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Article Archive

▼  2010 (138)
▼  September (3)
►  August (14)
►  July (13)
►  June (13)
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►  2009 (340)

  • Texture Magic Tuesday/ Beach Tote Bag

    Posted: 7 September 2010 at 7:09 a.m.
    Kristin Heaney of Orland, Florida has experienced two new happy "firsts".
    She has made her very first tote bag, and she has used Texture Magic for the first time.
    Kristin's thoughtful husband went into a local quilt shop and purchased Texture Magic as a Mother's Day gift.
    Very impressive husband!
    Kristin chose to combine Texture Magic with a free tutorial for a Quilted Tote Bag she saw on Moda Bake Shop.

    The pattern called for jelly rolls, but Kristin improvised and used candybar precuts.

    We are doubly impressed.
     
    Kristin is a stay at home mom of 2 boys, who loves to go to the beach with her family. You can read more about the beach tote bag on her blog Write It Down.
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  • We Now Have Silk Thread!

    Posted: 6 September 2010 at 7:05 a.m.

    We have worked for many years to develop a wonderful silk thread -- one that is better than those already on the market. Our #100 silk thread is called Kimono Silk and made from the finest filament silk fibers and processed with the most advanced technology available.

    Through rigorous testing, our Kimono Silk outperformed other #100 silk threads in every testing category including strength, twist, consistency, elongation, and smoothness.

    Kimono Silk™ is ideal for hand appliqué and invisible machine appliqué. This #100 silk disappears, hiding stitches and allowing the fabric to lie flat. Perfect curves and points at last!
    Kimono Silk™ #100 is excellent for fine detail quilting, adding a lustrous sheen, whether on a longarm or a domestic sewing machine with 80 great colors to choose from including "Modern Moods" by Gina Perkes, a collection of special up-to-date colors.

    When using silk thread in your machine, use The Bottom Line in the bobbin and you should have no tension problems. Choose a matching color. The smoothness of The Bottom Line allows the silk to stay on top and not be pulled down into the loft.

    Kimono Silk can be ordered on our web site.

    read more

  • Karen's Quilt

    Posted: 3 September 2010 at 7:29 a.m.
    When you call into Superior Threads, many of you have placed an order
    with Karen. She is a brand new quilter inspired by all the quilts that
    she sees around her and wanted to try quilting for herself.
    This is Karen's first quilt that she has completed.
    Karen loves camping with her husband and wanted to hang a wall quilt inside of her camper.
    She bought some fabric postcards. Karen chose matching fabric to accompany all 4 of them.
    Karen cut the fabric, pieced it (with MasterPiece # 153 of course!)
    Quilted it (with King Tut # 991), and bound it all by herself.
    Under the tutelage of Ricci, another Superior Office worker.
    We are so proud of Karen for her fine job and her wonderful
    wall quilt for her RV. She is hooked and already has two more
    unfinished projects! (which she will finish, she's still a new quilter :)"
    read more

  • Texture Magic Tuesday/ 4-H Sundress

    Posted: 31 August 2010 at 5:55 a.m.
    Thirteen year old McKenzie of Colorado has been learning to sew through her local 4-H program.
    Her teacher, Paula Graves introduced Texture Magic as a fun way to help the class enjoy working with fabrics.

    McKenzie added a Texture Magic panel to the bottom of a plain sundress.

    A quilting project turns into something wonderful to wear.

    McKenzie sewed around the flowers and leaves of her focus fabric backed with Texture Magic.

    Steaming the Texture Magic.

    After 34 hours of sewing, creativity and imagination really paid off.
    McKenzie won Grand Champion at the Chaffee County Fair and will exhibit the dress at the Colorado State Fair.

    Congratulations McKenzie! We appreciate your efforts in learning a new skill, and we know there will be many wonderful accomplishments in your future.
    read more

  • Wall of Thread

    Posted: 30 August 2010 at 7:11 a.m.
    Gail Otke loves Superior Threads.
    Recently she shared with us pictures of her wall of thread.

    The "Lava" section.
    Gail's thread racks are made from peg board painted white and trimmed in a frame.
    The 4" pegs are cut from dowels.
    The large rack holds Lava, Poly Quilter and King Tut.

    The smaller rack holds Rainbows and Highlights.
    Gail recently retired in June and now plans to quilt full time.
    We can see she has the right thread to get started.

