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Delartful BearsHi Everyone,
I've never been able to work out which way is best, so I thought I'd ask everyone here.
When you're making say a black and white panda, and you're stitching a piece of white mohair and a piece of black mohair together, what colour thread do you choose? White or black?
I think in the past i've gone with black, I don't really know why, it's looked fine - I'm just wondering what the rule of thumb is - if there is a rule of thumb???
Thanks everyone!
Danni
Danni - I would use black, I think it blends in better. If you're doing an eye patch, I'd also use black, stitching inside the black part of the patch. I don't know if there is a rule of thumb...
Fool's Gold BearsI read somewhere recently (maybe here?), that a good rule of thumb is if you must choose, choose to match the darker fabric. Your intuition serves you well, Danni. 
Delartful BearsAhh that's so good to know! That girls. I just thought I'd ask.
Ever since I saw your beautiful face Laure holding your beautiful bear, I have wanted to try a brown and white panda. I just fell inlove with that bear!
Kiprie BearsHi Danni and everyone !
Thank you for bring up good question 
I always wanted to know too .
I agree that "use the darker color thread" for panda case, but how about the
foot case ? Do you use darker color ? or color of the foot ?
If I use the light color(than mohair) of felt or ultra suede for feet,
I always having troubled to figure up...:rolleyes:
Sorry for adding more question :P
Hugs/Marie
Posts: 8,574Danni
In quilting we used a lighter type grey....but I would use white in a panda application, which is the reverse of the previous answers. The reason I do that on my quilts, and sometimes bears is because I can take a paint pen and go down the seam if any white shows in the black areas, but I can't take a paint pen and paint out the black thread showing in the white areas.
On my gollys, sometimes a dot of red will show through in the hair, (where I anchor the red thread for the mouths.) I just paint that out too with the black paint pin.
I always felt in quilting, clothing and now in bears that if the dark thread shows through on a white or pale color it kind of makes the white or pale color look dirty or grungy....and while the person looking at the bear may not recognize why it seems a little dirty, they will perceive it...
Take some scraps and try it both ways- see what you can live with.
And it would bother me....that's why I came up with the paint pen option of coloring lighter threads on the darker fabric.
The other thing I do is tighten the tension down and then sew some scraps together. I will pull the scraps apart about where I think it would be if it were tightly stuffed, like around muzzles etc, and see just how much does show.....So don't forget to use the tools of your machine....and don't be afraid to tighten or loosen your tensions to suit yourself.
You could try it both ways and see how it works for you and report back.
Marie,
I match the thread to the foot pad for light bears, like white, yellow etc, and I match the mohair on the darker bears. Especially if the fur is longer and apt to curl around the foot pad. But again, if I am sewing by machine I tighten the tension- If I am sewing by hand I still have a tighter tension, ( an extra little tug)
Oh well---my 2 cents---I always seem to be swimming up-stream :/
Dilu
LuxembearsGreat idea Dilu. I would have to agree with you on colroing the darker thread...but like everything else in this forum...there doesn't seem to be a rule-of-thumb for anything.
That's what is so great about this place...so many ideas pooled together.:D
Luxembearsps...Dilu, I'll swim upstream with you any day...AND it will help to burn off the extra chocolate!:D
Kiprie BearsHi Dilu!
Thank you for your answer. I think I will follow to your idea ;)
Then..I will swim with you and Judi to burn my extra chocolate. hee hee
Bear Hugs/Marie
LuxembearsYAY MARIE!!
Winneybears and FriendsHey Dilu that's a neat and new to me idea to use the pen to color the threads...
I also heard to use transparant thread in areas where it has a chance of showing like sewing the ears on..Winney
Posts: 8,574Hi Winney-( what am going to call you when at last we meet.....in my mind you are Winney)
I have a dickens of a time sewing with the monofilament thread- I have to admidt that I am never happy with it, because it seems like I don't get the tensions right...or it curls up on me.
