My favorite thread weight: The Value of Coral

April 27, 2020

What is your favorite thread weight? When I was asked this question recently, my first thought was 12wt Aurifil because it is my favorite when I want the thread to take center stage. However, it only took a moment to realize that my favorite thread weight is the one I go to most consistently and incorporate into virtually every project. This go-to thread is 50 wt Aurifil, and I have two drawers dedicated to storing it in my studio space.

I recently quilted The Value of Coral using five colors of thread, and the weight of the thread creates depth, texture and interest without overshadowing the optical illusion created in the piecing of this design. Matching thread color to fabric was very important to maintain consistency in the design, and Aurifil has a huge number of colors to choose from for this very purpose. Fortunately, I already had what I needed in one of those drawers. For this project, I used:

Red (2250)
Salmon (2225)
Bright Pink (2425)
Light Beige (2310)
Eggplant (4225)

This design came about as a way to showcase the 2019 Pantone Color of the Year, Living Coral. The four main colors are value gradients based around the coral. The darkest color is a deep violet that recedes into the background. I like to incorporate these rich violets into designs that need a shadow. In real life, shadows often have a violet cast to them, so it works well as a shadow in quilt design as well.