Introducing the Bobbinator™ - A Unique Sewing Accessory

Check out the Bobbinator on our Canadian online site for a closer look!

This unique item turns your bobbin into a spool of thread so that there is no need to purchase a separate top thread for small to medium sized projects! The Bobbinator includes a reserve chamber to keep 3 additional bobbins in storage, making it to easily store total of 4 bobbins.

The cap on each end of the device twists off, with one end opening to the storage chamber and the other end opening to the compartment that holds the bobbin you’ll be sewing with as a top thread.

Simply drop a bobbin into the main compartment and draw the thread through the slit. Twist the cap back on and the Bobbinator device and you’re now ready to use the bobbin thread as a top thread on either the horizontal or vertical spool pin. After placing it on your thread pin of choice, simply thread your machine like normal. This handy device lifts the bobbin thread out so that it doesn’t drag against the edge of the bobbin, causing tension changes. This is perfect for bringing a few colours as needed to guild meetings, events, and classes instead of bringing your entire thread box.

But you don’t need to just use it for machine sewing. Each bobbin included with this device is a DecoBob 80wt cottonized poly pre-wound bobbin. This thread makes for an ideal English paper piecing and hand appliqué thread as the super fine thread allows the fabric to sit tighter together and lay flatter, with the thread blending in so it won’t be seen. The Bobbinator makes it easy to keep the thread organized and tidy while you stitch at home or on the go.

DecoBob is also an excellent choice for hand and machine piecing, quilting, machine embroidery and digitized lace designs, button holes, and hidden stitches. Every Bobbinator pack includes 10 DecoBob pre-wound bobbins in your choice of grey or beige colours, as well as 1 Bobbinator device.

It also comes in a special variety made just for Sue Daley exclusively in her signature pink colour and her favourite 10 colours of DecoBob.

Included with every Bobbinator pack are prewound bobbins wound with our super fine 80wt DecoBob™ thread, an excellent bobbin thread that can be paired with any top thread. DecoBob™ is ideal for hand and machine piecing, quilting, machine embroidery and digitized lace designs, button holes, and hidden stitches. Enjoy with your bobbin thread as a top thread!

Want to try a Bobbinator for yourself or as a gift for that special friend? Find a store in your area that carries WonderFil at http://www.shopwonderfil.ca/shop-local. You can also sign up for our free newsletter to receive more educational sewing tips, tutorials, and free patterns. Register by clicking here! We’ll see you again next time!

Binding Quilts with Your Backing Fabric - No Binding Strips Needed!

We want to show you a fabulous way of binding your quilts using just the backing fabric. It’s fast, easy, and still looks just as good as if you did it with binding strips. This is a wonderful way of simplifying your binding without sacrificing a professionally finished look!

We’re using this quilt block as an example of how to set up your own quilt to bind it with the backing fabric. This method will of course still work on a larger sized quilt, but we’ll just be demonstrating the technique on this block.

After your quilt has been quilted, you’ll have some leftover batting and backing fabric along the edges. If you plan on binding it with the backing fabric, you’ll need to leave an excess of about 2 or 3 inches of backing fabric.

Before you can begin binding, you’ll need to square up your quilt. Tuck your backing out of the way and trim the other layers with your rotary cutter. Be careful not to cut through any of your backing fabric. If you can’t get your backing out of the way enough that you won’t cut into it, you can also carefully trim your layers with a pair of scissors as long as you can get it all squared up evenly.

(Pinning the backing fabric out of the way)

(Trimming the batting to square up the quilt)

When your quilt is trimmed and squared up evenly, you can now trim your back fabric. You will need an inch of back fabric from the edge of your quilt, so take out your quilt ruler and trim it so that you have an even 1 inch of back fabric all the way around.

(Trimming the backing fabric to 1”/2.5cm

Fold your back fabric in half so that the edge of the fabric is just touching the edge of the quilt top. You don’t need it to overlap the quilt top, just have it lined up against the edge of it. Press with an iron to hold the fold in place.

Now you’re going to fold the binding over one more time. Take a glue stick and run it across your binding, then when you fold it down again it will help hold it in place. Press again with the iron to keep it stuck down snugly.

Now that you have your first folded edge, we’re going to fold the corner into a triangle making a 90 degree angle. Add another dab of glue and press it down with the iron to keep it in place.

Like before, fold the backing of the next edge down and press it in place with the iron. Take your glue stick and glue the entire edge including the folded triangle. Fold it over again and iron it down as you fold. The corner should have a perfectly mitered edge if your quilt is squared up correctly and the backing is folded evenly.

Continue these steps for the other two edges. When you come around to the last side, fold the corners on both ends of the backing into a 90 degree angle. Then fold and iron the binding down like before. Dab your glue across the entire fold including both corners and fold again, ironing it down as you go.

When you’ve finished, your quilt should have perfectly mitered corners and a binding that transitions evenly from back to front without an extra seam like you would with strip binding.

At this point you can choose to hand stitch your binding down like it’s traditionally done, or you can machine sew it which will go quicker. No matter which method you choose, we highly recommend using a finer thread in the top and bobbin. The thread we’ll be using is called DecoBob, which is an 80wt cottonized polyester thread. Because it’s so fine, it will really help to hide in the fabric so your stitches will be less visible. This is especially important if you choose to machine stitch your binding down. We recommend this thread because it’s strong enough to reliably hold your binding down without being too visible or worrying about the thread breaking.

To sew the binding down with your machine, you want to stitch as close as you can to the edge as you can. Because we tacked everything down with the glue earlier, the fabric is much less likely to shift as we sew. However, you can hold the edges down with some wonder clips if you need to. Sew all the way around your binding and don’t forget to back tack at the beginning and end.