    We asked Gail to share a little bit more about herself:
    "Attached is a photo of my first quilt I made at age 6 , and I have been sewing ever since. (you can make a lot of stuff in 49 years!)
    I sewed on a treadle until 15 years ago, but now I have the state of the art everything.
    I have been using Superior threads since I bought my APQS machine."
    *Do you have a wall of Superior Threads you would like to share with us? We would love to see your pictures, too!
    read more

  • Using A Delicate Thread

    Posted: 27 August 2010 at 5:34 a.m.
    ASK DR. BOB
    Mary: I have a friend of mine testing out the MasterPiece thread. She loves it for piecing but has had significant bobbin thread breakage. She is using MasterPiece in the top and in the bobbin. She keeps her tension the same. Any advice?
    Bob: If the bobbin thread is breaking, 99% of the time, the bobbin tension has worked itself too tight. What machine is she using??
    Mary: A Bernina Aurora 430E.

    Bob: I recommend loosening the top tension to 2.0 and the bobbin tension screw by 1/4 turn.
    That will solve it.
    read more

  • Texture Magic Tuesday/ San Moritz Jacket

    Posted: 24 August 2010 at 5:33 a.m.
    Morninglory Designs contacted me about using Texture Magic in one of
    their upcoming new San Moritz Jacket & Purse pattern.
    I gladly accepted their offer to make one for me and sent off my fabric and threads.
    They used Glitter #130 Ruby for texturizing and topstitch, and So Fine! #412 Hot Chilies for use in serger and machine.
    This tasteful jacket was delivered to me at the Minneapolis spring market and I was very pleased with how it turned out.
    I really like the topstitching and the tuxedo collar.
    The jacket really showed off the Texture Magic and is very comfortable to wear.
    If I'm not wearing this in the booth, you will see it hanging in the
    booth. You can order directly from Morninglory Designs at:
    http://www.morninglorydesigns.com/
    read more

  • Using MonoPoly For The First Time

    Posted: 23 August 2010 at 6:31 a.m.
    ASK DR. BOB
    Laura wrote:
    I recently purchased a 2,400 yd. spool of the MonoPoly monofilament thread from you. I am getting ready to use it for the first time to do some machine quilting and was wondering whether I could use this thread in the bobbin as well as the needle and, if so, are there any special winding tips to raise the odds of success on my maiden MonoPoly voyage? Needle type/size tips?
     
    We recommend using MonoPoly on either top or bottom, but not both at the same time. Because it is so smooth, it might not form a sufficient knot if used both on top and bottom.
    To wind a bobbin, hand wind about 5-10 winds, then hold onto the tail when pushing the start button.
    As a top thread, a size 70/10, 75/11, or 80/12 needle should work fine. You will need to loosen the upper tension setting if you get breakage.
    read more

  • Slubs

    Posted: 20 August 2010 at 5:17 a.m.
    Slubs are clumps of lint (like a bump in the middle of the thread) wound into the strand of thread. Cheap raw material and cheap processing result in slubs.
    Our King Tut and MasterPiece threads should never have a slub.


    *King Tut :Nature's finest thread. Extremely low lint #40/3-ply extra-long staple Egyptian-grown cotton. All variegated colors have a one-inch color change interval.
    I've never seen one on our threads. If a customer says that they are getting excess lint with King Tut or MasterPiece, most likely thread is being stressed too much, either with a
    too small of a needle (like lacing up a shoe lace through a too small eyelet) or with too tight tension settings. Either problem is easily corrected: Use a bigger needle and/or looser top tension.

    *MasterPiece by Alex Anderson. Nature's finest thread. #50/2 extra-long staple Egyptian-grown cotton for piecing, detail quilting, bobbin, lace, and applique. Very smooth with virtually no lint.
    read more

  • Texture Magic Tuesday/ City Wraps Jacket

    Posted: 17 August 2010 at 6:38 a.m.
    When I showed Lorraine Torrence Texture Magic a year ago, she said she was designing a new jacket pattern called "City Wraps."

    She asked me if I would like her to make me one of these jackets showing off Texture Magic in her design.
    I chose a red dupioni silk (of course I chose Red!) to be texturized using Glitter #130 Ruby and the result was mahvelous!
    Maybe you have seen me in this jacket at quilt shows.
    Check it out for yourself!
    Silk dupioni before and after texturizing.
    Look how the Glitter sparkles!
    It's a very comfortable jacket.
    Just enough texturizing to make City Wraps flattering.
    If you would like to make your own version of this stunning jacket,
    order directly from Lorraine Torrence Designs.
    read more

