I broke the rules and boy am
I glad!
I have been quilting since I was about 7 years old. Here is my
first quilt that was made from my old clothes (I think that
green in there is from my Girl Scout uniform!). From the very
beginning I had been told that
quilting had very strict rules
that must be followed: You must
always use a scant quarter inch
seam, you must quilt with a
walking foot and you MUST use
cotton fabric and cotton thread
only. Polyester was the devil’s
thread as far as my quilt
teachers were concerned and must
be kept as far away as possible
from our precious cotton quilts.
Fast forward a few years and at this point in my quilting
career (over 30 years in now!), I have broken all of these
rules. Instead of a scant quarter inch, I use PPM (Personal
Private Measurement that is approximately a quarter inch), I
often free-motion quilt instead of using my walking foot, I
have used just about every type of fabric known to man, and I
often use Sulky PolyLite to piece and quilt my quilts; yes, it
is polyester.
Wait! Don’t leave just yet. Let me explain. I was skeptical
too! When Sulky first approached me to try PolyLite in my
piecing and quilting I said no. Then they said the magic
words, “It won’t damage your fabric, it’s a very thin thread,
60 wt., and it’s strong.” Why would that catch my ear you say?
Because I happen to know, the thinner the thread, the more
accurate my piecing will be and if it’s not going to damage my
fabric, why wouldn’t I try it! So I did. I started using the
Sulky PolyLite #1082 Ecru for my piecing and guess what? I am
more accurate! Because the thread is so thin, I don’t have to
adjust my piecing for the thread width. I happen to love paper
piecing and this is great for that. I can sew right on the
line and when I fold the paper and fabric back, it is perfect.
I also like the fact that I know the thread will be strong
enough to handle the tugging when I start pulling off the
paper (although I usually use Paper Solvy. I will write a post
about wonders of paper piecing with Paper Solvy soon).
If you aren’t convinced yet, then maybe this will convince
you. Lots of Professional Long-Arm quilters use PolyLite to
quilt! Designer and long-arm quilter, Evelyn Byler says, “This
fine thread allows detailed patterns to maintain their
definition, even when densely quilted. It has wonderful toneon-tone for textured background fills. Even the brightest
PolyLite multi-color thread can add a spark of contrast
without overpowering the other elements of a quilt.
And…I was surprised that it is perfect for piecing, and it
doesn’t pull out like some other 60 wt. threads I’ve tried.
Using this fine thread in the seam, means much more accurate
piecing.”
So take the challenge that I took and try some PolyLite today,
then let me know what you think! You can find PolyLite at your
local sewing or quilting store, including JoAnn Fabrics and
Crafts Stores. You can tell it’s PolyLite because the writing
on the end of the spool is purple. Use it to stitch in the
ditch, for micro-stippling, detailed quilting or more accurate
piecing. Did I mention that it is colorfast and bleachable? If
you are sewing or doing some embroidery on anything that may
spend some time outside in the sun, this is the perfect thread
for you.