used for ribbon embroidery. They come in sizes 13-24. Heavy with long eyes and sharp points.

Download my Hand Needle Cheat Sheet pdf to keep with you or print. It includes every known hand needle with a description and what they're used for.

Presser Feet

There are a few special feet for quilting.

1/4" Piecing foot for sewing straight seams.

Curved foot for piecing curved seams.

Zigzag foot for joining cotton batting and crazy foundation piecing.

Stitch In Ditch or Center Guide foot for stitching in the ditch. It is often confused for the Edge Joining foot. The guide rests against the seam and directs the needle just to the right of it, top stitching the seam down.

 

1/4" Patchwork Quilting foot is identical to the 1/4" seam foot, except that it has a hole in the ankle for a guide. Use it for channel quilting up to 4" apart. The Quilt n Stitch foot is an upgrade with a built in ruler.

Spoon foot is intended for free motion quilting.

1/4" Ruler foot is for free motion quilting with templates.

  

Echo Quilting foot is for evenly spaced 1/4, 3/8 and 5/8" free motion echo quilting. The Pfaff/Husqvarna and Stitcher's Dream models are the best ones.

The Brother/Distinctive Echo foot is terrible. There is so much pressure on it, that I couldn't move a quilt beneath it. See my tutorial for how I modified it to make it adjustable.

Micro Stippling foot is intended for quilting negative space at 1/8" intervals. It is only made for high shank or long arm machines.

Trapunto foot is intended for quilting around trapunto. It is only made for high shank or long arm machines.

Couching foot is intended for quilting with yarn and is available in three sizes.

 

Adjustable Piping foot for making and attaching piping that can be used to decorate borders.

1/4" Patchwork foot for attaching binding. It is identical to the patchwork quilting foot, but does not have a guide hole.

Zipper foot for securing binding.

Pfaff snap on foot adapter for using Pfaff feet. I have a Pfaff couching foot that I purchased because it was cheaper and more practical than the Janome or Brother models. It doesn't fit on my Brother machine because the snap-on bar doesn't go across the foot. I had to buy this adapter so I could use it.

A High to Low Shank Adapter will allow a high shank machine to use low shank feet. 

Feet Not to Use

 

There is a lot of misinformation concerning the walking foot. A walking foot is intended for piecing napped fabrics such as velvet, cordoury, flannel, terry cloth, fleece and wool that would never be quilted in the first place. It can be used for sewing a velvet border to a crazy quilt. The bar is a seam guide, not a stitch guide despite what the right photo illustrates. It does not feed the top and bottom fabric simultaneously. The foot lifts allowing the napped fabric to feed without distortion. Attempting to quilt with it will cause skipped stitches.

  

The Edge Joining foot is often advertised as a Stitch In Ditch foot because it has a center guide. The difference is that the center guide on the Edge Joining foot places pressure on the machine bed down the center of the feed dogs. This pressure will distort fabric if you attempt to use it on a quilt. The Overcasting or Serger foot and Blind Stitch or Hidden Topstitch feet are also confused for the Edge Joining and Stitch N Ditch feet because they also have center guides. All three of these feet look very similar when photographed at different angles.

   

Hopping feet have springs that lift the foot and the needle at the same time causing skipped stitches. They are intended for darning and hand guided free motion embroidery, not quilting.

 

The Seam Jumper does not allow the needle to reach the shuttle race and causes skipped stitches.

The best book for learning to use presser feet is The Sewing Machine Accessory Bible. It discusses Janome/Brother feet and how to use them. Not all feet are presented though.

There is also a Foot Book app to help you keep up with your Janome/Brother presser feet inventory and it includes videos showing how to use the feet. Some specialty feet are missing. There is one for Bernina as well.

Download my Foot Cheat Sheet pdf to keep with you or print. It consists of 5 pages of every known Brother/Janome foot and accessories, some of which, you may not have heard of. It includes the feet that are missing from the book and the app.