There will be a gap at the mitered corners. These can be hand stitched close if you want to, or they can be left open if the quilt isn’t going to experience too much wear and tear. When you’re done, you have a beautifully bound quilt that smoothly transitions from back to front, and perfectly mitered corners. If you machine stitched it down with the 80wt DecoBob thread, you’ll also find that your stitches aren’t too visible either.

Inspired to sew with WonderFil threads? Find a store in your area that carries WonderFil at www.shopwonderfil.com/shop-local. You can also sign up for our free newsletter to receive more educational sewing tips, tutorials, and free patterns. Register by clicking here! We’ll see you again next time!

Hemming Lightweight Fabrics With a Serger & Sewing Machine

We’ll show you the easiest way to make a rolled hem on chiffon fabric, or any other similar lightweight material. We’ll first demonstrate it on the serger, then with a domestic machine for those who don’t own a serger. Using the recommended materials and this technique, the result will be a beautiful rolled hem that looks just as professional as if it came from the store!

A lot of formalwear uses sheer, lightweight fabrics, and this method is a good way to keep the edge looking professional like it had never been modified. Apart from your machine, you’ll only need some small but important materials:

First, you’ll want to choose the right thread. We’ll be using a 100wt poly thread called InvisaFil, which is going to blend really well in the fabric so you don’t even see it. And because the thread is so fine, it will stitch more easily through the thin fabric, resulting in fewer ruffles. It’s important to use a very fine thread like this because apart from showing less, it also won’t weigh down the lightweight fabric either.

Because the thread is so fine, we’re also going to choose a needle with a smaller eye. Choose a size 60/8 or 70/10 microtex needle which works best on light fabrics.

Finally, I’m going to use a bobbin that’s been pre-wound with DecoBob thread. This is an 80wt poly thread that comes already pre-wound on a plastic sided bobbin which will pair well with the top thread. You can alternatively wind your own bobbin with the InvisaFil thread, just remember wind it slowly since the thin thread tends to float away. If you’re going to hem your fabric on a serger, obviously you won’t use a bobbin so you’ll want DecoBob thread on a spool for your lower loopers.

On a Serger: 

We are going to use a 3 thread rolled hem, with InvisaFil in the needle and upper looper, and DecoBob in the lower looper. Consult with your serger manual and adjust the stitch length and cutting blade to get a close narrow hem.

Once your machine is threaded, do a test run on similar fabric to make sure your fabric is not puckering. You may have to adjust your differential settings to get a flat, smooth edge. 

Mark your hem with a disappearing marking pen, and serge exactly along your marked line. This is the simplest method for a quick fine hem on chiffon or similar fine fabric.

On a Domestic Sewing Machine With a Rolled Hem:

If you want to hem fine fabric on a domestic machine, this two step method will help you achieve perfect results. Mark where you want your finished hem and cut 1” below the marked line. We will trim this closer later. Be sure to spread the fabric out flat and even as these types of fabrics can easily shift during cutting. Thread your machine with InvisaFil on top and DecoBob in the bobbin. Now you’re ready to sew!

Using your fingers, tuck the edge of the fabric over 1/8” below the finished hem length and stitch very close to this folded edge. Do this all the way to the end of the fabric. If you’re hemming a sleeve or skirt, or anything where your piece is a loop, we recommend starting and ending on the seam to help hide the backstitching.

When you’re done, use a pair of sharp, fine tipped scissors to cut away the remaining fabric as close as you can to your line of stitching without snipping into the stitching itself. Exercise caution so you don’t accidentally snip over your seam. Do this all the way to the end.

Press all the way around to sink the stitches into the fabric and smooth any puckers.

Once you’ve finished trimming the excess fabric and pressing, tuck the edge 1/8” over one more time (along the finished hem marking) and stitch it down again over the original line of stitching to complete your rolled hem. If you have trouble tucking the edge over with your fingers and keeping the 1/8” length consistent, you can press the edge down with an iron before sewing.

That’s all there is to it! You can see how little the thread shows in the finished hem as well how flat the edge sits because the fine thread doesn’t add extra bulk. As most hems have a curved edge, doing the hem in two steps helps keep your hem even and consistent and eliminates any problems. These materials combined with these simple techniques are all you need for perfect, professional hemming.

(Left: done with serger. Right: done with domestic machine.)

Inspired to sew? Head on over to shopwonderfil.com/shop-local/ for a list of stores and retailers you can purchase WonderFil threads from. You can also sign up to receive weekly sewing tips, free patterns, and tutorials in our newsletter. Register by clicking here! You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe button on the footer of every email you receive.

The Easiest Way to Hem a Pair of Jeans

Rather than rolling up your jeans or taking them to an expensive tailor, why not hem them yourself? This is one of those life skills that’s easy enough for anyone with a sewing machine to do themselves. Wearing jeans that are too long can wear away the denim around the heel in an ugly way. We’re here to show you our tried and true method of hemming jeans easily and quickly for a perfect fit. We’ll also show you our recommendation for notions that will give you the best look and results.

To begin, you’ll want to grab a piece of tailor’s chalk, preferably in white or another contrasting colour from your denim. Put on the pair of jeans that are too long and turn up the fabric under the wrong side of the pants until it’s at the desired length. We recommend doing this step while wearing shoes to ensure you take this extra height into consideration. It may help to have someone do this for you so you’re standing straight. Make a mark at the base of the fabric at the desired length using the tailor’s chalk.

Now measure the distance from the mark to the bottom of the original hem. You’ll want to mark the other leg at the same distance so they are the same length. Lay one of the legs flat and place a ruler straight against the line. Extend the line all the way down the fabric.

Holding the ruler in place against the line, you can flip over the pant leg over the ruler and continue drawing the line to the other side of the leg, being careful to keep it straight. You should now have a straight line running on both sides of the pant leg.

Do the same with the other pant leg. Now that both legs have been marked, you’ll want to mark your fold lines next. On the side of the line closer to the bottom of the pant leg, measure another half inch and make a new mark.

