Thread weights: TEX vs Wt thread systems

It’s handy to have a small quilt top or two in the studio when you want to test a new thread. I purchased a new-to-me polyester quilting thread from the sale section of a quilt shop. I was drawn to the happy thread color, a reputable brand (WonderFil Specialty Threads), and (of course) the price.

Quilt top basted and ready for quilting. 

I’m a fan of WonderFil threads, and thinking a 40 wt thread in a happy, hot pink color would be a good “showy” thread for my charity quilts, and the polyester fiber content would minimize lint in the sewing machine, I thought I’d give it a try. 

Free-motion quilting on my domestic sewing machine.

The thread, Innovatech, is a poly-wrapped polyester thread, 40 wt, TEX 27. Upon unwrapping the packaging, I was expecting a “thicker” thread—being it was 40wt. Checking the label, the other thread designation was TEX 27. I needed to do a little research…

Innovatech machine quilting thread, 40 wt poly, TEX 27.

Thread weight designation: Wt vs TEX

To make things a bit confusing for the average quilter or sewer, there are several designation systems to characterize the thickness/weight of a thread. In the USA, quilters and sewers are familiar with thread weight: 50 wt, 40 wt, etc. In this system, the thread weight is determined by the number of kilometers of thread needed to weigh 1 kilogram. The length is the variable in the equation and the constant is 1 kg. The higher the number, the thinner the thread.

Another thread weight designation is the TEX system, which is the weight of 1000 meters of a thread, measured in grams. TEX comes from the Latin word, textilis, meaning woven. This system was adopted by the International Standards Organization [ISO] in 1956 .The length is a constant and the weight is the variable. So, the higher the TEX number, the thicker the thread. The TEX range for general sewing and quilting threads:

TEX 8 - 25 for fine and lightweight fabrics

TEX 25 - 30 for medium weight fabrics, quilting cottons

TEX 40 - 70 for medium and heavy weight fabrics (denim, canvas), garment construction

TEX 70+ for dense fabrics (leather), upholstery, outdoor, multi-layer fabrics 

These are general guidelines. The choice of thread also depends on the project, its use, the thread’s fiber content, aesthetic considerations, the machine being used (serger, embroidery, domestic sewing machine, industrial machine), etc.

Pre-made bindings

After finishing the free-motion quilting, the quilt was ready for binding. I pulled out my box of pre-made bindings—a collection I keep stocked and ready for a new cuddle or kitty quilt.

My box of pre-made quilt bindings.

The turquoise binding with the small daisies was chosen and there was enough to go around this quilt’s perimeter. Machine sewn to the back and rolled to the front, the binding is attached all by machine for a quick finish. A 50 wt. 3-ply variegated cotton thread [Tutti by WonderFil] was used for the zigzag stitch.

Machine binding.

My box of bindings gets replenished with any backing trimmings that are wide enough to cut into 2.5” strips. Smaller pieces join other random and leftover fabric bits in the scrap box.

Trimmings from this quilt were cut into 2.5” binding strips or put into a scrap box.

The Innovatech thread worked just fine and I learned about the TEX thread system. Here are the quilt stats for this charity quilt.

Quilt Stats

• 40 wt TEX 27 poly wrapped polyester thread (quilting and bobbin)
• bobbins: 2
• free-motion quilting: 1 hr.
• 50 wt 3-ply cotton thread for binding

Finished size: 36.5” x 45.5”

I have done free-motion quilting with other poly threads and had good success. This TEX 27 poly thread was no different.

I’m unsure if this thread is readily found at quilt shops or it’s been produced through a partnership between WonderFil and Innova for longarm quilting machines. Either way, I have a 3000 yd spool of bright pink for future quilts. This finished cuddle quilt went to my guild for its community service project… for some little kid to snuggle. 

Improv patchwork, abstraction, and the Fall equinox

Even though the 90-degree temperatures don’t feel like it, September 22, the Fall equinox, marked the beginning of Fall for inhabitants of the Northern Hemisphere. The term, equinox—when the sun is directly above the equator—is derived from the Latin for “equal night,” ostensibly dividing the night and day into equal parts.

Improv patchwork.

Fall’s changing landscape

In Fall, the landscape begins to change—not all at once, but in fragments. As the light softens and the colors outside begin to shift, green leaves are becoming less green. Patches of yellows, golds and reds start to appear in landscapes. Shadows grow longer. Blooms fade and drop. Trees loose their foliage, exposing barren branches against a pale sky. Colors become muted, less vibrant, as the landscape turns to the greys, browns, and neutral color palette that coincides with colder temperatures.

