Thread Matters: A Thread Selections Throwback— The All You Need Is Love Quilt

Welcome to Thread Matters— The Aurifilosopher Series. Today, we’re especially pleased to welcome Karen L. Miller of Redbird Quilt Co., Aurifil Master Educator and Aurifilosophy Program Director. In this guest post, Karen invites us into her thoughtful, thread-forward process through the making of one of her beloved quilts, All You Need Is Love (2016). From design to thread selection, she shares how each intentional choice helped shape the mood, movement, and story of the finished piece.

If your shop, group or guild is looking for insightful, inspiring and educational information on thread— think weights, ply, needles, and tension— consider booking a virtual or in-person program with one of our certified Aurifilosophers. Learn more about Aurifilosophy and find your favorite Aurifilosopher here. 

Happy Stitching!

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When I set out to make the All You Need is Love Quilt in 2016, I knew it would be a creative adventure— but I didn’t fully grasp how much I’d learn about the importance of thread choices along the way. You see, nearly ten years ago, I was still finding my way as a quilter. I wasn’t a fan of traditional piecing, but I loved appliqué. I was always eager to experiment, learn something new, and share my discoveries with others.

With that in mind, ten years later, I thought it would be fun, just days before Valentine’s Day 2026, when LoVe is so needed in our world, to revisit this project and share why the thread choices helped this quilt become one of my favorites. 

Some quilts start with a plan, some with a dream, others are sometimes inspired by a fellow artists’ creation. This particular design started with the fabric. A now retired collection from World of Susybee that included a BOLD flower design, a beautiful irregular stripe, and neutral journal page background print— these three fabrics were the perfect combination of color and calm.  

I devised a plan of how to highlight each fabric. The original sketch was hand-drawn and very rough— but it was enough to get the idea moving.

I’m thankful to have friends that are proficient in EQ (Electric Quilter design software). With the rough sketch tossed to my good friend Terri Butler of @mama_said_sew_terri_butler and a starter layout in EQ8 tossed back my way, I played with several iterations in the program until this somewhat final image spoke to me. 

Next challenge, convert the quilt image into a quilt design and figure out how to put it all together. Have I mentioned I’ve never been a fan of traditional piecing? For me, the easiest solution to achieve the design was to appliqué all the elements of this 50” x 50” wall quilt. Call me crazy!!   

The resulting project was a combination of appliqué strips, a heart-shaped appliqué fabric collage, multiple quilting styles, and several thread weights. What started as a design exploration quickly became a learning adventure, one where thread choice played a key role in both how the quilt came together and how beautifully it finished.

One Quilt, Many Decisions

With the quilt top being prepared entirely with appliqué, from the striped accents to the layered heart collage, every stage of construction required a review about what the threads should do:

• disappear
• support
• add texture
• or quietly hold things together

Rather than using one thread for the entire project, I chose different threads for different jobs— and each choice taught me something.

Piecing & Appliqué Foundations: Aurifil Cotton 50wt/2ply

For piecing the background fabric and stitching the appliqué strips to it I used one of my go-to threads, Aurifil Cotton 50wt. Cotton 50wt is one of those threads I reach for instinctively, especially when accuracy and nearly invisible stitches matter.  

You’ll find this thread fine, yet strong, allowing accuracy and perfect alignment for the pieced journal background fabric. Additionally, this fine, 2ply thread helped secure the appliqué edges without adding bulk. Color 2314 Beige blended wonderfully with the stripe fabric and the use of a very simple blanket stitch was perfect to stitch the stripes to the background. Cotton 50wt allowed the fabric color and print to take center stage. 

Cotton 50wt is also my go-to for the bobbin. It helps to provide consistent tension and works wonderfully in the bobbin even when switching top thread weights for quilting. When a project involves experimentation, that kind of reliability is comforting.

Once the background was pieced, the appliqué strips were stitched down, the heart collage was adhered with fusible, and the backing fabric was customized (see my original blog post HERE to learn more), it was time to layer with batting and tackle the quilting and raw edge stitching of the heart-shaped collage.    

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Invisible Support: Aurifil Nylon Monofilament

Around and within the heart-collage, the stitching needed to achieve two purposes: secure the appliqué to the background AND quilt the three layers together. The challenge was to accomplish these goals without the thread competing visually with the fabric. For that, I turned to the Aurifil Nylon Monofilament.

