February Thread-Along
Posted by cottonmillthreadworks on Wednesday, February 16th, 2011
Quilters love Gossypium barbadense! For those of us not fluent in Latin this is the species of cotton from which King Tut thread is made.
Here's the important stuff to know: King Tut is an extra-long staple Egyptian grown-cotton. Staple simply means the length of fibre. Long staple measures approx. 1.25" and ELS measures a minimum of 1.37". A longer fibre length ensures better strength, less breakage, and less lint. There are different cottons grown in Egypt, but not all of them are extra-long staple.
Here's the important stuff to know: King Tut is an extra-long staple Egyptian grown-cotton. Staple simply means the length of fibre. Long staple measures approx. 1.25" and ELS measures a minimum of 1.37". A longer fibre length ensures better strength, less breakage, and less lint. There are different cottons grown in Egypt, but not all of them are extra-long staple.
Why does certified Egyptian-grown ELS cost more? It is grown in limited quantities, it requires more crop management than is usual, and environmental conditions are very specific for this type of cotton. If you are paying "bargain" prices for thread advertised as Egyptian cotton think again. You really do get what you pay for. Superior Threads certifies their ELS as Egyptian-grown, and stands behind their product.
This is a 40 wt. thread designed for both machine and hand work. It is available in multi-colour variegateds, tone-on-tones, and solids - 132 colours in all. A slightly heavier weight means that your stitching will show up (tone-on-tone colours give your quilting a subtle depth):
Decorative stitches look great in King Tut. But because it is cotton, just remember that it will always have a matte finish to it.
It's always a good idea to stitch out samples in various lengths and widths to determine the optimum settings. This stitch length was too short, causing the stitches to bunch up on each other:
This is a much better stitch length:
As far as what to use in your bobbin a sample is always useful. I've seen some machines in my Open Thread Bar™ workshops that don't like a King Tut/Bottom Line combination while others sew beautifully with this pair. If you prefer a cotton in your bobbin then Masterpiece 50 wt. is perfect, or try So Fine 50 wt. polyester. Both are finer threads than the King Tut, and are available in solid colourways. But there is no rule that says you can't use King Tut in the bobbin also - this will give you a strong line of quilting on the back side of your quilt, and you may even consider making this a wholecloth side.
One of the benefits of a premium ELS cotton is that there are no "fuzzies" - it is a smooth thread with very little lint. (But this doesn't mean that you can ignore cleaning your machine!). An exact 1" colour change means that colours travel evenly across your work. No areas of unexpected colours in undetermined amounts.
Needle of choice for King Tut is a Topstitch 90 - the larger, longer eye lets the thread pass through it without catching or shredding. The Titanium Topstitch 90 is the ultimate choice - lasting 5-8 times longer than a chrome-plated needle.
I have been on a bit of a quilting spree lately, and trying to choose a King Tut colour for a top consisting of mostly Civil War repros was going nowhere until this:
I did mention that King Tut is suitable for hand quilting also. No photos as I am strictly machine, but my customers tell me that some prefer to wax their thread while others hand quilt with King Tut right off the spool. And the wide range of colours is more than you'd ever find in a hand quilting thread!
SAVE 15% ON ALL 132 COLOURS OF KING TUT IN 500 YDS. and 2,000 YDS!
Enter discount code: tut during checkout. Sale price will appear before you confirm your purchase.
I have been on a bit of a quilting spree lately, and trying to choose a King Tut colour for a top consisting of mostly Civil War repros was going nowhere until this:
#1017 Brazil Nut. My new, favourite neutral. Sure, it might be brown to some, or café au lait to the more adventurous, but this is a fantastic chameleon of a colour:
I did mention that King Tut is suitable for hand quilting also. No photos as I am strictly machine, but my customers tell me that some prefer to wax their thread while others hand quilt with King Tut right off the spool. And the wide range of colours is more than you'd ever find in a hand quilting thread!
SAVE 15% ON ALL 132 COLOURS OF KING TUT IN 500 YDS. and 2,000 YDS!
Enter discount code: tut during checkout. Sale price will appear before you confirm your purchase.
Special pricing in effect until next month's Thread-Along (posted mid-month).
Have you used King Tut in any projects?
I love show & tell! Send a photo to share.
Category:
Thread-Along
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