Improv units on the design wall.

Exploring abstraction in an improv quilt class

This color and value transition is mirroring the work I’m doing in an improvisational quilting class where we’re exploring abstraction, color, and value. The process of abstraction is asking us to look beyond recognizable and identifiable objects in a photo. Instead, we’re observing shapes. The quilt compositions are depicting the relationships between shapes which are being defined by differences in color and value. 

About midway through the work, I became “un-enamoured” with the progress of my piece. After a small group meeting with three other students, my “posse mates” provided a more unbiased view and suggestions for re-approaching the assignment. Through our discussion, I realized and concluded that creating a good abstract composition is the goal—not using patchwork to realistically reproduce the photo.

Cutting apart and reassembling patchwork units.

Note to self: get the idea of “that’s supposed to be the water, the bridge, the land, the building…” out of my head and look more at creating symbiotic relationships between shapes, angles, foreground, and background. I’ve decided that my composition is going to be more successful if I’m not tied to replicating my photo exactly. This is abstraction! The photograph should be a starting point without becoming a blueprint.

With that, I went back to what was on the design wall with seam ripper and rotary cutter in hand.

Something similar outside

Plumbing remodel project.

There is a plumbing remodel happening at the house as well. Here is a picture from my studio window. It seems the universe was also sending the message to take out the previous pieces, recut, and rejoin… to make things work better.

Original pipe removed.

The season is repainting the landscape. The plumbers are updating the water lines. And my abstract improv composition is being reassembled… one fabric, one seam line, and one shape at a time.

Midway through September Textile Love

It’s midway through September Textile Love, sponsored by Seam Collective. This annual event is always an intriguing journey—contemplating what textiles mean to me, reviewing recent and past photos of my work, and thinking bout how the pieces might relate to the daily prompts. 

Prompts (clockwise from top left): Language, Story-telling, Craft or Art, Experiment.

The prompts

The 2026 prompts, as in the past seasons, have been diverse and thoughtful. The responses from other participants are interesting and insightful, and the photographs of participants’ work are always inspiring. 

Prompts (clockwise from top left): Language, Rethink, Friendship, Caring.

The prompts get me looking at the familiar pieces with fresh eyes. 

Prompts (clockwise from top left): Historical, Color, Historical, Rethink.

How to love textiles… count the ways

There are myriad ways to love textiles! The remaining prompts for September Textile Love offer reasons to look at them through a different lens and make new discoveries.

September Textile Love 2026 prompts.

Unraveled. Reimagined. Re-knit.

Everything deserves a second chance—especially good yarn. This pair of knitted mittens started with yarn that already had a story—as a fingerless mitt sample and a gauge swatch—and then found its way into these mittens.

Finished mittens and remaining yarn.

The fingerless mitt already had its moment… as a sample. It also was a single mitt and had no mate. The gauge swatch had already fulfilled its mission.  

Reclaiming the yarn

The yarn that was used in these samples is a cotton/superwash merino/silk/seacell blend in a lovely blueish-green color [color name: storm]. Much too beautiful to let languish in the stash as a sample or a swatch! Time to reclaim and repurpose.

The sample mitt was knit flat and seamed. Once the side seam was unpicked, frogging [unraveling] and rewinding began.

Flat sample ready for frogging.

Frogging and rewinding the yarn from the gauge swatch was easy.

Reclaiming the yarn from a gauge swatch.

Because of my yearlong mitten knitting charity project, I combined the reclaimed yarn with a few other leftover bits, to set the stage for a new opportunity. These unneeded samples had found a new purpose. 

Recovered yarn (dark green) and two other leftover yarns.

Colorwork: a little yarn, a big impact

The mittens started with a corrugated ribbed cuff in two colors. Although a little more time-consuming to knit (simultaneously working a different yarn in each hand), the corrugated ribbing shows off two contrasting colors, provides texture, and adds a colorful detail to the mittens.

Three-color mittens with a corrugated ribbed cuff, and stranded colorwork.

With a few rounds knit after the thumb gusset, I introduced the white yarn with stranded colorwork in a geometric pattern. This ditsy design makes the most out of a small amount of yarn, is gender-neutral, and the pattern—with a 4-stitch repeat—divided evenly into the 32 stitches I had on the needles. It was a fun challenge to see how far the reclaimed and leftover yarns could go. 

