I Have a New Favorite Thread Color! Meet My New BFF, Glide Khaki

CukMet Temmuz 03, 2022

I recently had the opportunity to quilt an edge-to-edge design on a client's gloriously scrappy double four patch quilt. My client's quilting hobby had been "dormant" for the past sixteen years, until her adult son asked her to make this quilt for him. The most exciting thing about all of this for ME is that her fabrics are ones that I had never seen before, different from what's been available in quilt shops throughout my own quilting journey, but also different from the much older fabrics I encounter when repairing vintage and antique quilts. However, the wide range of colors and the busy nature of the quilt top necessitated a careful thread selection. It was Glide thread in Khaki for the win!

Don't You Love That Green/Purple/Turquoise Batik? And the Orange/Red with Turquoise Spots?!

The thread I chose, Glide in color Khaki, is a warm beige neutral with just the barest hint of green-gold. Glide has a bit of a sheen to it, so Khaki mimics a metallic thread against the deep navy blues and blacks, but is much less flashy (and less finicky!) than a true metallic thread.

Glide thread in color Khaki, available on Amazon here (affiliate link)

The pantograph design we chose is Golden Curls, knowing that the quilting design itself wasn't going to show up much on these fabrics. Golden Curls creates wonderful texture and movement that works well with the many autumn colored and leaf prints in the quilt top.

More Stash Envy: The Birdies! The Floral Prints! The Batiks!

When choosing quilting thread for a top that has as many different colors as this one, I try to stick to the value of the lightest fabrics in the quilt top. If I'd used a darker thread, it would have looked like the little yellow bird had been decapitated by the quilting! The soft Khaki thread blends nicely into those creamy off-white fabrics and is soft and subtle against the darker fabrics, without fighting any of the prints for attention.

Golden Curls E2E in Khaki Glide Thread

You can see the Golden Curls quilting design best on the pieced border blocks that have narrow black sashing. See how the Khaki thread imitates a subtle gold metallic against the black fabric?

More Fabric Envy: The Fuschia Chevron! The Purple Batik! The Green Leaf Print!

In this section of the quilt, you can see how the Golden Curls panto suggests rolling waves as it crosses the gorgeous blue marbled bookbinder's print fabric and suggest a gust of wind swirling through a pile of leaves against other fabrics.

Golden Curls Quilting Design More Visible on the Backing

With this quilt, the quilting design is much more visible on the reverse side where the Khaki thread contrasts with the deep tone-on-tone turquoise of the backing fabric.

Most importantly, my client loves it and she's already thinking about her next quilting project.

PSST!! I'd Love to Quilt for YOU!

By the way, if you or any of your quilty friends has a quilt top or two that needs quilting, I'd be delighted to quilt for you! My turnaround for edge-to-edge quilting is currently running about 2 weeks, and you can click here to find out how to book your quilt with me.

Before signing off, I just have to share a quick puppy picture. My little Samwise is 13 months old now (still VERY MUCH a puppy, for a large breed) and he is the biggest love you can imagine. He just had his checkup at the vet and he weighed in at 103 pounds. And yes, he is still very much a lap dog. Uff da!