Choosing the Right Thread In most cases, thread should match the fabric. If you can't find an exact match, select a color one or two shades darker. (That is because darker shades blend in more and lighter shades stand out more.)
Go for a thread that's a shade darker than your fabric, these tend to blend in better than lighter options. Take a small fabric swatch when you go shopping for threads.
In terms of color, match the thread to the fabric when sewing shank buttons, so the stitches will be inconspicuous. But for sew-through buttons, match the thread to either the fabric or button, or try a contrast color for decorative effect.
That background color is the color that you want to match when you choose the fabric. Even if the back side of the fabric is white and all of your stitching will be inside the item, you want the thread to match the right side of the fabric, just in case the thread was to show on the outside of the garment.
A light gray is also a magic thread that blends well with many colors and shades. Obviously, a matching thread will blend better, and a contrasting one will stand out. If you use a white thread on a solid red fabric, you are going to see that. If that bothers you, you can change threads out and match each fabric.
Polyester/Cotton Sewing Thread
Polyester/Cotton is a multipurpose weight (50) and suitable for all types of fabric, including stretch. This is the most commonly used thread for most of your sewing.
Cotton thread works well with fabrics made from cotton and linen, because they all shrink the same way. It's not recommended for sewing synthetic fabrics for the same reason; the cotton thread will shrink when the fabric doesn't and that will make the seam pucker.
Stitch through each hole about four or five times for a shirt button and about six to eight times for a coat button. 4. Once you have finished the last stitch, come up underneath the button (a) (see illustration below) and wrap the thread around the stitching underneath the button a few times (b).
All-purpose Thread
As its name suggests, an all-purpose sewing thread is good for most projects. It usually comes in cotton, polyester, or cotton and polyester blends.
Polyester/nylon thread
This thread is also suitable for stretch fabrics such as synthetics and knits. Cotton-wrapped polyester thread can be used with most fabrics, too. Note that if you plan to dye the garment, polyester thread will not take the dye, unless it is a dye designed for polyester.
Start with a good variety of neutral colors including black, dark grey, light grey, brown, tan, taupe, ecru and white. These core colors will work fabulously across multiple fabrics when doing overall designs.
You can use whatever color you want, but you don't need to change color to match the top thread. Your bobbin thread should not show through the top layer of stitching. It will only be seen on the back of the item. The reason you want to use a lightweight thread is to avoid too much bulk on the back of the item.
Material: For most bag sewing applications, thread is offered in four materials listed here in decreasing strength: Nylon (strongest), polyester, polyester/cotton blend, and cotton (weakest).
We strongly recommend sewing with a lightweight thread called DecoBob™. This is an 80wt cottonized polyester that's very strong, so you can rely on it if you're sewing gowns or any kind of structural sewing. Because it's so fine, it will hide in the fabric a lot more in comparison to a regular weight thread.
Medium Weight Threads
These are the types of threads that you will most frequently find, most often 40 or 50wt. They can be used for most construction, quilting, machine embroidery, sergers, and general purpose sewing.
If you have a choice of two different threads which are very close to the fabric colour, always go for the darker thread. A lighter thread will be more visible whereas darker threads will tend to blend in to the seam.
The ideal thread for hand quilting your binding is a cotton 8 or 12 weight in a contrasting color from your binding, so it shows up! I also suggest using a needle that has an eye large enough to easily thread but not too big that it makes it difficult to glide through the layers of fabric.
High Contrast
Use the colour wheel or simple preference as your guide. Pick a colour not even in the quilt top but that coordinates nicely. Using the colour on the opposite side of the colour wheel is an excellent way to do this. For example, orange and blue.
The lower the number, the looser the top tension. So if the bobbin thread is showing on the top, loosen the tension by turning the dial to a lower number. If the top thread is showing on the back, tighten the tension by turning the dial to a higher number.
Quilt piecing
The gold standard for piecing quilt tops is a 50-weight cotton thread. A few excellent choices for piecing are Aurifil Mako 50 weight cotton thread and our exclusive Bluprint Pima Thread . Both threads are smooth and fine, while at the same time being strong and durable.
Choose thread colors that will match or blend with fabrics in your quilt. If using dark fabrics, a dark gray would be a good choice. If using light fabrics, off-white blends well. When making scrap quilts of many colored fabrics, choose a neutral thread, such as medium gray.