Now measure another half inch from your new mark, and make a third mark. You’ll want to once again extend these lines straight all the way around the pant leg on both legs. You should now have 3 solid straight lines travelling around both your pant legs.

Using a pair of sharp fabric scissors, cut off the pants closely following the bottom line, the one closest to the bottom of the pant leg. Do this for both pant legs. You can now begin sewing your new hem!

Most denim jeans will have a thick gold coloured thread, so it’s best to choose a thread that matches it to look consistent with the rest of the pants. We’ll be using this 12wt cotton thread called Spagetti in the bobbin. It’s a heavier than your usual 40 or 50wt thread, and closely resembles the decorative contrasting brown or golden thread used on jeans. The two Spagetti colours that tend to match most with this jean thread is SP11 or SP21. For this pair of jeans, I’ll be using colour SP21.

Because we’re using a thicker thread underneath, we want to use a finer thread in the needle. This will ensure the thread doesn’t struggle through the fabric, and it will give you a better stitch consistency and quality. But you don’t want just any finer thread up top, you want to make sure it is strong enough to hold your denim fabric together for a good long time.

We’ll be using DecoBob 80wt thread in the needle. This is a strong but lightweight polyester thread that is ideal to pair with Spagetti in the bobbin. We used a regular 80/12 size needle, however if you find your machine is struggling with the thicker denim fabric, you can also use a denim needle.

Don’t forget to increase your machine’s stitch length to 3.1. This will help with the machine’s tension when using the thicker 12wt thread, and also match the stitch length showing on the jeans.

Once the machine is set up, you can begin sewing. Roll up the hem following the remaining two lines so that the raw edge is tucked away. If you feel confident with keeping it straight you can begin sewing right away. However, we recommend beginners clip their hems in place to prevent it from moving using sewing clips. We prefer sewing clips instead of using pins because the thick denim can be difficult to penetrate with pins, and it doesn’t cause any puckering.

You’ll want to sew on the inside of the pant leg so you can follow the edge of the new hem. This way, your heavy 12wt thread in the bobbin will show on the right side of the pant leg.

We recommend starting on the bump of one of the side seams to hide your backstitching. Because of the thickness of the fabric in this area, you may need to gently turn the handle on the side of your sewing machine to manually sew the first few stitches. Sew close to the edge of the hem, being careful to keep your stitching straight and consistent. When you return to your start point, sew over the original stitching and don’t forget to backstitch again.

Trim your threads and you’re finished! You’ll have a new perfectly fitting pair of jeans that you hemmed yourself.

Inspired to sew? Head on over to shopwonderfil.com/shop-local/ for a list of stores and retailers you can purchase WonderFil threads from. You can also sign up to receive weekly sewing tips, free patterns, and tutorials in our newsletter. Register by clicking here! You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe button on the footer of every email you receive.

9 Ways to Sew With Fine 80-100wt Threads

You may have seen these ultra-fine 80 and 100wt threads on store shelves, but what would you want to use such a thin thread for? As it turns out, these thin threads not only have a ton of great uses, they can also perform better for certain techniques than a regular medium weight 40 or 50wt thread would. We’ll show you when to use these threads and why you should choose them.

Let’s take a quick look at these two 80 and 100wt threads by WonderFil. This 80wt thread is called DecoBob, and the 100wt thread is called InvisaFil. They are both made from cottonized polyester, which is a 100% polyester thread that has been treated to take the stretch and shine out of it, giving the thread a matte finish that hides in the fabric. Because they’re made from polyester, you’ll find they’re actually quite strong despite their size. So, how can you use them?

1.Piecing

This is one of the most common techniques that comes up for sewers, but have you ever considered what thread to use when doing it? As it turns out, the choice of thread will make a huge difference. We always recommend using an 80wt thread in the top and bottom for piecing, such as DecoBob, because the thread won’t add any additional bulk in the seams. This allows the pieced fabric to sit flatter and it makes it easier to match up your patterns. The difference is actually visible.

This thread is especially good with foundation paper piecing. We recommend lowering the stitch length to around 1.8 for added security. This also makes it easier to tear the paper out without pulling out your stitching by accident.

2.Quilting

Both 80wt DecoBob and 100wt InvisaFil are a great choice for quilting when you don’t want the thread to show. We used a light grey InvisaFil to quilt this multi-colored quilt, and as you can see, the fine thread blends into every colour. You only need to choose a basic or slightly match the color to the fabric for it to blend in, making it easy to show the texture of your quilting without showing the thread itself.

InvisaFil is especially fantastic for micro quilting or any dense quilting. Because the thread is so fine, it doesn’t add a lot of bulk to the fabric. This means you can stitch densely, and your quilt will still stay soft and flexible.

3. Machine embroidery

Most embroidery threads are a medium 40wt. However, delicate, highly detailed designs, monogramming, and small embroideries will look even better when used with InvisaFil™ thread. This ultra-thin thread makes it possible to keep all the details in small or highly detailed designs that a regular 40wt embroidery thread won’t be able to. This includes lettering as the fine thread will keep edges looking sharp and crisp.

4.Bobbin thread

We always recommend using a finer thread weight in the bobbin with any thread on top. Choosing an 80wt thread like DecoBob will greatly improve your tension and stitch quality as this finer thread won’t fight for tension in the machine with the top thread. This is especially important when you’re using a thicker thread in the top, such as a 12wt, as you really don’t want to be putting that much bulk in your seams and through the fabric. An 80wt thread like DecoBob will allow your stitching to sit flatter while staying strong enough to be used for any sewing technique.

DecoBob pre-wound bobbins in size Class 15

5.Stitch in the ditch

Many sewers will reach for a monopoly thread to sew invisible stitches, you know, those threads that are translucent and often come in clear or smoke. However these threads can still be seen under bright lights and are stiff and inflexible when sewn with. This is why we recommend using InvisaFil 100wt thread instead. You only need to choose a basic color like grey, or one that slightly matches the color of the fabric for it to blend right in. So even if you sew out of your ditch, this forgiving thread won’t show up anyway.