 A new story

The yarn had a story prior to knitting these new mittens, and now it’s carrying that story forward into a new one. While participating in September Textile Love this month, the Day 4 prompt was “Story-telling.” Several of the participants cited that part of the story of any textile piece is the story and meanings contained in the materials themselves—the breed of sheep from which the yarn is spun, the country that raises the animals or grows the fibers, the people that weave the cloth. Another chapter to that story is where the maker purchased the materials or how they came upon having them—while on a trip, on holiday, gifted from a friend, a thrift store find, etc. So many layers to its story! 

Remaining yarn after knitting the mittens.

The story continues

Perhaps one of my favorite things about stash buster projects is that nothing really has to be the end of the road. A project can be unraveled, re-cut, reimagined, and made into something entirely new.

There’s still a little yarn left over from making these mittens. So apparently, this story isn’t quite finished yet!

 

September Textile Love: 30 days of textile inspiration

September is here, and that means it’s time for September Textile Love, hosted by Seam Collective!

This year, the Challenge snuck up on me… but when the list of prompts showed up in my e-mailbox on August 31, I decided to participate again. 2026 marks my 9th year taking part.

September Textile Love 2026 prompts.

What is the September Textile Love challenge?

The idea is pretty simple: 30 days, 30 textile-related prompts, and an invitation to makers, artists, stitchers, quilters, knitters, weavers, yarn/fabric/thread aficionados, and textile lovers to share their work and their own interpretation of the prompt. 

There are no right or wrong answers! A single word or idea can inspire so many different responses. Give a group of textile artists the same prompt and you’ll get a myriad of interpretations. But know there will be 30 days of something surprising and inspiring popping up in your Instagram feed. 

Textile stitch landscape.

There is a September Textile Love Planner available on the Seam Collective blog. You can print it out and make a few notes. Sometimes I immediately know how to respond to a prompt, but for others… I have to scroll through photos, works-in-progress, less-than-successful experiments, and the creative corners of my brain to figure out what that prompt means to me.

The prompts are a good way to revisit previous work, review what’s currently on the cutting table, as well as discover new textile artists from around the world. The challenge, which began in 2017, has grown into a wonderfully supportive online textile community. It does not disappoint!

30 days of textile inspiration

So, for the next 30 days, I’ll be celebrating the love of textiles… one prompt at a time. Whether you’re a longtime participant or this is your first year discovering September Textile Love, I hope you’ll join in the textile love. Share your projects or simply follow along and enjoy all the creativity. 

Make Nine finish #8 from the stash: Wiksten, Cottage Shirt

This Make Nine 2026 finish #8 fulfills my second Wild Card prompt. For this prompt, I made two tops: a Wiksten top and a Cottage Shirt, both sewn from fabrics already living in my stash. 

Wiksten top, Make Nine 2026 finish #8.

From the fabric stash

All of the fabrics for these tops were ones I already owned: two with yardage, an off-cut from another project, and some fat quarters. These finishes are especially satisfying as I love finding a use for those smaller pieces that are too good to throw away but never quite seem big enough for a planned project. 

Wiksten top made with Annabel Wrigley and Marcia Derse fabric prints [Windham Fabrics].

For the Wiksten top, I started with a long cut-off piece from a 108” wide backing with a design that looks like improvisational patchwork. Not having enough continuous yardage for all the pattern pieces, piecing was necessary. I also had to accommodate lengthwise and crosswise grain directions of these leftover fabric pieces. 

After a consultation with an expert garment maker and trusted friend, Dr. Lauren Rudd, who is the chair of the Fashion Merchandising department at Tennessee Tech University, we determined potential issues with the varying grain directions were minimal, and she suggested an insert at the center front to accommodate the short yardage. Using a scrap piece of the circle fabric print, I cut it “ruler-free” (to honor the improv theme) and sewed it at the center front to connect the two front pieces.

Wearing my new Wiksten top in my Intro to Improv Quilts class.

Having limited yardage for this simple top, a fabric from the Halloween collection, Spooky and Witchy [Art Gallery Fabrics], was used for the neck facing. It’s a small detail, but I love knowing that a little bit of whimsy is sewn inside the garment.

The potion print from the Spooky ‘n Witchy collection was used for the neck facing.

From the pattern stash

Both of these tops were “Go To” patterns from my pattern collection. They were already fitted to my measurements which meant no muslins were needed—just move straight to cutting and sewing. Exactly the kind of garment project I needed when I had a week before my class at John C. Campbell Folk School… and I wanted to wear “something new.”

Here I am wearing the Cottage Shirt while teaching Intro to Improvisational Quilts
at the Folk School.

