I use the less expensive 100% cotton, brands such as Star, Gutterman, Essentials (from online Connecting Threads) and others for piecing. For machine quilting, my Viking only likes the primo expensive stuff such as Aurofil 50 wt.. But several companies are coming out with 50 and 60 weight thread that is more reasonably priced than Aurofil and King Tut.

For piecing, I use only Aurifil 50 wt. in black, white, tan or grey, depending on the quilt colors.

I usually use Coats and Clark because I can get it locally. If I'm ordering I get Essentials from Connecting Threads. Also, unless I'm sewing solid black I usually use a cream color.

I mostly use Coats Dual Duty sewing thread - I think it's part poly & part cotton. I use it for machine and hand piecing. I use machine embroidery bobbin thread because I have a gazillion bobbins full and don't do ME any more.

Donna

I used to be a 100% cotton snob but now for machine piecing I go with the dual duty, it works fine and is cheap. For machine quilting sometimes I go with Gutermann cotton or poly, sometimes with King Tut if I'm feeling snobby, and sometimes I get a very reasonably priced poly from the LQS - Exquisite. It has a nice sheen if I want that look.

Mettler all cotton.

Oh, I forgot to add, I only use cotton thread for quilting. I had the most awful disaster when I participated in my first quilt-along. I used poly thread to piece my blocks. When I gave them a final press, my iron was too hot, and the thread melted. My beautiful blocks fell apart. I threw the whole set into the corner, and they sat there for a few months before I felt like trying to quilt again!

I've always used Gutermann or Metler for piecing. I just started using the more expensive Aurifil 50 wt but I don't see a difference. When I run out, I'm going back to Gutermann.

For machine quilting, I use Isacord machine embroidery thread. It's 100% poly and less expensive compared to Superior threads/King tut. I tried it because it was recommended by Leah Day and it works very well both on my Brother PQ1500 and on my Q'nique mid arm machine. I had a lot of trouble doing free-motion quilting with Gutterman.

Vasu

I use Essentials from Connecting Threads in neutral shades. I like to have the top thread and bobbin thread at least one shade off from each other so I can easily tell what's going on where. lol

Aurifil 50 wt. I buy the large spools when Fat Quarter Shop has the 12 spool boxes on sale.

My. Machine is a bit of a snob and only cooperates with aurifil50 wt for piecing. Although recently I used some Essentials from connecting threads and it did not throw a hissy tension fit! There is hope ...

Geezerfolks: What a good idea! If I ever get around to quilting my stack-n-whack, which has been in progress for years and I am finally putting it together, thanks to the epidemic, I'll use two shades of thread. I have also found that using a fairly sturdy (i.e., not flimsy and easily moved) fabric for the backing saves me from having it pucker up in places, for which the remedy was some judicious cuts in the fabric where necessary and then covering them up with suitable shapes and sizes of appliques. A terrible cheat, and time-consuming, but worth it! After that experience, I switched to something heavier. I think the "bad" backing fabric may have been part or all polyester. Lesson learned!

By the way, I have been inactive here for years, but remember you, grammyp, glassquilt, and msmeow, at least, and with great nostalgia.

i wonder how you all are.

I use Superior Masterpiece (50wt ELS cotton) almost without exception. I have never had any problems at all with any Superior threads.

I use many Superior Thread products. I piece with a cone of Masterpiece in grey. I quilt with Magnifico. I will piece with almost anything close by but my quilting machine is very fussy. It also likes King Tut and I sometimes go to Isacord for a strange color because I can get it locally and it comes in more colors than most.

For hand applique I only use DMC machine embroidery thread, 100% cotton.

Superior Magnifico and Fantastico are really pretty for machine quilting, especially if you want a little sheen to the thread. King Tut's is great for baby quilts imo. I have used YLI and Isacord because they offer so many colors options....lets face it, I'm a thread addict!