In Harriet Hargrave's machine quilting book, she talks about using nylon thread to get a hand quilted look, saying that regular thread is too distracting to the design. Isn't nylon thread more likely to wear and rip the fabric over time? What do you use for machine quilting? Thanks.

A lot of people use nylon thread. I don't like it. There are also people who only use cotton. I use polyester and I use cotton, depending on the color needed.

I hate the look of nylon, and use only cotton. As for thread being too distracting, that's a matter of personal opinion and taste. Do what you like, not what someone tells you that you should like. I sometimes intentionally use a contrasting thread because I want it to stand out.

That's what I'm thinking. I like the look of the stitching.

I agree with you!

I just bought a collection of thread at an estate sale, which included a bunch of nylon thread...so I'm really interested in the part about it wearing or ripping the fabric. Any help with that part?

I think the theory is sound, that as stress is put on the quilt, the fabric will give way before the thread, but I'm not sure that it matters. If you're putting that much stress on your quilt and use cotton thread, the fabric and the thread will break. Unless you're making an heirloom quilt that you want to outlast you, I wouldn't worry about it too much. JMO.

I don't know about other brands, but the YLI .003 monofilament nylon thread that Harriet Hargrave recommends seems not to differ much, if at all, from regular thread in terms of longevity, etc. It is similar in thickness to fine baby hair and breaks about the same as regular thread.

The one warning about it that seems to have legitimacy is to not use it in baby quilts because of the risk of it winding around a baby's toe and cutting off circulation. The problem is that its transparency makes it much more difficult for an adult to see than regular thread, so there really is a risk that it will stay wound around a baby's toe or finger too long.

There are other types and sizes of "invisible" thread on the market; I'm not sure how all of them act in the long run. I know Superior Threads recommend a polyester thread, but I haven't read up on it yet.

I like the .003 nylon monofilament for certain applications such as invisible machine applique (although I want now to experiment with fine silk thread for that) and once in awhile for quilting. I wouldn't use it on every quilt, though. There are a *lot* more decorative threads available for quilting purposes these days than there were when HH first tried nylon monofilament.

In my opinion, machine quilting never really looks like hand quilting anyway. HH's method comes closer than any others I have seen, provided you also use a batting that shrinks enough to camouflage the stitching and you stand back a little from the quilt.

I make it a point to use cotton thread, however I am working on a project that needed a particular color that I found in the Sulky line, I thought it might be too shiney and the quit police wouldn't approve of anything but cotton, but it is turning out beautiful. Is there a certain type of thread you "should" use, is sulky okay for everyday FM quilting. I like it but am not sure it's the best thing to use.

I agree that when HH first wrote her book machine quilting was newer and the trend was to emulate hand quilting. Now machine quilting is widely accepted and most people prefer decorative threads that show the quilting more. I've been using the YLI or Sulky invisible thread for years and love it, although now I often use decorative threads. Invisible thread of this type is soft and fine and very easy to use especially for a beginner.