Superior Education

ESTIMATED THREAD USE

  • HOW MUCH THREAD
  • QUILTING
  • QUILT SIZE

How to estimate your thread needs

We often are asked "How much thread does it take to quilt a quilt?". There's not a one size fits all answer, as thread consumption depends on several variables, namely the size of the quilt and how detailed the quilting will be. Everyone's technique is different and the phrase "a lot of thread" can mean something different to anyone. We've done our best to develop a series of averages based on our personal experience. Please use these numbers as a reference point and understand that they are averages according to our personal experience, so your quilting may require more or less thread depending on the quilt, pattern, and desired outcome.

Of course it is possible to use much more or much less thread. The numbers in the table below are for the top thread only. Double them if you will be using the same thread for the bobbin. The three sets of numbers following the size represent Light Quilting/Medium Quilting/Heavy Quilting.

Quilt Size Light Quilting Medium Quilting Heavy Quilting
Lap/Crib Size 200 yds. 400 yds. 600 yds.
Twin Size 400 yds. 800 yds. 1,200 yds.
Queen Size 600 yds. 1,000 yds. 1,600 yds.
King Size 750 yds. 1,500 yds. 2,000 yds.
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