6.English paper piecing

This hand technique relies on stitching pieces of fabric wrapped around paper pieces together. Because these pieces sit tightly against each other, a finer thread will make a big difference as to how tightly the pieces lay against one another, and also how much the thread will show up. This is why we recommend using 100wt InvisaFil as opposed to a regular medium weight 40 or 50wt thread. If you’re someone who tends to tug on their thread when you sew and frequently run into thread breaks when doing EPP, then you can use DecoBob 80wt thread instead. We also recommend DecoBob for those who have arthritis in their hands and struggle more with using the finer 100wt InvisaFil.

7.Hand and machine appliqué

If you’re doing decorative appliqué and don’t want the stitches to be seen, InvisaFil has your back. When doing needle turn appliqué, your appliqué pieces will sit a lot flatter against the background, and the 100wt thread is a master at disappearing. You can even appliqué your pieces by machine using a tiny zigzag stitch. Because InvisaFil is so small, you only need to match the colors to the fabric just slightly and they still won’t be seen. How impressive is that?

8.Buttonholes

Whether you’re making your buttonholes by hand or machine, these finer threads are a great choice. Should you be sewing your buttonholes by hand, use InvisaFil 100wt thread to stitch together the raw edges of your buttonholes, before going over them with a thicker decorative thread on top. The finer thread will disappear into the fabric so you won’t see it holding the edges together. If you’re doing your buttonholes by machine, then you can choose DecoBob 80wt thread to create nice tight stitches without the thread clumping up.

9.Sewing & serging sheer or lightweight fabrics

Chiffon, organza, and tulle are some of many lightweight and sheer fabrics you may come across. These fabrics can be difficult to work with, but using a fine 80 or 100wt thread allows the fabric to not be weighed down by the stitching, nor will the stitches show up in sheer fabrics. Whether you’re serging hems, doing construction sewing, or any kind of general sewing with these fabrics, always choose DecoBob or InvisaFil to do it with.

We hope this list gives you some insight into where you can use these threads in your projects, and why we recommend them! Inspired to sew with InvisaFil and DecoBob? Head on over to shopwonderfil.com for a list of stores and retailers you can purchase from. You can also sign up for our free newsletter to receive more educational sewing tips, tutorials, and free patterns. Register by clicking here! We’ll see you again next time!

How to Double Fold Machine Bind a Quilt

We’re going to show you how to make a double fold quilt binding on a sewing machine. If you’re like us, we’re always eager to get our quilt finished at this point, so this is our favourite way to get this final step done quickly while making sure it still looks perfect.

Apart from the quilt itself, you’ll need a few basic things. We’re going to use this 80wt thread called DecoBob to stitch the binding. It’s a very fine thread with a matte finish, so it will hide in the fabric and make the stitching less obvious. It’s also a very strong thread despite its size, so this is a great option for piecing and stitching anything down securely.

You’ll also need a cutting mat with a rotary cutter and quilting ruler to cut your binding accurately. An iron is needed to give your binding strips a quick press. We’ll also need a disappearing marking pen or a piece of fabric chalk.

Most importantly, you’ll need the fabric you want to bind your quilt with. We’ll show you how to cut and sew it together. Most patterns will tell you how much fabric you need for a binding, however if you’re doing your own quilt, you’ll have to do some math to figure out how much you need. There is an excellent binding calculator provided by Quilter’s Paradise. Alternatively, you can use the following formula to calculate how much you’ll need.

Take the width of your quilt multiplied by two and add it with the length of your quilt multiplied by two to get the circumference of your quilt. Then add another ten inches to be on the safe side so you don’t run out of binding. Take this number and divide it by the width of your fabric to find out the number of strips you need to cut to complete your binding.

So for example, we might have a 20 inch by 30 inch quilt. The width of our binding fabric is 43 inches, and we want the binding to be 2 and a half inches wide.

20 inches times two, plus 30 inches times two, plus an extra 10 inches to be safe, equals 110 inches. We’ll take the 110 inches and divide that by the width of fabric, which is 43 inches, to get 2.6 strips of binding required. We can round this up to 3 strips to make it easier.

Knowing this, we want to cut 3 strips along my width of fabric that are 2 and a half inches wide each to have enough binding for the quilt.

Now that we know how much fabric we need, we’ve gone and cut the strips to the measurements required. Next we need to sew these strips together into one long binding. To do that, we need to trim both ends of the strip to a 45 degree angle, which can be measured on the quilting ruler. Make sure they’re both trimmed facing the same direction.

Take the ends of two different strips and place them right sides together, diagonal ends matched up, and pin them together. However, if you line up the corners perfectly and are using a quarter in seam allowance, you will notice that the pieces will end up a quarter inch off.

So you will need to offset the pieces by a quarter inch when you pin them together so that after it’s sewn, your pieces will line up perfectly.

Because the thread we’re using is so fine, we’ll set the stitch length to 1.80. Using a ¼” seam allowance, sew the pieces together.

Do this for the rest of your strips until all the pieces are sewn into one long strip.

You can leave the end of the last strip squared off.

Turn the binding strips wrong sides together and press to crease it together, creating the double fold binding. However if you feel confident and don’t want to spend time pre-creasing your binding, you can fold it by hand as you sew along.

Now we’re going to open the binding up on one end and fold it over into a diagonal line so the touching edges are straight. Press the fold to create a crease. We’re now ready to start sewing it on!

We’re going to start by stitching down the end that has the diagonally folded edge. Lay the binding out completely open on the back side of the quilt, starting with the end you made the diagonal fold. We prefer to position it around the middle of the quilt on one of the long sides.

Match the edge of the binding with the edge of the quilt. Stitch it on a ¼” seam allowance using your walking foot and sew to a little bit after the raw edge of the fabric.

