Quilting Favorites

I’ve now been quilting for three years and three months. It’s been a HUGE stress relief for me — especially hand quilting/piecing. It keeps my brain busy while keeping my hands busy — something no other hobby has been able to do for me. During These Pandemic Times, quilting helps to pass the time. Here are some things that I use all the time. P.S. Support your locally-owned quilt shop (I mostly buy supplies from Twisted Sisters in Alcoa, Tennessee)

1. Thimble — I’ve only gotten into using a thimble this year. I use a Dritz soft comfort thimble (small) for piecing/pushing the needle through, and add in Colonial Thimblepads for quilting.
2. Thread — Oh boy. Thread was hard to find this spring when everyone and their brother descended into the sewing industry. I usually use Coats n Clark hand quilting thread in natural. I’m putting a toe into the water of different brands — like Gutermann — but haven’t used them yet, I only panic bought the spools last time I was in store. For machine sewing, I use Coats n Clark all purpose.
3. Needles — I have no opinion yet on needles for the sewing machine. I’m still trying to figure out when I need to change those out and differences in the sizes (honestly I’m such a noob I haven’t noticed a difference). For hand sewing, I prefer Colonial (NOT John James) betweens in size 10 along with Bohin needles. Thankfully I picked up a pack of Bohins in March at Quilt Fest in Pigeon Forge. Both Bohin and Colonial are a joy to sew with. I do not like J.J. big eye or Clover black gold — those are too hard to thread or don’t pull through the fabric smoothly.
4. If I need a thread conditioner I use Thread Magic. I heard it was disappearing but I saw packages at JoAnn’s during my last emergency run. I also heard Kwik Klip was being discontinued, but I still see those everywhere (yes I bought one and haven’t used it yet. Basting is my LEAST favorite step!!)
5. Fabrics — My favorite blenders are P&B ramblings. I’ll buy something if it’s in cheddar, but besides that I’m still learning about all the different types of fabric. For now I prefer Bella Solids over Kona. Kona frays too much for me, and I’ve learned that’s a pet peeve.

I currently have four or so quilt tops ready to be quilted. I *thought* I would search out a new longarmer after ‘Rona calmed down, but now I’m not sure what to do. My machine is a Brother LX3125, so not exactly a machine that’s ready to take on quilting any size top.