Greetings, Aurifil thread lovers! As Master Educator and Aurifilosophy Program Coordinator, I’m thrilled to introduce one of our newest Aurifilosophers, Jo Westfoot. Based in the south of England, Jo is a passionate patchwork and quilting teacher and the creative mind behind The Crafty Nomad.
With a style that’s bold, bright, and distinctly modern traditional, Jo brings a fresh energy to every stitch. With free motion quilting as her true quilting love, Jo thrives on exploring new designs, playing with different thread weights, and—most of all—helping quilters build confidence to free motion their own quilts.
In today’s feature, Jo walks you through adding texture to your quilting using Aurifil 12wt and 80wt threads. Many thanks to Jo for sharing her expertise and passion with us.
Is your shop, group or guild looking for insightful, inspiring and educational information on thread? Consider booking a virtual or in-person program with one of our skilled Aurifilosophers. Learn more about Aurifilosophy and find your favorite Aurifilosopher here.
Happy Stitching!
Karen L. Miller ~ Redbird Quilt Co
It’s true that the different weights of Aurifil cotton partner perfectly with specific techniques. They are of course designed with that in mind.
80wt is perfect for the hand sewing techniques of needle turn appliqué and English Paper Piecing, because the fine thread has been designed to magically disappear into the fabric.
50wt, being fine and strong, is a perfect choice of most quilters for piecing. The slightly stronger and thicker 40wt is great for machine applique or embroidery. The heavier 28wt produces wonderful definition for quilting designs by machine or hand. The thicker 12wt is more commonly used for hand quilting and embroidery.
But what if I told you that ALL of these threads have their place in quilting, both walking foot quilting, AND free motion quilting. “Really?” you might say. “Even 80wt and 12wt?”, and my response would be yes, even them!
Let’s talk about WHY you might want to use a variety of weights of thread.
At its most basic level, using a variety of weights can add dimension and depth to your quilting design making it more fun to look at. The chunkier the thread, the more it will stand out. The finer it is, the more it will blend in. Of course colour plays an important part in that too, but the weight of the thread is just as important a consideration.
If you want your patchwork design to steal the show then choosing a finer thread will allow that to happen. With clever colour choice the thread will simply blend into the fabric. But if you want your quilting to be the star of the show then you’ll want to opt for a heavier weight. Quilters often opt for 40wt or 28wt for quilting.
But perhaps the quilting itself will be the focal point of the piece. Using a 12wt will give a really thick line and draw the eye, appearing a little like a doodle on paper. The 12wt thread stands a little prouder on the fabric than other threads making it really tactile. When doing this it’s an idea to use an 80wt for the background quilting so the viewer isn’t distracted away from the focal point.
Thread takes up space and so the heavier weight threads like 12wt take up more space than the finer threads like 50wt or 80wt. So for instance, if you would like to include some micro stippling alongside a more spaced out design, then it’s a wise choice to use a finer thread for the micro stippling and heavier weight for the more spaced out design. Using a finer thread will produce the effect you want of flattening down one area so the other area pops up, without pulling the fabric in substantially at that point which a heavier weight thread would do.
How to Use 12wt & 80wt threads Successfully in Quilting
Using a variety of thread weights is fun, but can also be frustrating, if you don’t know what adjustments to make so that you have a smooth sewing experience. Here are some things you may need to alter when using a different thread weight to normal: needle size & type; bobbin thread pairing; tension; and stitch length.
Needle eyes vary in size, trying to force a thick thread through a tiny hole will lead to thread breakages. On the other hand if the eye is too big for the thread then the stitch formation can be affected and you might not get a nice straight stitch line forming as the needle is punching a hole through the fabric that is bigger than required, allowing the thread to move about within it!
Pairing the top thread with the recommended bobbin thread can help you achieve balanced tension. Even so, you may need to make some minor adjustments to the tension dial particularly if using 12wt thread on the top.
I find I get a more balanced tension if I loosen the top tension a little when working with 12wt, but I have heard of some machines that prefer to have a tighter tension setting when using 12wt. So the only way to be sure what the right thing to do for your machine is to run a tension test. I would recommend you do this whenever you vary any element of your sewing, be it thread, fabric, or batting.
| THREAD WEIGHT | RECOMMENDED NEEDLE | BOBBIN PAIRING THREAD |
| Cotton 80wt | 70/10 or 80/12 Microtex | Cotton 80wt |
| Cotton 50wt | 80/12 Microtex or Quilting | Cotton 50wt |
| Cotton 40wt | 80/12 Microtex or 90/14 Quilting | Cotton 40wt or 50wt |
| Cotton 28wt | 90/14 Topstitch | Cotton 40wt or 50wt |
| Cotton 12wt | 100/16 or 90/14 Topstitch | Cotton 40wt |
Note: The above represents Jo’s recommendations. For a downloadable PDF of Aurifil’s official Thread Reference Card, click HERE.
When free motion quilting the stitch length is usually determined by the speed at which you move the fabric in combination with how fast the needle is moving, unless of course you have a machine that has a built in stitch regulator. When using thicker thread, like 12wt, a longer stitch length can lead to better stitch formation. Conversely for finer thread like 80wt, you will get a more pleasing finish if the stitch length is shorter.
I hope you now feel equipped to have a go at quilting with the 12wt and 80wt threads. Experiment and have fun!
ABOUT JO
Jo Westfoot is a patchwork and quilting teacher and pattern designer based in the south of England. Jo’s style is bold and bright, modern traditional. Her favourite part of the quilt making process has got to be the free motion quilting! She loves experimenting with free motion quilting designs and thread weights. And loves nothing better than helping others feel confident to free motion their own quilts! She also teaches a wide variety of other patchwork & quilting technique classes in her online sewing school and Quilt Hive membership.
**If you want to know more about using thread successfully in your quilting projects, Jo is running an online course this November / December all about it!