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I have not made that many mini's but have heard and have tried a quilting invisible thread. "SewArt " it comes in a clear and a smokey, both should be available at one of your local quilting shops.I can always ask my supplier in USA which shops would stock it if you want to get hold of it.It is very strong , has enough give in it, and you need only use a single strand.It is as the name says invisible.
Lynette
Baird'sBears Dilu,
Would your steam iron and towel method take the bounce out of fishing line? Or is it a different beast altogether?
For those trying to minimize the tummy seam, wouldn't it be possible to make a two-piece or 3-piece mini with the seams on the sides? I like the 3-piece body on medium sized bears because I can use similar side/back pieces over and over, but vary the widths down the front piece for different effects. Wider at the top = bosom, wider at the bottom = tummy, etc.
Eileen
Posts: 8,574The fishing line I am familiar with it would and you wouldn't have to worry.....its more like really heavy duty thread....
but i know that there is also fishing line that is like the invisible threat, monofilament thread....I would want to have a thick towel between the iron and the thread-so that nothing melted but did get a little warm to help it straighten out....
But then I iron my embroidery floss and the thicker thread we use for noses too....to just helps everything to lie nicer.....
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)>>>>>>best luck with quilting thread
Quilting thread is cotton, and it does deteriorate over time.. :o( So does silk.
Mettler's Metrosene Plus is about the strongest, thinnest thread - all polyester. It used to be Swiss-made. The spools were so shiny (a very tight twist!) they glowed like silk! But now it's made in Germany and the quality has suffered. It's fuzzier, which means it's more like to abrade and break.
Next choice it terms of tight twist/more resistance is Guttermann, which was a bit fuzzier and originated in Germany but is now from Mexico. Can you see a trend here? Each time it goes to a cheaper labor market, the quality suffers.
The smoother the surface, the easier the thread slides through the fabric, the less breakage. Mettler's will hardly even form that bend at the needle's eye, where it always frays out on all-purpose thread, especially the cotton-covered polyester core type. Minis made with 20 sts per inch need a very fray resistant thread.
Google Mettler's and buy it on eBay (I had over 400 spools at one point) and inquire if the spool says Swiss-made or Made in Germany.
Bobbie
Wild Thyme OriginalsNext choice it terms of tight twist/more resistance is Guttermann, which was a bit fuzzier and originated in Germany but is now from Mexico. Can you see a trend here? Each time it goes to a cheaper labor market, the quality suffers.
Bobbie
Bobbie.... that is so interesting about the Guttermann thread ..... In the last town I lived in we had this tiny little Mom & Pop quilting/sewing store... coolest place!!!! I don't know how on Earth they were even surviving, anyway, so much of the stuff was really what I would call "old stock." I bought a huge number of spools of the Guttermann thread once when they had a sale. In the past couple of months, I went to Joann's to buy some Guttermann thread in a different color.... I noticed a difference, but couldn't quite put my finger on it.... it just wasn't the same as the stuff I was used to! I wonder if what you mentioned above is why!? I'm off to go check that newer spool! I did go ahead and use it, and it seems to be just fine.... but it really did have a different feel to it as I used it. Hmmmm......
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
Baird'sBears Thanks, Dilu! I'm going to try when I find my iron 
Interesting, Bobbi. I checked my stock of Guterman (men?) from the local Walmart. All of it says 'Made in Germany' so I suppose I got lucky. Walmart buys in such huge lots that some of the stock is bound to be elderly! I should go back for more asap. . .
Eileen
Posts: 8,574Bobbie,
yep....you hit the nail on the head! But then what you say is true about so many things...so much of what we get now comes from 'third world' countries and the quality is non existant. Now i know why I hoard, (in a dark box to avoid too quick of deterioration)
I was really bummed when I learned that Singer had sold.
sigh
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Another thought, Amelia, on your front seam sts showing through on the front: have you considered the direction of the nap? It looks as if it's running straight on the grain but it's difficult to tell...
The few horizontal sts that I can see (or what looks like thread sts) in the upper chest area suggest to me sts that aren't pulled snugly and sts that aren't placed close enough together. I used tohave time to take part in round robin, shared swaps and challenges. I was appalled at the great galloping sts that some of the best bearmakers use. And 2 of our best known kit designers take fast - quick & dirty - sts to sew up the 1 model of the kit that they need for the kit's outside cover.
It was drilled into me ad infinitum, ad nauseum, by my Mom & GrM: "It's GOT to look as good on the inside as it does on the outside."
Some bear makers advise stitching into every one of the little squares of the backing grid. That's too many - it'll cause some areas to actually flare out like the stretched edges of crepe paper ribbon. But sts should never cross over more than about 2 of the squares, as the skipped one will be picked up in the next half of the backstitch. Mine were pretty consistently 20 sts per inch. Even on the skimpiest nap they didn't show. But they all must be smoothly and constantly pulled snug, after each half of the backst.
By sealing the edges of fabric with Aleene's Stop Fraying (NOT Fray Check!!!) or OK To Wash It, blotting & allowing to dry before cutting out, I stitched right at the edge and never had a seam pop. I stuff hard too.
Bobbie