For my new Cottage Shirt [The Sewing Workshop], one fabric print was used for the fronts and sleeves, another print for the lower back, and the back yoke was improvisationally pieced with fabric scraps from the “Spare Parts Department”—my box of cut-offs and patchwork pieces left over from other projects. Nothing goes to waste if I can help it… especially with Improv!

Improv patchwork for the back yoke.

From the button stash

The Cottage Shirt has another stash-busting detail: a mix of orphan buttons from the button box. 

Auditioning random orphan buttons for the Cottage Shirt.

The buttons were all singles, with no particular reason to belong together other than they were: 1) the right size, and 2) were waiting for a job! I think they work perfectly for this improvisational- and sustainable-themed shirt… and the quirky assortment adds to the personality and artsy nature of the shirt.

Finished Cottage Shirt with orphan buttons.

One aspect of the Sewing Workshop patterns is a fabulous pressing tip—using manilla folder weight card stock with various seam allowance lines marked on them. They are used for pressing hems and fold lines to ensure accuracy as well as expedite the process. I used them on both garments.

Pressing guides and variegated thread.

Another fun detail on these new tops was using a 40 wt. cotton, multi-colored variegated thread for top stitching and sewing on the buttons. With the variety of colors of the fabrics, a multi-color thread felt right in line with the other characteristics of these garments.

A sustainable Make Nine finish

One of the things I enjoy about doing the Make Nine Challenge every year? The goal isn’t necessarily to make something completely new or ambitious every time. Sometimes it’s about being sustainable, using what I already have, returning to patterns I know work for me, and making clothes that I’ll wear more than once.

Wild Card prompt for Make Nine 2026.

Multiple stash fabrics, a handful of leftover pieces, some orphan buttons, and two well-loved garment patterns turned into two very wearable Wild Card finishes. Make Nine #8 is on the books… and documented here and on my Make Nine 2026 tracker!

Make Nine 2026 tracker, August 2026.

Junk Journal July: my 7th Make Nine finish for 2026

Last month, I participated in Junk Journal July 2026 and am counting this art journaling experience as fulfilling my “Online Challenge” prompt for Make Nine 2026. 

My junk journal for Junk Journal July 2026 Challenge.

Developing the prompt list

This year, I couldn’t find a good list of JJJ [Junk Journal July] prompts, so I gathered ideas from various sources and composed 31 prompts myself; publishing them for other participants to use as well. For me, the prompts serve as the inspiration framework for the month-long art practice and it reminded me of the 8 years I facilitated my ATC [Artist Trading Card] swap from 2009 - 2016. 

Junk Journal July 2026 page with prompts.

Favorite pages

Following are just a few of the pages and spreads in this summer’s Junk Journal. “Black and white” is a simple prompt but can lead to a dramatic composition. This page started with a a collaged checkerboard background a base page of lines. A slow drawing from one of my sketchbooks was added in the foreground. This page came together easily. Who doesn’t like a graphic black and white composition?

“Black and white” prompt.

Trying unfamiliar supplies added another layer of discovery to the challenge. This page is the response to the “Soft pencil, slow line” prompt and uses a Stabilo Woody pencil which has a soft lead that is water reactive.  

“Soft pencil, slow line” prompt with Stabilo Woody and watercolors.

The  “Fun art supply,” and “Unexpected” prompts also allowed for experimentation. Stepping outside my usual art supplies and experimenting with some new-to-me art materials, these pages were fun to work on while learning the properties of the supplies. The Distress Crayons, a set of water-soluble crayons, were in my art toolbox for a few years and got pulled out for this prompt.

“Fun art supply” prompt with Distress Crayons, Stabilo Woody, and water.

A bottle of walnut ink is a relatively new addition to my art supplies. It was combined with watercolor and the Stabilo Woody on this page.

The “Unexpected” prompt uses watercolor, walnut ink, and Stabilo Woody pencil.

The “Patriotic” prompt was especially timely this year, coinciding with America’s 250-year Semiquincentennial. This prompt gave me an opportunity to use the abundance of America 250 marketing pieces that were readily accessible.

“Patriotic” prompt on July 4.

Interactive, 3-dimensional page spreads

This Junk Journal also became a place for three-dimensional paper structures. Along with my usual art-journaling fare—drawing, watercolors, hand lettering, collage, layering, and textile samples—I incorporated several pop-ups to create moveable, interactive elements. The summer workshop I took on dimensional book structures was a great influence and resource for these spreads.

This is the still photo of the “Pop-up/Tuck spot” and “Botanicals” interactive spread.