Snip your threads and take your quilt out of the machine. Now we’re going to fold over the binding back in half. Move your quilt about three to four inches down from where your stitching ended and start stitching your double fold binding down also with a ¼” seam allowance. That gap will create a nice pocket to tuck the tail into when you come back around.

At the corner of the quilt, we’re going to place a pin right where the quilt ends so we know where it is. Exactly ¼ of an inch away from the pin, we’re going to stop sewing. Back stitch to make sure your stitching doesn’t come out and take the quilt out of the machine.

Finger press the binding into a right angle. Then fold it back down over itself to form a tidy corner like so. Make sure the edge of the binding is lined up with the edge of the quilt. We’ll use a pin to keep it from shifting.

Put the quilt back in the machine and continue sewing at a ¼” seam allowance down the next edge. Continue doing this for the rest of the quilt.

Now we’ve come back around to where we first started. We can now join the strips together. Since we have a lot of extra binding, we’ll need to trim some off, making sure that there’s still enough to completely fit inside the pocket we made, otherwise there will be a hole in the binding.

Tuck the trimmed end into the open pocket we made earlier with the diagonal piece folded around on top. Holding it place with your fingers, continue sewing down until you reach the starting stitches. Trim your threads and now you can see the binding is completely stitched to the back side of the quilt.

We can now focus on sewing the binding to the front of the quilt. Fold the binding around to the front and use the quilting clips to hold them in place.

Just like on the other side, sew down with a ¼” seam allowance. You can start closer to the corner this time to hide your backstitch.

When you reach a corner, fold the next edge over to make a crisp diagonal mitered line and sew over it. Keep the needle down and pivot the quilt to the next edge, keeping in mind to stay at a ¼” seam allowance.

Continue sewing all around the quilt until you finish stitching it all down. There will be a small gap left where you started and ended your binding. If you wish, you can hand sew this down, however it’s up to you as we find that it doesn’t cause a problem to leave it like this.

And there we have it! One beautifully bound quilt.

We hope this tutorial made it easier for you to bind your next quilt! Let us know in the comments if you learned something new.

Ready to start sewing? You can find a list of stores that carry WonderFil threads on www.shopwonderfil.com/shop-local/. You can also sign up to receive weekly sewing tips, free patterns, and tutorials in our newsletter. Register by clicking here! You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe button on the footer of every email you receive.

How to Set up Your Embroidery Machine for the Best Results

Machine embroidery can be addictive because it’s so easy to sew gifts, personalize your home, and make your plain clothes into something totally unique. An embroidery machine is an expensive but worthwhile investment. We’re sharing a few of our best tips to make sure your embroidery designs look better, sew easier, and ensure you get the most out of your embroidery machine.

1. Basting with water soluble thread

You may have heard about water soluble thread, but did you know it could make a huge difference in your machine embroidery? We stitched out this design with two layers of stabilizer on the backside of the fabric. However, because the design has a lot of sharp points, it creates a lot of puckering around it.

Embroidery design without water soluble thread.

To stop this from happening, we’re going to stitch a circle of Rinse ‘n Gone water soluble thread through the fabric and stabilizer before stitching out the design. This holds the layers together much more tightly than the embroidery hoop will and stop the fabric and stabilizer from shifting.

Embroidery design with a ring of Rinse ‘n Gone water soluble thread stitched around the edge of the design.

Once the design is stitched out, the thread can be scrubbed out with a wet toothbrush if you don’t want to wash the whole embroidery. After a quick press, you can see how flat it looks in comparison to the embroidery design without the water soluble thread.

2. Using the best bobbin thread

Machine embroidery uses a lot of dense stitching in a small area, meaning your choice of bobbin thread will make a huge difference in how flat your embroidery design sits, as well as how much the bobbin thread will show through. We highly recommend using a finer bobbin thread, such as DecoBob 80wt, because the fine thread doesn’t add any extra bulk to the dense stitching and blends into the fabric better than a 40 or 50wt thread will. In the left part of this embroidery, we used a white 50wt bobbin thread. You can actually see the bobbin thread showing through the design. However below, we switched to a white DecoBob 80wt bobbin thread. Even though the thread is white, it can’t even be seen in the design.

Simply changing your thread can make a huge difference in the quality of your machine embroidery, but you can still take it one step further. In the left half of this embroidery we used a bobbin self-wound with DecoBob 80wt thread. On the right side, we used a pre-wound DecoBob bobbin. You can actually see how the left side has larger breaks in the embroidery while the right side lays flatter with tighter stitches. These pre-wound bobbins are wound perfectly evenly at the factory. This gives you a consistent machine tension that noticeably affects the quality of your machine embroidery.

To find out what bobbin size your machine takes, you can consult our Bobbin Guide by clicking here.

3. Apply a Wonder Guard™ for even tension and prevent unravelling

A Wonder Guard is this handy little thread guard that can be used on any spool of thread that requires a vertical feed. To apply it to your spool, wrap it around the spool snuggly but not tightly, with the feed of the thread coming from the top. This is a perfect tool for slippery threads that tend to pool around the base of the spool. It will also even the tension of the thread which will make a huge difference in the quality of your machine embroidery stitches.

If you’re embroidering with metallic threads that have a curl to it, also known as having a high memory, it will also help pull out those curls out before it even comes off the spool. And as an added bonus, the wonder guard will keep your threads tidy, clean, and even prevents it from drying out when you’re not sewing with it.

4. Using a Thread Tamer for perfect tension.

A Thread Tamer is a multi-purpose thread stand that offers a number of features to give you the best results in your stitching. If you’re sewing with a metallic thread that carries a lot memory, you can weave the thread through the extender slots to help pull out the tangles before the thread even reaches your machine.

