March 4, 2025
I find it interesting that as quilters we all have our own opinions and preferences for products we use. I think that is one of the things I like so much about this hobby. It is completely customizable to suit our individual tastes. This doesn't apply to just our fabric, color and pattern choices........it also applies to the tools we use. Some quilters want just the basics and don't need any fancy gadgets or notions, and some enjoy trying all the bells and whistles.
When it comes to thread not only do you get to decide between polyester and cotton, you can then decide on the brand that seems to work best in your particular machine (and we all know that machines can be picky, lol). But we also get to decide on things like the color, the weight, whether to use prewound bobbins etc.
I guess I'm somewhere between the person who doesn't like a lot of gadgets and the person who wants to try everything. I do like a gadget if it's multi-purpose and can be used for a lot of projects but I don't want a lot of "one-use or specialty" items. This is probably why I opt to use prewound bobbins.
Some of the benefits of prewound bobbins are:
**they are consistently wound, no more bobbins with uneven tension, each one is precisely wound which gives a more consistent stitch. We've all had bobbins that are lopsided on one edge and not wound with consistent tension. (Yes, it is very possible to wind your own bobbins correctly and it usually boils down to learning the proper technique or adjustments for your specific machine).
**they pack a lot more thread on the bobbin than what I can get on one that I wind myself
**they definitely save time, no more stopping midway through a project to wind bobbins
**they are available in thinner weight thread which makes your seams lie flatter
**no need for tons of spare bobbins or the mess of having all those half empty colored bobbins rolling around in my drawer
Some of the cons of prewound bobbins:
**there aren't as many color options
**they do cost a little more
**if you struggle with weakening hand strength or finger dexterity you may have an issue getting the thread untucked and started on your bobbin
**you may have to experiment on which brand your machine likes the best
**you need to know which style bobbin will work for your specific machine brand
Here is a compatability chart you might find helpful:
Touching on the color option point, I personally sew 90% of my projects with the same 3 color bobbins. I'm one of those people who doesn't match either my bobbin thread color or my top thread color to each particular project. I find with a small stitch size I can usually get away with either cream, white, or grey thread in the majority of my sewing projects.
This means I don't need to have a stash of spare bobbins ready to load with a certain color. Occasionally, I need a specific color but it really isn't that often. Of course if you are doing an embroidery project or top-stitching that is a different story. And as another bonus, these little prewound bobbins make great travel buddies for emergency stitching without taking up much space in your purse or makeup bag.
Prewound bobbins are available at most quilt stores. They come in a variety of packaging options: sleeves and little jars (usually around 10 bobbins in each), or even larger boxes of 100.
I like my quilting to be fun and as hassle free as possible, and I love that prewound bobbins are hassle free. And if you haven't ever tried them they can often be purchased individually without a lot of expense. These handy little items might be something worth trying!
Twila
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