Lets Talk Quilting Patterns, Thread choices, and Quilt Density.
You’ve finished your quilt…. You’ve been working on this for a long time and now it’s time to drop it off to your long arm quilter. There is now a whole new set of decisions to be made; what pattern should you choose, what thread? How dense should the quilting design be? These are all very important questions and the responses to each is as individual as the quilters themselves.
Quilting Patterns
Matching a theme - An example would be adding falling leaves to an Autumn quilt, or Zoo animals to an animal themed baby quilt. With the incredible number of pattern designers and retailers, there is no shortage of novelty / themed designs to choose from. Some of these designs do a great job of providing a theme and great texture in one, see the example below of a Wood Grain on a Robert Kauffman into the wild panel. Amazing texture (wool batting) but also in line with the theme of the quilt.
patterns that add texture - These patterns are not specific to any theme in particular. These can be anything from paisleys to geometric. The great thing about a texture pattern is they are usually really easy to size up or down depending on how dense you want your quilt. There are no limits to texture inducing patterns, they can be used on traditional quilts, modern quilts and anything in between.
Quilt Density
Choosing Density - Often this is the decision that drives the most discussion in my studio. Keep in mind, I stitch using computerized patterns so I can make any pattern as small as you could imagine and as large as my long arm throat space will allow. One of the biggest concerns I’ve heard about dense quilting is that people believe it’s not soft and snuggly. I can attest, when it’s fresh off the long arm it is a bit more rigid, but after it’s washed, it’s just as soft and has just as much drape as quilt finished with a loose density. In the end, this is again personal preference.
Thread Selection - When you think about how you want your quilt to look, do you want the thread to be an accent to the quilt or do you want the quilting to just blend in? There are so many reasons for each choice and so many factors that will support the results you want.
Thread Color - This one is pretty easy, creams and greys are very popular because they typically blend with most fabrics. This means that while the stitching is visible, it won’t stand out unless they are going over a completely opposite color fabric. There are some instances where using opposite colors is the goal, this can add texture to a solid or simple background fabric. In an insance where you don’t want the thread to show at all, you just want the quilting to show consider using a Monofilament. Monofilament will quilt over light and dark colors invisibly. I quilt with Aurifil Monofilament and can tell you that it stitches and washes perfectly!
Thread Weight - The most common thread used by long arm quilters is a 40, 50 or 60 weight. The higher the number the thinner the thread, so the less visible it will be. If you want invisible thread, you can look at the Monofilament mentioned above or you can use 100 weight. These options are common for art quilting, applique or Wool quilts. When deciding weight, take the pattern you are quilting out into consideration. If the pattern has any backtracking in it (Sews over the same line multiple times) the thread will build up and it’s likely best to choose a 60 weight or lower.
In the examples below:
Pumpkin - 40 wt. Cotton thread used to add content to an otherwise solid block.
Christmas Tree - 100 wt thread used to add texture across contrasting colors.
Flower Basket - 40 wt Glide thread, intended to add texture on contrasting colors and blend into the background.
Reindeer - Aurifil Monofilament, intended to eliminate contrast while quilting edge to edge across fabrics of varying colors.
In summary, all of these choices are important and they add up. If you are looking for a longarmer, look at their work. Most Longarm quilters have social media and post examples of their work. If you work with a local quilt shop, check out the quilting on their samples. Your longarmer wants you to LOVE what they have done with your quilt so be prepared to ask questions and make sure you are calibrated on what your vision for your quilt is. In so many scenarios you’ll develop a relationship with your long arm quilter and you will likely get to a point where you hand your quilt over and say “It’s up to you”. I cherish these because it’s an indicator that I’ve earned their trust.
I’d love the opportunity to earn your trust as well. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about choosing the right quilting patterns, thread or density. I hope to work with YOU one day!