At the same time, it’s tall enough to clear the top of the machine so it doesn’t drag along the side, changing the thread’s tension. It also allows the thread to relax before entering the machine, which is beneficial for finnicky threads or metallic threads. This combination of things will give your machine embroidery better tension, resulting in higher quality stitches.

Follow these tips for gorgeous, professional looking machine embroidery with any home embroidery machine!

Let us know in the comment section below if you have any machine embroidery tips you always follow, or share with us if these tips are things you’re already doing in your embroidery projects. Inspired to sew? Find WonderFil products in a store near you at shopwonderfil.com/shop-local.

6 Reasons to Always Use a DecoBob Pre-Wound Bobbin

Ever wondered why you should bother using a pre-wound bobbin when you could always wind your own? These handy sewing accessories are absolutely not just for the lazy; they can make a HUGE difference in your stitch quality! We’ll demonstrate first-hand why you should always keep these 80wt DecoBob pre-wound bobbins in your sewing room.

They’re our little secret to effortlessly better tension, flatter seams, a beautiful stitch quality, and a bobbin thread that never seems to run out. If that sounds incredible to you, the secret is this little bobbin.

1. They’re Basically Invisible

Being an 80wt thread, it’s incredibly fine. You can see how the thread blends into the fabric behind it. Since it’s so small, it basically disappears. However, since this is a polyester thread, it’s also incredibly strong and can be relied on to construct your quilts and projects.

DecoBob is called a cottonized polyester. This is a 100% polyester thread that has been treated so that it no longer carries a stretch and has more of a matte finish, helping it blend into the fabric so it can’t be seen. That’s a great feature for a bobbin thread as an imperfect tension will help the bobbin thread hide if it pokes through to the top.

2. They Last Forever

Because the thread is so fine, the bobbin can fit way more thread in it. They also come wound with a much higher density of thread from the factory, so you can sew for far longer before you need to interrupt your sewing to replace it with a fresh one. Depending on the density of your stitching, you could piece and quilt an entire bed quilt with only 2 to 3 bobbins.

3. They Are Wound Perfectly Evenly

DecoBob pre-wound bobbins come wound perfectly evenly from the factory. If you’ve ever wound your own bobbin, you can see it filling a clump on one side before flowing back to fill the other side.

This unevenly self-wound bobbin will actually change the tension on your machine. To demonstrate, we embroidered one half of this tear-shaped embroidery using a self-wound bobbin with the same DecoBob thread on the left, and on the right we used a DecoBob pre-wound bobbin. You can visibly see larger gaps on the self-wound side than on the right side, which lays flatter with a higher top stitch quality.

4. Super Flat Seams

You may have heard a common sewing myth that states to always use the same weight of thread on the bobbin as you are in the needle. We’re here to tell you this is completely untrue. A finer bobbin thread will always benefit your sewing no matter what size your top thread is, however this is especially true when using thicker top threads like a 12wt. 

To demonstrate, we pieced three small blocks. On the left we used a medium 50wt construction thread on the top and the bottom. In the middle we used a 50wt in the top and the 80wt DecoBob in the bottom. And on the right, we used 80wt DecoBob in both the top and bottom. You can see how much flatter the seams are with the finer weight thread used. Using a finer weight in the top and bobbin will make your piecing look more professional and make it easier to match patterns and line up quilt blocks accurately. All of this from simply changing your thread!

5. Free of Glues & Residues

If you take a close look at the DecoBob thread, you can see its basically free of any lint. But here’s a dirty little thread industry secret to look out for: even if your thread looks like it’s low on lint, it may actually have a glue or residue applied to the thread to stick the lint down, only giving the illusion that it’s low lint. This sticky residue will come off inside your machine as you’re sewing and is even more difficult to clean out than regular lint.

We promise all of our DecoBob pre-wound bobbins come 100% totally free of any glue or residue. You can count on a clean, quality thread that will leave your sewing machines healthy and happy.

A sideless bobbin with glue applied to hold it together.

6. Re-Use It or Recycle It

All DecoBob pre-wound bobbins are wound on plastic sided bobbins. Re-use these bobbins again, use it to take some hand stitching with you while you travel, or check to see if your local recycling depot will take them.

Tell us in the comments your experience using pre-wound bobbins! Let us know if you still have questions about DecoBob pre-wound bobbins, or tell us where you love to use them. Ready to start sewing? You can find a list of stores that carry these threads on www.shopwonderfil.com/shop-local/.

How to Sew Lightweight or Sheer Fabrics (Organza, Tulle, Chiffon)

Lightweight or sheer fabrics such as organza, tulle and chiffon can often be tricky to sew with as they are slippery and don’t have a lot of stability. We’ll cover our best tips for sewing with these tricky fabrics problem-free, while achieving perfect results!

Before you even begin sewing, you’ll have to cut the fabric pieces out first. Because these fabrics can be so slippery, it’s very difficult to get a straight edge, even if you’re very careful. Should you find this is the case, you can place a sheet of tissue paper or wax paper under the fabric and pin them together using thin appliqué pins. These pins are less likely to cause snags or puckers in the fabric. Then go ahead with cutting. Because the paper has more friction on it than a cutting mat does, the fabric won’t slide around as much. The paper also acts as a stabilizer which will still help even if you’re cutting it out with scissors.

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You should also consider the thread that you’ll be sewing with. Because these fabrics are so light and sheer, you can see right through it, meaning your stitches will also be visible. We strongly recommend sewing with a lightweight thread called DecoBob™. This is an 80wt cottonized polyester that’s very strong, so you can rely on it if you’re sewing gowns or any kind of structural sewing. Because it’s so fine, it will hide in the fabric a lot more in comparison to a regular weight thread.

Sewing with sheer fabrics using a regular 50wt thread.

Sewing with sheer fabrics using DecoBob™ 80wt thread.

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For rolled hems or darts, you can use this even finer thread called InvisaFil™. This is a 100wt thread that’s even smaller than DecoBob™ and won’t take up a lot of space in the fabric. This allows your stitches to stay flat and won’t be visible through the sheer fabric.

