Superior Threads – King Tut Review

6 Comments / product review, superior threads / By Melissa Dunworth

Superior Threads – King Tut

(Full Disclosure: Superior Threads provided me with samples of their threads and needles – the thoughts and opinions presented are my own)

King Tut was the first thread from Superior Threads that I ever saw. It was in their booth at the International Quilt Festival in 2002. The sheer number of colors and variegated colors is what first caught my eye. Then of course I got the chance to sew with it!

King Tut is advertised on the Superior Threads website as being “extremely low lint #40/3-ply extra-long staple Egyptian-grown cotton.” The low lint part is what attracted me to the King Tut thread – I have a lint problem – mainly because I sew with a lot of pre-cut fabrics (ie. jelly rolls, charm packs and layer cakes). According to the Superior Threads “Thread Reference Guide for Home Machines” – King Tut is recommended for quilting. I put King Tut through its paces on a project that required applique, quilting, and decorative stitching. As always before trying out a new product – I decided to start with the most ideal conditions: I cleaned out my machine using the same pipe cleaner technique that I did the last time.

King Tut calls for a 90/14 Topstitch needle and a 3.0-4.0 Top Tension. It recommends using MasterPiece or So Fine for a bobbin thread – I ended up using the King Tut in my bobbin because I wanted the nice variegated thread on the back of the mug rugs too.

After I had my machine all set up with the ideal conditions suggested by Superior Threads – I got sewing. I started with appliqueing the stockings down, and I was really impressed with the thread, not a single break and the tension on the back was perfect.

When I do an applique project, it is important to me that the thread blend well with my project – and it is also important that the stitching on the back holds up – I want these projects to wash well and if I have tension problems that will never happen. King Tut worked beautifully for my applique project.

Next I decided to do a little quilting – I used a decorative stitch for quilting the mug rugs together – it is a snowflake stitch with lots of detail in it. I have had problems in the past with my thread breaking when doing decorative stitching in my quilting and I wanted to see if the King Tut would be able to stand up to the challenge.

As you can see I did almost 100 repeats of the decorative stitch and I did not have a single thread break. I was sewing through 2 layers of fabric and a layer of batting.

The final test I put the thread through was seeing how it would hold up sewing on binding. This means it had to sew through 6 layers of fabric and a layer of batting.

Again I used decorative stitch – which seems to put a strain on most threads and again, the King Tut held up beautiful, not a single fray or break.

Things I Noticed:

Starting with recommended machine and needle settings make all the difference when working with a new thread – take the time to find out what those settings should be for any thread that you work with – if one isn’t recommended then maybe you should consider a different brand of thread.
As with the MasterPiece Thread – there was virtually NO LINT – which is always a plus for me
While King Tut is recommended as quilting thread, it also worked quite nicely for applique and for decorative stitch work.
King Tut is a #40 thread and is strong and durable – this is important in quilting – it means the thread will stand the test of time. I make a lot of quilts for kids and I need a thread that can stand up to multiple washings and a toddler playing with the quilt. I believe King Tut will stand up to the toddler test.
King Tut is readily available at my Local Quilt Shop – this is important to me, when I run out I can easily get more.
King Tut comes in multiple size cones – you can buy a small amount when working with a specialty color variegated thread (like the Holly and Ivy I used in my project above), or you can buy 2000 yard cones when you know you will be using a lot of the same color thread.
There are FIVE videos on the Superior Threads website for King Tut – the fact that education is offered for thread is outstanding to me. Anything that will help keep my frustration levels low when I am sewing is wonderful.

Recommendations:

As with MasterPiece Thread – make life easy on yourself and take the time to put your machine on the right settings for the thread you are using. Sewing should be fun and if you are battling the thread and tension rather than working with it, it will never be fun!
Watch the videos for King Tut thread and also on cleaning out your machine – I can’t stress enough how much better your machine will run when it is clean.
If you want to try out the thread but are not really sure if you will like it – try out the “Try Me Specials” that Superior offers – it is a great way to try out a new thread and see if it is something that you will want to use in the future.