A 2-page spread of “Pop-up/tuck spot” and “Botanicals” prompts.

Adding 3D elements transforms the journal from a collection of art journal pages into an interactive and playful book. This spread, for “Hand written” and “Folded layers” prompts, features a no-sew blizzard book with note cards (love letters) inserted into the folded signatures. The blizzard book is aligned with and pasted into the gutter of these two pages.

“Hand written” and “Folded layers” prompts.

The final JJJ prompt was “Celebrate.” This 4-page spread was created to celebrate textiles. 

Although more thought, testing, time, and a bit of reverse engineering were involved with making the pop-up pages, this Junk Journal offers an invitation to open, pull, move, unfold, flip, and explore the elements found within its pages.

Pop-up spread for the “Celebrate” prompt.

Why I like the Junk Journal Challenge

Thirty-one prompts mean opportunities to make something, try something new, play with cool art supplies, or simply see where an idea would lead. As with past junk journals, some pages came together quickly, others are experiments in materials, structure, or composition. Together, they document a month of creative practice and creative play. 

Images of all my Junk Journal July 2026 pages and prompts can be found on my IG page, @veronica.fiberantics.

Make Nine finish #7

This Junk Journal July is the 7th finish for Make Nine 2026.

“Online Challenge” prompt for Make Nine 2026.

This journal joins my growing collection of seven junk journals. This one, made with 7 signatures (including the cover), and coptic bound, has many more open canvases ready for further art and creative explorations!

Make Nine 2026 tracker, August 2026.

Improv patchwork class at the Folk School, Part II

With a full week of activities—in and outside the studio—it’s difficult to capture everything from a week-long Intro to Improv Quilting class in a single blog post. So, this is a continuation of the post from my recent week of teaching Intro to Improv Quilting at the John C. Campbell Folk School.

One of my 100 Day Projects incorporates trimmings and pieced bits from other improv quilts
into a fabric stitch book.

Instructor Show and Tell

In addition to digital presentations, I bring several several pieces of my work—quilts, garments, wall pieces, zippered pouches, etc.—to provide students with inspiration and an impetus for the improv process. 

Show and Tell on Day 3 of class.

Often, it’s helpful to see improv work “up close and in person” to see the piecing and the quilting, and the colors and prints of the fabrics “in real life.”

Quilting and embellishments on Blue Rhino Moon, an improv piece created in response to a Guild Challenge.

Improv pieced jacket collar using vintage fabrics and orphan blocks.

Through explanations of the parameters of a project—such as Guild Challenges or the score for my piece that was published in Sherri Lynn Wood’s, The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters book—questions arise and we have thoughtful conversations about quiltmaking. 

Guitar Strings Improv appears in The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters,
by Sherri Lynn Wood, p. 38.

Detail of Guitar Strings Improv.

Alone Together was a Guild Challenge that spanned 2020 - 2021. The piece was inspired by the lyrics in “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles. The story and the process is in this blog post and this post.

Alone Together quilt, in response to the 2020 Guild Challenge.

For more information about the stories and processes of the pieces from Show and Tell, below are the related blog posts. At least one of them includes “Quilt Stats” that includes hours of quilting time, thread specs, number of bobbins used, and the like.

• A Tribute to Steve
• Alone Together: piecing, editing, and assembly post, quilting and finishing with quilt stats, and what I learned from making this quilt
• Improv pieced jacket with vintage quilt pieces, and continued here.
• Blue Rhino Moon and this post about the story and the label
• Break Free, Take Flight
• Guitar Strings Improv
• Quarter Circle Improv quilt (the piece in the Instructors’ display at Keith House)
• zipper bag featuring ScanFil organic cotton threads
• 100 Day Stitch Book with leftover improv fabric bits

Show and Tell from a published author

My studio assistant for this workshop was Kim Deneault, the author of Raggedy Reverse Appliqué.

Kim shares her story about the Raggedy Reverse Appliqué book and how easy it is
for even young kids to make things with the technique.

Students were treated to a Show and Tell of samples from her book and Kim shared her story about writing the book, her TV episode on Simply Quilts, and getting into the quilting and fabric industry.

Show and Tell of quilts and pillows from the book, Raggedy Reverse Appliqué. 

The Booby Trap quilt.

Lots of texture and dimension!

As in life and with improv patchwork: you may start with an idea, but you don’t always know where you’re going to end up. You have to pay attention, respond to what’s in front of you, and occasionally take a leap of faith. 

It was a great week of making, learning, and sharing stories at the Folk School!