There are many threads we can use which bring added glamour to our Free Motion Quilting. I’ve not used Gütermann Super Brite before so, when they sent me a sample to try, I was keen to have a go.
Gütermann Super Brite has a trilobal structure – a triangular shape which means there are flat sides from which light reflects. (I had to look that up – I’d always wondered what it meant!) This ensures that you get a glorious shine which, coupled with the beautifully luscious colour, will add depth to your quilt designs.
They recommend that this thread is ideal for machine embroidery motifs and I agree it would be perfect (especially as there are 288 colours to choose from) but, being a quilter, I decided to trial it on my sit-down long arm, Queenie, a Bernina Q20 at Strictly Quilting HQ.
The Festival of Quilts was held a couple of weeks ago and I managed to catch one of Angela Waters talks – Fabulous Feathers. Here Angela talked us how she undertakes feathers, both individual and bump-back. Slightly different methods of crafting Free Motion Feathers. I love doing feathers from large explosive space filling ones to small, delicate whips which intertwine with other patterns. This was the inspiration for a little practice with this new thread.
Ten minutes a day is recommended to develop your Free Motion Quilting. Do I undertake that? No chance. Too busy working but I do keep practice squares made up so when I do find time, I can just grab one and have a play. Calico layered with one or two layers of wadding. I usually cut them to about 12” to 18” square and use the cut offs from my quilts. This is a good size for practice and I also use a strong colour thread. Luckily Gütermann sent me a strong Christmas red. Using a thread with a big contrast means that you can see all the different twists and turns. Don’t be afraid of this, it’s the best way to practice and improve.
But back to the thread. Made from 100% polyester, this thread is strong and hard-wearing. I found it went through my machine effortlessly with no tearing or threading, which can happen with long-arms due to the speed of free motion. Another positive is that it’s washable at 60 degrees. Now, I don’t wash my quilts at 60 but it’s good to know it would stand up to it. The many colours it comes in means that there is sure to be one to suit any project. They recommend using a needle between 70 and 90. The thread is 40 weight but runs finer and there is 1000m on a reel. Not bad for the price of around £5.50 a reel. I’ll be looking up these threads to start building a collection and can recommend it for Free Motion Quilting.
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