I have no improvements to offer Superior Threads on the King Tut thread – I like that it is so readily available and that it is offered in two different size spools. It is durable and strong, two of the most important things I look for when trying out quilting threads.

Do you use King Tut? What do you like about it? Do you have any improvements to offer?

Did you know that Superior Threads now has a daily deal that they offer? On their homepage and on their facebook page every day they advertise the deal of the day – and let me tell you it is always an awesome deal. Check it out!

PS. I have two active giveaways right now that you can still enter – my Blog Hop Party Giveaway and my SewMamaSew Giveaway!

NOTE: Don’t forget, I am one of the bloggers who is going to lose Google Friend Connect in March 2012, please take a moment and follow me via Bloglovin’, Facebook, RSS or networked blogs. You are important to me and I want to be able to stay in contact with you! Check my side bar for all the best ways to stay in touch after GFC goes bye bye!

Superior Thread – MasterPiece Thread Review

10 Comments / product review, superior threads, Uncategorized / By Melissa Dunworth

(Disclaimer: Superior Threads provided me with samples of their threads and needles – the thoughts and opinions presented are my own)

Do you know Superior Threads? As far as I am concerned they are the best suppliers of quality sewing threads on the market. I was first introduced to their products at the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, CA, in the early 2000s when I bought my first sewing machine. They have almost 30 different types of threads – everything from fusible thread and water soluble thread to silk, cotton and metallic.

I attended my first Thread Therapy Seminar with Bob in March of 2008. I learned more in that one hour than I learned playing with my sewing machine for 6 plus years. Bob teaches you all about tension, needle type and thread type in his seminars – if you ever get the opportunity to attend one DO IT! It is worth every penny and in that one hour you will truly learn how to solve almost all your tension/thread issues.

Now on to the MasterPiece Thread! When I received my little package from Superior Threads there was a note in it that reminded me to watch the videos in their education section before I started sewing. The very first video I watched was Needles, Delivery, Bobbin and Tension. Cindy Needham tells you to clean out your sewing machine using a pipe cleaner and to NEVER use canned air to blow out your machine. Now that is a rule I definitely broke on my old machine, lucky for me, I haven’t done it on my Horizon yet! I decided that if I am going to give this thread a true and tried test, it needed to be done under the best circumstances – so I opened up my machine to clean it out – SCARY! I am so glad I decided to clean it out – the jelly rolls I have been working with lately had most definitely left their mark on my machine.

If you get nothing else out of this review – please clean out your machine, it will work SO much better afterwards, I guarantee it!

The next thing I did was print out the Thread Reference Guide – this handy little guide lists all 29 thread products, recommendations for project types, recommended bobbin threads, needles, and tension settings. If you use their products I highly recommend printing this guide – it will save you a lot of frustration.

Superior Threads has just changed the MasterPiece Thread line – it has been changed from a 2-ply 50 wt cotton thread, to a 3-ply 50 wt cotton thread. It is a multi-use product: piecing, applique, detail quilting, bobbin and lace. I used in it my Quilt As You Go (QAYG) project Bottled Rainbows (pattern by Rachel from Stitched In Color). I used it for applique and quilting at the same time.

I got my machine all set up – I went with a number 2 tension and since I already had one of Superior Threads Titanium Top Stitch Needles in my machine I didn’t change it (after all – they last FOREVER).

I started with the lowest setting because I knew I could move up in my tension if I needed to. I started doing my applique project.

Here is my first pass around my first scrap:

I realized immediately that I need to change my tension settings and also my needle. I changed my tension to a 3 and I swapped out my needle from a 90/14 to an 80/12.

Tension problems solved!

I did not use Superior Threads for my bobbin thread – if I had the color I needed, I definitely would have.

I also used it to piece together this quilt block:

Things I noticed:

Once I got my machine settings correct – piecing/appliqueing/quilting was a SNAP.
Virtually NO lint! I usually end up having to clean my needle, needle threader, and foot after every block I sew. I made four Bottled Rainbows blocks and a snails trail block without having to clean off any lint.
Once I got my machine settings and needle correct – the applique took almost no time at all. The thread blended perfectly with my fabrics and looks smooth.
After appliqueing more than 50 different scraps down and sewing one block I did not have a single thread break. This thread is strong and durable.
My bottled rainbows quilt is a QAYG project – so MasterPiece doubled as an applique thread AND as my quilting thread and it performed beautifully.
The only thing I would do differently is use it in my bobbin as well as my top thread – this falls solely on my shoulders – I should have ordered extra thread for my bobbin (I am purposefully using different colors on the top and bottom and I got LAZY). Bad quilter!

