Thread Talk and More...

It's been a while since I have posted an article by Bob Purcell, President of Superior Threads. In most of his newsletters, there is an educational component on threads, needles, or something related to stitching and he graciously gives permission for these articles to be shared. With the holidays approaching, I'm sure most of you will be feeling some increased tension as you try to get all the Christmas preparations done, as well as some special sewing projects. This article contains a link to some really useful info on tension- thread tension, that is, not personal tension! And, if you're the sort who likes to add a little glitter and glitz to your Christmas projects with metallic thread, there's some helpful info on sewing with metallics  on a longarm as well. The article is below. And here is a link to some Tips for Successful Stitching with Metallics on your home machine.

There are some new entries of beautiful quilts in our For Sale section, and all are hand quilted. Have a look! If you know of someone who's looking for a beautiful quilt, please tell them about our "listing." Just click on the "For Sale" sign on our sidebar to view them all.

You can click here to see all the winners of the International Quilt Festival held recently in Houston. Just click on the first quilt photo, for a larger view of all quilts. You will notice one of the winners is Margaret Solomon Gunn of Gorham Maine; you may have seen this quilt or some of her other incredible works at Maine Quilts.

Our November meeting is just days away- see you all next Tuesday night, Nov. 18th, back at our usual meeting spot on Johnston Avenue.

And now, from Bob, Thread Professor and self-certified Threadologist:

		EDUCATION:  Why does Thread Education matter?
		I was having a splendid conversation with a prominent quilter this past week and we discussed education as it relates to the industry. With the explosion of Pinterest, Craftsy, Etsy, YouTube, and other websites, there is an endless amount of education available. These online resources didn't exist just a few years ago. The digital age has revolutionized our industry and we expect many more advancements to come in the near future. We strongly encourage all to spend time studying and constantly improving skills. There is an immeasurable benefit to learning and knowing all aspects of your machine, needle, thread, and notions. We are strong advocates of thread education and will continue to emphasize education, service, and quality as our top responsibilities. We've recently released several articles, videos, and infographics such as Understanding why Egyptian-grown cotton matters, how simple quilting with Metallic can be (even on a longarm), and why Tension control is so important in getting a good stitch. As we learn more about the products we use and why we use them, we will not only excel in our passions, but we can teach the next generation and pass onto them all the knowledge we've gained.  We take extreme care in the quality of our threads, needles, and notions. We have the highest standards for both the raw materials and the manufacturing.  A large portion of our website is devoted to Education. You will find 100+ educational articles, 100+ educational videos, tutorials, and reference guides. We have released two infographics which explain in detail the selection and processing of materials and how they are turned into thread.  They are fun to read and full of useful information.  Please share them with your friends and you will sound like an expert.  For continuing education and announcements, please subscribe to our YouTube channel, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and pin with us on Pinterest.