Nylon Monofilament in Clear allowed me to:

• quilt directly on top of varied prints and colors
• secure appliqué shapes cleanly
• let the fabrics remain the focal point

It’s not a thread I use everywhere, but in this case, it was exactly what the design needed.

Note:  Monofilament thread is very much like fishing line, if there’s too much tension on it, it will stretch.   

A small adjustment— slightly lowering the top tension— helped everything stitch smoothly and kept the quilting relaxed across the layered appliqué. Using Cotton 50wt in the bobbin worked wonderfully with the Monofilament on top.  

Quilting around the raw edge of the heart collage pieces secured them AND acted as quilting for the entire heart, a win-win all around!  

Now, for the remainder of the quilting.  

Quilting for Texture & Movement: Aurifil Cotton 40wt

Once the heart collage was secured and quilted with Monofilament, it was time to choose the quilting designs, thread weights, and colors for the rest of the quilt. In and among the appliquéd strips, straight-line quilting felt like the right choice. As I sketched it out, I realized it needed more dimension, and I settled on a cross-hatch design with varying distances between the lines. 

In the negative space in and around the heart collage, “fast feathers” would lay down quickly while providing another eye-catching— but not controlling— design element. Quilting design decisions made! Goals for these areas: Allow the quilting elements to be visible— not loud, but present. This is where Aurifil Cotton 40wt/2ply came into play.

The slightly heavier weight gave the stitching enough definition to add surface interest and movement, especially across the appliquéd background. On the fast-feathered side of the quilt, Cotton 40wt in a perfectly matched color— 2130 Medium Butter— held its own in a big open space, supporting the feathers and traveling lines with grace and a bit of color while allowing the heart and strips to share the stage.

What I appreciate about Cotton 40wt for quilting:

• It creates a clear stitch definition without overwhelming the design.
• It performs equally well for straight-line and free-motion work.
• It adds texture that you can see and feel.

This was one of the moments where the thread weight confirmed I was on the right path. The 40wt didn’t compete with the quilt — it framed it. Looking back, this is still one of my favorite weights for quilting when I want the stitches to be seen, but not shouting out loud.  Using 40wt helped the quilting become part of the design story, not just the finishing step. 

Tools That Supported the Process

A few practical choices helped keep this learning adventure enjoyable:

• A 75/11 needle when working with monofilament— it’s a very fine thread.  An 80/12 topstitch needle when working with the Cotton 40wt choices. In both cases, Aurifil 50wt in the bobbin.
• A clear echo foot for controlled quilting along the fabric edges of the heart collage.
• Light marking of the cross-hatch designs with a water-soluble marking pen.
• A walking foot to stitch the crosshatching, as some of those lines were quite long. Using a ruler and ruler foot may have resulted in choppy or wobbly lines. The walking foot allowed a more relaxed, even pace and smooth, straight stitching.
• 100% wool batting for beautiful loft without adding too much weight.

These aren’t rules— just helpful companions when experimenting with multiple threads and techniques in one project.

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What This Quilt Taught Me

This quilt reminded me that thread isn’t just a notion— it’s a design partner.

Each choice affected:

• how the quilt went together
• how confident I felt trying something new
• and how the finished piece communicates texture, movement, and intention.

There were moments of uncertainty, moments of discovery, and plenty of learning along the way— and that’s something I suspect many of you can relate to.

Thread Takeaways

• Cotton 50wt is a dependable foundation for piecing and appliqué.
• Cotton 40wt adds beautiful quilting definition and texture.
• Nylon Monofilament can quietly support complex designs when you want fabric to lead.

When we match thread to purpose, our quilts gain clarity — and the process becomes just a bit more joyful.

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If this project encourages you to try a different thread weight or experiment with invisible quilting, I hope you’ll give it a go. Like so many of my favorite quilts, All You Need Is Love reminds me that learning and LoVe are stitched into every step.

Now, let’s celebrate LoVE with a giveaway! One lucky winner will have their choice of the Aurifilosophy Warm or Cool collection to play with. These 7 spool collections will give you a chance to play with each Cotton 2ply weight, from Cotton 12wt to Cotton 80wt in addition to Cotton Floss and the Wool 12wt option. Leave a comment below telling us which part of the All You Need Is Love quilt you love the best, and why. Giveaway is open through 11:59pm CST Monday, February 16. We’ll pull a random winner and notify via email on Tuesday, February 17! Good luck and happy stitching!