Recommendations:

Don’t be lazy – test each thread you purchase on scrap fabric and scrap quilts before using it on your project – make sure your machine settings are correct
Watch the videos on the Superior Threads website! Even if you don’t buy their products – you will still learn a lot. Just look at my before and after cleaning pictures!
Take the time to print out the Thread Reference Guide for Home Machines and use it! Just because you have an auto-tension setting on your machine does not mean you should use it, in fact odds are, you should not be relying on it at all!
Do your research – Superior Threads sells prewound bobbins and spools in three different sizes. You really can get your money’s worth if you buy in bulk. I always piece in neutral colors and I would definitely invest in their thread cone stand and 3000 yard cones. You will save time and money. To me the time saved is almost better than the money – less time cleaning out my machine from the lint and less time rethreading my machine because of breaks.

There really are no improvements that I can think of after working on these two projects. The fact that they have already changed it to a three ply thread says it all right there. It is a much stronger more durable thread now and will work on almost every type of sewing that I do.

Completely unrelated to MasterPiece Thread would be the needles. I love Superior Threads Topstitch Needles – they last forever and are incredibly strong. The only thing I would change is color coding them. I have a terrible memory and I do not keep track of the needle that I have in my machine. If the four different needles were different colors I would have been able to start out with the correct needle in my machine and that would have saved me a step. This would be a fabulous change to the needles!

Have you used MasterPiece? Do you like it? Would you recommend it?

Sew Expo 2011

4 Comments / Sew Expo, superior threads, tension / By Melissa Dunworth

Sunni, my mom, and I went to the Sew Expo in Puyallup, WA this past weekend. My mom flew up all the way from the San Francisco Bay Area to attend, and we had a blast. I personally am quite proud of the fact that I managed to stay $40 under my budget. It helps that my mom was there and spoiled me with a few clothing kits for Anne that I had not planned on.

Here is a picture of me & my beautiful mom!

It was so crowded you could barely move!

The Expo was 4 days long and had multiple classes for different levels. They had all-day hands on classes and 45 minute lectures. Altogether we attended four 45 minute lectures. Sunni attended “Sew Like a Pro” and “Sew with Your Feet”. All three of us attended “Thread, Tension, and Needles” and “Ruffles have Ridges”. The classes were fun and incredibly informative.

For me personally, I think the biggest take away was that adjusting the tension on your machine is by far the easiest fix for most thread problems, that and being willing to spend the money on quality thread! I never knew that all machines are manufacturer set to a 5 tension and most thread for quilting and clothes sewing requires between a 2 and a 4 tension. No wonder the thread is always breaking! It is constantly being pulled on. I will always think of Bob from Superior Threads every time I adjust the tension on my Janome. Also thanks to Bob I learned all about Water Soluble thread and now I really want to learn how to make swimsuits!

The “Ruffles Have Ridges” seminar was also informative because it taught me a new way to use some of the crochet thread left to me by my grandmother. I cannot wait to try some of the patterns I purchased from Lorene Bonewitz from Sew It Up.com. My mom won the Bella Pant pattern and she bought the kit that goes with it. We also bought the Sweet Heart kit, which comes with the fabric and the pattern, and finally we bought The Cherry On Top pattern and kit. I am so excited to get sewing, but I am going to have to wait until I get my serger from California where it currently resides. On the upside I have Sunni to help me learn how to sew all the outfits seeing as I have not sewn so much as a pair of pants in 15 years!

All my goodies!

Thread for my serger that currently lives in CA!

Many other purchases were made by all three of us (see Sunni’s post) and we had a wonderful day. I cannot wait for the show next year (March 1-4, 2012) to see all the new gadgets and fabric!