Aurifil Thread #50 wt

[Sharyn J]

I ordered a spool of Aurifil 50 wt with my last fabric order. I know that it's an excellent thread but I wasn't sure if my machine would like it. Well, it did not! My stitches were horrible and I could pull the top thread right off my fabric with the tension so off. I was disappointed but then decided to watch tv and experiment with settings. After about 1/2 hr, my evil twin was ready to throw in the towel and some very unlady-like words filled the air. But, the good twin made herself a Black Russian and happily continued.

I made all kinds of adjustments and just kept playing with the tension dial, presser foot and trying an assortment of needles. Finally, I got some great looking stitches. On my particular machine, I had to set the tension dial about 1.5. Normally it's set at 4, so loosening the tension that much made the difference. I would never have thought to loosen the tension so much.

I also found that the spool fed much better from the separate spool stand behind my machine, rather than the vertical spool holder on the machine. Needles also made some differences, although slight. Schmetz Universal 90/14, 80/12, Topstitch, and Quilting #11

So, in summary: I spent about 1 1/2 hours (less a bit of sipping time) making adjustments, sewing samples and changing needles and making notes. Now that I have a great looking stitch I 'm ready to piece. Normally, I wouldn't have had the patience, but I just spent $10.50 on this spool of thread, and I was gonna' make it work! I found Blondie's words floating in my head, "well, heck shoot-fire, it worked!"

[bubba]

Re: Aurifil Thread #50 wt

I guess I am one of the lucky ones!!! That is the only brand thread I buy to use on the upper spindle. The bottom always has Superior Bottomline on it. I consider myself lucky!

[Sharyn J]

Re: Aurifil Thread #50 wt

I haven't tried the Bottomline for the bobbin. Do you have to order according to the machine or are they interchangeable with any machine? I did notice that the Aurifil bobbins I wound have a lot more thread on them.

[bubba]

Re: Aurifil Thread #50 wt

The bottomline thread is as strong or stronger than Aurifil is! The best part is that it is even thinner than the Aurifil is and you get about 3x more thread on your bobbin and it seems to last almost forever. I always buy mine at the Sew Expo, which is coming up soon. I have seen it in one store, but nobody else around here carries it that I know of. It can be ordered online though. As a matter of fact, I have a friend who buys the prewound bobbins of it, but I have never tried those myself.

[Sharyn J]

Re: Aurifil Thread #50 wt

Thanks Pat. I didn't know that the bottomline was available in spools. I've only seen it in the pre-wound bobbins but found that Superior carries it.

[g8dhorse7]

Re: Aurifil Thread #50 wt

Sharyn J, may I ask what brand of machine you have? I have three, Viking, Juki and Brother. I've never used Aurifil but I've been so tempted to order a couple of rolls. I mainly use gutermann as that is the best thread I can find in my area. My Brother seems to like the Coats machine quilting thread, my Viking prefers only poly thread (any brand), and the new girl doesn't seem to have a preference. So, maybe the Juki would like the Aurifil...hmmmm, I may just have to place that order.

[easyquilts]

Re: Aurifil Thread #50 wt

Let me tell you about that thread.... I bought two spools of it last year, and loved it... My machine loved it, too, and I even did a little hand quilting with it...just to see....

Aurifil threads are expensive....no doubt about that.... So I don't buy it very often, and use it carefully.

None of this mattered to my DH's large black Chihuahua.... He happily chewed up the two spools of Aurifil, then later on, moved on to my nice King Tut Threads. I had them all in an open plastic container that I use for a sewing box. I was not happy.

This dog....MY little white Chihuahua would never do such a thing.....chews on every pen he can find, drinks my coffee, ate the last bowl of chicken noodle soup I made for my husband, cheerfully ate a plum.....the put has cyanide in it....and various and sundry
Items.... Nothing is safe!

Amazingly, the only thing Spencer showed absolutely no interest in was the mikes of oxygen tubing we had in this house... He somehow knew it was REALLY off limits...more than once, he woke DH up, to tell him that his nasal cannula was out. Smart dig.

But... You can bet your booties that I am much more careful about where I leave my threads.... Much...

[Sharyn J]

Re: Aurifil Thread #50 wt

Sharyn J, may I ask what brand of machine you have? I have three, Viking, Juki and Brother.

My experiment was on a Pfaff Passport 2.0. I also tried it on my Bernina this morning. It's an older machine but was a much more costly machine than the Pfaff and a much heavier machine. The only adjustment that I had to make to the Bernina, was to loosen the upper tension slightly by one number less. I used the same thread in the bobbin and did not need to make any adjustment to the bobbin. I think I'd have to tighten it a tiny bit if I were doing decorative stitches. I also did not change needles in the Bernina; it's probably a 12 or 14 size.

I also have a heavy duty Singer, but I doubt that I would use that machine for piecing so didn't try the experiment with it. I found that all of my machines do well with Coats XP thread, however, I usually go through nearly 2 med. spools with each project and it's much more costly to keep buying than investing in larger spools.

I've been using Essential #40 weight spools from Connecting Threads which I got on sale also does well in all machines. It's a bit linty, but not as much as Coats and I clean my bobbin and assembly often, so it's not a problem. The Aurifil does not appear to leave any lint, or if it does, it's very little.

My suggestion would be to try a spool of the Aurifil and if it doesn't appear to work on your machine, keep trying adjusting the upper thread tension and try out different size needles. The key on both of my machines seemed to be loosening the upper thread tension until I got a nice stitch, much more on the Passport than the Bernina. Make some samples and jot down your notes. It just takes a bit of patience and time to experiment. I love this Aurifil thread. You can really tell the difference in your piecing and I'm especially fond of it for paper piecing.

[bubba]

Re: Aurifil Thread #50 wt

I use mine in a Singer, a Babylock and a Pfaff.....works fine in all of them!

[Quiltlover]

Re: Aurifil Thread #50 wt

Someone mentioned a Juki....what is your best thread to use in it? I mainly use mine to FMQ but haven't decided on a favorite thread for it. I still am trying to perfect (HA) my FMQ. Actually, I am trying to make it presentable or gift worthy. LOL

Brenda