One of our newest ebooks is Filament Fantasy by Linda Schmidt. It is all about how to sew with difficult threads, but also gives you basic insights on how to sew with regular threads and why they can sometimes be difficult.
In the process of learning about threads, you can use everything you have in your thread stash – cottons, metallics, rayons, polyesters, horrible twisty threads, threads as thick as embroidery floss strands, tinsel (Glitter) threads. Learn how to use two threads at a time through the same needle, how to do quilting and embroidery with your machine’s embroidery stitches, how to do thread painting and do bobbin work, appliqué and reverse appliqué, all with those difficult threads.
In this ebook, Linda also explores how to use foil, painted Lite Steam a Seam II and other substances to embellish squares, then how to make a beaded binding and how to use Solvy to make your own fabric out of metallic threads.
Linda used hearts for her samples but you don’t have to - just pick any fairly simple shape – like a leaf, a star, a shell, a circle, a square, whatever, and do the techniques using that shape.
The first blocks begin fairly simple, but by the time you start embellishing them with thread...
...foil and metallic threads, they start to get interesting.
By the time you progress into the decorative stitches with metallic thread, you’re learning a lot about your machine and about threads, and your free motion machine quilting will look much better than when you started. Here’s a block with reverse machine appliqué with decorative stitching.
Bobbin work is explained further on in the ebook, using threads like Glamour and Ricky Tims heavy twisted horrible threads in the bobbin –
Followed by the most interesting block – using both bobbin work and Solvy to create a heart-shaped hole block in the very center of your piece.
Linda covers how to couch with yarn and add beads –
as well as how to make an appliqué heart with little bits of fabric and Solvy –
Not to forget, few thread painted hearts using free motion machine embroidery and your zigzag stitch –
and finally, one last heart using Solvy and thread alone –
Which she then appliqués to a background.
To finish it up, she’ll arrange the blocks, sew them together with quilt as you go techniques, add foiled cornerstones, then add a beaded binding - all of which is explained.
Have you made a sleeve out of thread and Solvy? - Linda shows you how to do that too!
There is so much to learn about how to use all the various threads you might own and have sitting unused in your stash. Let's put them to good use!