The needle you use will also make a huge difference in the quality of your stitches. Switch to a sharps needle as these have a thin, sharp point that will easily pierce through fine fabrics. If you are sewing with DecoBob™ or InvisaFi™l, an 80/12 or 70/10 microtex needle will work just fine.

Leave the tissue or wax paper on while you sew. The extra layer will help stabilize the fabric as you sew so that it doesn’t get sucked down into the machine. You should also decrease the stitch length on your machine to at least 1.8. Once you’re finished sewing a seam, you can easily tear away the paper.

Keep in mind when pressing these lightweight fabrics that many of them prefer a lower heat setting. So don’t have your iron on high heat when pressing your seams open.

We hope these tips make it easier for you to sew with these lightweight fabrics! Let us know in the comment section what project you’ll be sewing, or share something you made using WonderFil threads! Instagram @wonderfilspecialtythread or on Faceback @WonderFil, or use #wonderfil to tag us.

Successfully Sew with Fine 80-100wt Threads

Have you ever heard about 80 and 100wt thread? These ultra-fine threads are totally game changers when it comes to piecing, appliqué, quilting, and even as a bobbin thread. However, since most sewing machines are calibrated for medium weight thread, such as a 40 or 50wt, sometimes you may need to make some minor adjustments to your machine when sewing with this thread.

You probably won’t need to follow everything on our list to sew with 80 and 100wt thread. Most of the time these threads will sew beautifully without any trouble. However not all sewing machines are made alike, so what may work on one machine will need a setting adjustment on another. This is a list of suggestions and what issues can come up when sewing with 80 and 100wt thread, so you can sew with beautiful results.

Let’s take a closer look at these 80 and 100wt threads in comparison to a regular 50wt thread. You can see that they’re much finer, however WonderFil manufactures these threads from a cottonized polyester. This means the threads are strong and have the stretch removed from them, making them as easy to sew with as cotton thread does in the machine. They also take on more of a matte finish so they hide in the fabric a lot better.

We always recommend a needle size of 70/10 or 80/12 when working with these threads. A bigger needle will punch a hole that’s too large for the thread, so the thread will be sitting in a hole that’s too large for it to fill, resulting in an ugly stitch. The thread will also move around more in the larger eye, so a smaller eye will give you more control of the thread.

Choose a needle depending on the technique you’ll be using, or the fabric choice. For most general sewing, a universal needle works just fine. If you’re quilting, opt for a quilting needle. Or if you’re sewing with fusibles, choose a super non-stick needle, as these needles will help the thread glide through the sticky material and reduce friction.

You won’t normally need to adjust your tension with these threads and can often leave your machine on its regular tension settings. However, if you find that your bobbin thread is pulling to the top, that means you’ll need to loosen your top tension. If your top thread is pulling to the bottom, it means the bottom tension is too tight. Always sew a test piece on a scrap piece before sewing on your actual project.

Using a needle that’s too large for the thread will result in ugly holes that the thread won’t fill.

If your bobbin thread is pulling through to the top, you’ll need to loosen the top tension. If the top thread is pulling through to the bottom, you’ll need to loosen the bobbin tension.

Consider your bobbin thread when sewing with super fine threads. We recommend DecoBob™, an 80wt cottonized polyester, as your ideal bobbin thread, due to the fact that it greatly reduces tension problems and helps seams lay flatter since the thread doesn’t take up a lot of space. While we recommend DecoBob in the bobbin with any top thread, this is especially important if you’re using a super fine thread in the top. Using a much thicker thread in the bobbin can lead to bulky seams, tension problems, and a poor stitch quality.

There are some instances where it’s okay to use 100wt both in the top and bobbin. This is InvisaFil™, a 100wt cottonized polyester thread, and it’s just a little finer than DecoBob. Because it’s thinner, it won’t be quite as strong as DecoBob, but that’s okay if you’re stitching something decorative like a machine embroidery design. For anything that will require more utility, for example free motion quilting using InvisaFil™ in the top, then we suggest using DecoBob™ in the bobbin since your quilting will hold up better.

When winding these threads on a bobbin, try to go slower if you can. Because these threads are so fine and light, they tend to fly away a little and can cause tension issues when sewing. If you can, choose bobbins that come pre-wound with DecoBob™. These are available in standard sizes class 15, size L, and size M. They always come perfectly wound at the factory and fit more thread than when you wind a bobbin yourself, so you’ll have the benefit of a long-lasting bobbin that always has perfectly consistent tension.

If you are sewing anything with a single stitch, we recommend using a single stitch plate on your machine. Single stitch plates have just one little hole in the middle and is not made for any side to side stitching. This will give you more control over your thread because it will only be directed through this hole.

Single stitch plate.

Side-to-side stitching plate.

A thread plate made for decorative stitches, or any side to side stitching, will allow the thread to move around more, so the backside of your stitching can sometimes turn out not looking as nice. This can be true for any thread but is more noticeable with finer threads. This is especially important if you’re doing machine embroidery because of the speed it moves at. Single stitch plates don’t always come with a machine but can be purchased separately. These are just as easy to change and replace as a needle.

When setting the stitch length on your machine, the number displayed is in units of millimeters. So, if your stitch length is set at 2, it means you’ll have a 2 millimeter stitch length. When working with these super fine threads, we recommend you drop the stitch length down to 1.8, especially if you’re doing foundation paper piecing. Because the thread is smaller, a shorter stitch length will help a great deal for making strong, firm stitches. You’ll notice the difference with foundation paper piecing as pulling the paper out won’t distort your stitching as much as it would if you had a regular stitch length.

DecoBob™ and InvisaFil™ both come on cross-wound spools. Cross-wound refers to the direction the thread is wound in, in this case you can see they are wound around the spool at an angle. Cross-wound threads should always go on your machine on the horizontal spool pin as the thread draws best as it is pulled from the direction at the top of the spool.