NOW your idea of doing the ears....hmmmmm thats done by hand, I think it is a good idea and worth giving a try. Thanks! :)
Judi and Marie
Ok gals let's go swimming, uh, but first CHOCOLAT!!! Yipeee! :D
Dilu
Hey, where can I buy transparent thread?!? I love the idea for the ears, Winney.
Posts: 8,574Kirsten,
I'm not our Miss Winney, but:
Just about any sewing store, fabric store, and maybe Walmart will have it....I believe it called monofilament. Ive seen it clear, and I also have it in a kind of smoky color. Also Clotildes on the internet....but she isn't cheap-Clotildes has a gazillion notions and tools that are great for all sorts of sewing applications, but what she doesn't have are bargains! :D
Also if you tell the clerk you want invisible thread-she will know what you want.
I am liking Winney's idea for the ears...
Dilu
Back Road BearsOK, I have another technique to throw into the mix.... (I've got to stop checking posts just before bed - I end up sitting here waaaay past my bedtime! And I probably babble and make no sense!) Here goes:
First off this is when MACHINE SEWING a light and a dark fabric.
I'll sew with the dark fabric on the bottom. So on my bobbin is a matching dark thread. On the top is the light fabric, thus a matching light thread on my spool. It works for me - no unsightly colors in my seams. I guess it has to do with quilting and matching the backing with the same color thread while using a spool color that matches the top of the quilt.
When hand sewing I match the lighter fabric and if I had to use only one color thread in my machine would also use the lighter thread. Di's idea of coloring the thread if necessary is a good one in my book!! :)
G'Night!
Daphne
Fool's Gold BearsDaphne,
What a brilliant idea to use dark and light upper and bobbin threads, and match to dark and light fabrics as you sew!! It should have been obvious.
The coloring of thread with a dark marker is good too, but let's remember (Shelli's?) admonition to avoid using a black 'Sharpie', as that black soon fades to purple.
Posts: 8,574Three Cheers for Daphne!!!!! Wonderful, logical, practical idea!!! Yipeeeee.
I'm 53 and have been sewing sinceI was, what, maybe 7. Never occured to me, but the min. you said it it clicked in my brain...what's left, and with a slightly tighter tension I do believe there would be no show through...Can't wait to try it!
Thanks Daphne-you win the chocolate for best idea of the week!
Wonky dilylu
Back Road BearsMmmmm that chocolate is yummy! Thanks, Di!
Laure,
Yes, I think I was the one who mentioned the black sharpie thing (it may have been on the edinburgh message board tho', not sure about here.) Shelli would be too smart to do such a silly thing. That's more my speed! Now that I think of it, I should have let Shelli take the credit! :)
Hugs, Daphne
Shelli accidentally sewed her POTBELLY BEARS tushtag back onto itself in her most recent bearmaking attempt, ruining it completely and thus having to remove it... and now is faced with the dilemma of how to attach that promised tushtag without an open seam available, in which to insert it. THAT is how "smart" Shelli is. :P;):D
I thank you for your confidence in my abilities, but I'm as human as the next girl. My lack of experience with Sharpies is pure dumb luck, since I already had the Micron 05 finepoint pens on hand from scrapbooking, and just grabbed what was handy in my early bearmaking tries... which "happened" to work out very well!
Hugs,
Posts: 8,574Oh Shelli, thank you thank you thank you......
We're human!
"God bless us every one"
Dilu
Delartful BearsOoh thanks everyone for the wonderful replies. You Sheilas are wonderful!
Fool's Gold BearsWe're Sheilas!! Now there's a good Aussie term! Thanks Danni, for contributing your hue to this colorful group. 
:lol::lol: I like the thought of being a Sheila. Not sure how it comes across in Aussie thought, but to me it sounds quite feminine and pleasant.
Delartful BearsOoh the ocka aussies use that term, but being younger, I don't really, but I thought I'd mention it, just to use another aussie term. Sheilas are just females... I guess it could be used in a good or bad way, but I was using it in a good way, of course!
Back Road BearsSo we're hip chicks, cool gals, hot mammas........ :lol::lol:
Fool's Gold BearsSorry to pry, Danni, but what are 'ocka' Aussies?