  • Color Card Sets

    Posted: 16 August 2010 at 6:50 a.m.
    We love hearing from our happy customers!
    "Hi Bob,
    I ordered the set of 22 color cards offered in your last newsletter.
    They arrived today. Wow, wow, wow. I am having so much fun with them.
    Spreading them all out so I can see all at once, or examining one card at a time, or one thread at a time. Looking at them in different lights.
    Took them outside in the sunlight (particular fun with the SunBurst
    threads). I'm so glad that Superior Threads offers the color cards, and I'm so glad that I splurged and ordered the set!"
    Our color cards are wound with real thread to eliminate the guess work of a printed sheet or a computer monitor. The cards are sold at our cost of only $3 each because we want everyone to have them! They can be purchased in a group or individually on our Website. Buy all 22 color cards and save $6.00.
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  • Quilts Of Valor Project

    Posted: 13 August 2010 at 5:45 a.m.
    Superior Threads is the thread sponsor for the Quilts of Valor Project. The mission of the QOV Foundation is to cover all those servicemembers and veterans touched by war with quilts.
    Many individuals from all over the country have made great contributions to this worthy cause.
    Today we would like to highlight one individual who has made a difference in the lives of our wounded soldiers.
    Ron Olson of New Mexico, has quilted 960 quilts for QOV and will soon reach 1,000.

    Ron began quilting QOV's in early 2004 on his Statler Stitcher.
    Quilt #960 Simply Roses (design by Helen Smith) was pieced by the Southern California QOV group.

    Ron likes to quilt an American symbol into every quilt.
    #960 has the Liberty Flame.

    We asked Ron to share a little information about himself:
    "I graduated from Superior's School of Threadology in April 2010 and use various Superior threads as I quilt QOVs. My favorite threads are King Tut, Rainbow, Highlights, Brights, and Bottom Line. I sometimes use Masterpiece or King Tut in the bobbin when using Rainbows or Highlights on the top."
    Thank you for your work, Ron!
    We look forward to highlighting your progress as ...
    read more

  • Texture Magic Tuesday/ Jewelry Travel Case

    Posted: 10 August 2010 at 5:57 a.m.
    With all of the traveling we do, a Jewelry Travel Case is very convenieint. Thanks to my friend Annie Unrein, I can now travel in style.
    This handy case will keep your treasured jewelry protected and organized, minimizing tangles, twists and knots. Individual ring, earring, and bracelet bars help arrange all your favorites. Three flannel-lined zippered pockets hold bracelets, pins, and large loop earrings.

    The necklace station provides a safe haven for chains, ropes, and other unique items with snap tab holders and an open bottom pocket to keep them in place. A zip-up divider separates them from other jewelry.
    *Measures 11" x 15" when open and folds to 11" x 7½"
    The Jewelry Travel Case and all other Texture Magic patterns can be ordered on our Website.
    read more

  • Ask Dr. Bob/ Titanium Needles

    Posted: 9 August 2010 at 6:36 a.m.
    ASK DR. BOB
    Question: I was recently at a class by a "national" teacher who definitely had an opinion about titanium needles, and I was curious what you think. She said that we shouldn't use titanium needles because they're too strong and could actually punch a hole in the bobbin case (rather than break).
    Is this true?
    She comes from the commercial industry, so maybe her experience is with full titanium needles? I noticed that your needles are not full titanium, but titanium coated. Would that make a difference?
    Answer: I've also heard this opinion. No needle is made of pure titanium. That would cost hundreds of dollars.
    Any needle referred to as titanium is, in fact, only titanium coated with titanium nitride which is an ultra thin coating applied to the surface of the needle. The coating is very hard and reduces wear on the needle. It does not significantly affect the overall strength of the needle.
    Most industrial sewing factories around the world use titanium-coated needles because they last 5-8 times longer than the standard chrome-coated needles.
    Most longarm machine companies use and sell them also    .

    If it were true that titanium-coated needles were potentially ...
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  • Web Page Try Me Specials

    Posted: 6 August 2010 at 1:55 p.m.
    We realize that many times you would like to experiment with a certain type of Superior Thread.
    We have the solution!
    We offer Try Me Specials for many of our products at discounted prices.
    See our Web page for ordering.

    Example:
    HIGHLIGHTS Try Me Special.
    These are our regular 500 yd. spools (Superior Threads does not have any 'seconds'). Colors are pre-selected and packed. Limit: 5 spools. Price listed is per spool. (If you order more than one spool, the colors are different.) 40 wt. high-sheen trilobal polyester. Recommended Needle: Longarm machines= #18 or #19 (MR 4.0 and 4.5) Home machines= #90/14
    When we choose colors for the Sampler Sets, we purposefully choose bright colors for a reason.

    When you are using a new thread, a bright color makes it very easy to see the stitching. This is very important when deciding if you like the thread or not. Same with the bobbin thread. A neutral bobbin thread will blend and it is very difficult to determine if the stitch is perfect.

    By using a bright color bobbin thread, you will know immediately how it runs in your machine. Because these are Sampler Set specials, we want ...
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