If you were to put a cross-wound spool on your vertical spool pin, you can see the thread now draws from the side of the spool. But because the thread is cross-wound, it creates an extra drag as it draws, which will give you tension changes and affect the quality of your stitch. Only stack wound threads should be placed on the vertical spool pin, which is when the thread is wound straight across.

Here’s some issues that might come up, and how to resolve them. 

If you find the thread is shredding or breaking, it can be caused by a few different things. If you’re already using the correct size needle, think about when you last changed it. Most regular needles need to be changed after 8 hours of sewing. A dull needle will not pierce correctly and will need to be replaced.

A needle that has a burr on it can also cause thread breaks. You can also check that the needle is pushed in all the way as otherwise, it will be too long and caused skipped stitches or thread breaks. A bent needle can also knock out the timing on your machine as the bobbin won’t grab the top thread properly and miss. This will also result in skipped stitches.

Another reason you might experience thread breaks could simply be that you’re sewing too fast. Slow the speed on your machine. If you continue to experience thread breaks, play with your tension settings and check your needle for any of the issues we just mentioned.

Because DecoBob™ is polyester, it’s a very strong thread that is actually stronger than a 60wt cotton. This is why we recommend it as your go-to utility piecing and bobbin thread. As the thread is much finer, it reduces tension problems and makes piecing look flatter, more professional, and makes it easier to line up your patterns.

InvisaFil™ is our solution to monopoly invisible threads. You know, that fishing wire thread that’s often a pain to sew with. InvisaFil™ is WonderFil’s finest thread line at 100wt, and because it’s so thin, it brings in a lot of other benefits that monopoly invisible thread won’t.

Because it’s so thin, it makes appliqué lay super flat. The thread also just disappears into the fabric, which is great for any application where you don’t want the thread to show. Apart from appliqué, it’s also amazing for stitch in the ditch where if you fall off your path, you won’t even see it. And also for any quilting where you need a thread to blend across multiple colours. On this quilt, we used a light grey InvisaFil™ colour to quilt the entire piece, but it just blends into every colour.

You can also use DecoBob™ and InvisaFil™ for machine embroidery, and you’ll find that these threads make a noticeable difference. We embroidered the same lace pattern using a 50wt thread and then again with DecoBob™ 80wt. Because the thread takes up less space, you’ll see that the pattern is less thick and more visible when using DecoBob.

InvisaFil is also fantastic for any smaller, detailed embroidery. You can see the difference when using a 40wt embroidery thread, then how much more detail you can keep at a much smaller scale when using 100wt InvisaFil™. It’s also fantastic for any embroidered lettering as the thread is able to give you straight, crisp edges that can’t be achieved with 40wt thread.

Have you used 80 or 100wt threads in your sewing machine? If you want to share how you used DecoBob™ or InvisaFil™ in your projects, let us know on social media! Message us on Instagram @wonderfilspecialtythread or on Faceback @WonderFil, or use #wonderfil to tag us.

Introducing DecoBob 80wt Cottonized Poly Thread

This thread line has been around for some time and it’s been making waves in the sewing community. Designers Violet Craft, Sue Daley, and Laundry Basket Quilts have even made their own packs to include it. So, what’s the fuss about? Let’s take a closer look at how this thread can visibly improve your projects and its unique properties.

This thread is veeeeery fine, 80wt fine to be exact. As the rule goes, the higher the thread weight number, the thinner the thread. So an 80wt thread is actually quite small. But don’t worry, this little ant knows how to hold its own. Giving the thread a tug will show you that this little thread is surprisingly strong for its size! This is because it’s created using cottonized polyester.

Don’t let this name fool you, a cottonized polyester is actually 100% polyester, which is well known as a strong material to make thread from. But when it’s cottonized, it undergoes a treatment where all the stretch and shine is taken out of it, allowing it to not only sew really easily through your machine, but it also hides in the fabric a lot better. This matte finish in addition to its small size really helps make it blend in. And because it’s really strong, you have the ultimate bobbin thread. So even if your bobbin pulls through to the top, you don’t have to worry about it showing up.

WonderFil puts this thread on all its prewound bobbins because of these ideal properties. There’s a lot of really great reasons to use a prewound bobbin, so don’t forget to check that out in our other video, “6 Reasons to ALWAYS Use a DecoBob Prewound Bobbin”.

But it’s not only great in the bobbin, you’ll want to use DecoBob in the needle to improve a variety of techniques. Even something as simple as piecing.

Pretty much every sewer is going to piece a project at some point, but you can improve your results simply by changing the thread to use DecoBob in the top and bobbin. Because the thread is so fine, it allows the seams to sit flatter and tighter, which in turn makes it easier to match your patterns and line up your project pieces. It will also look and feel noticeably flatter. And if you’re piecing something with a lot of small, intricate pieces (we’re looking at you, Courthouse Step), this thread will make a huge impact on allowing the fabric to sit flatter. It’s amazing how much space the thread will take up in the fabric, and it shows!

Alison Glass + Giucy Giuce Mini Series Courthouse Step Block

This thread isn’t just limited to sewing machines. DecoBob makes a gorgeous machine embroidered lace. Because the thread is so fine, you can show off all those pretty little details found in lace designs. The lace will be additionally extra soft and supple to the touch.

You can find DecoBob in 36 colours. If you’re sewing with it by hand, we recommend using a #10 or #11 sharps needle, or a #9 or #11 short darner needle. In the machine we recommend using a 70/10, 80/12 microtex needle, a 75/11 or 80/12 quilting needle, an 80/12 topstitch needle, or a size 16 longarm needle.

Let us know if you used DecoBob thread in one of your projects! Instagram @wonderfilspecialtythread or on Faceback @WonderFil, or use #wonderfil to tag us.