For years I have advised the students in my classes to use cotton thread unless they have reason to choose a thread made from another fiber. That is still my firm recommendation. I believe that cotton thread used with cotton fabric is the best choice from a conservation standpoint.
Bob Purcell at Superior Threads knows a lot more about thread than I do. He is doing a fine job of educating quilters about thread. He recently wrote about polyester thread (under Education) in the May Superior Threads Newsletter. What he wrote is food for thought.
I do know that new polyester threads are much better than the ones that were available when I began quilting 25 years ago. Polyester is strong and does not make as much lint in your sewing machine. It is available in an incredible range of colors and weights. Lots of big names in our industry love and use it.
If I were a garment maker I would probably use polyester thread all the time. If I made quilts that were going to take a lot of wear and be washed a lot, I might consider switching to polyester. Hand appliqued quilts don’t usually fall into that category.
Polyester thread often has a sheen that makes it more visible. That works well for machine quilters who want that the stitches to show up more. If I wanted my machine quilting stitches to be more prominent, I would consider using polyester thread.
For invisible hand applique stitches, I prefer a thread without a sheen because the stitches hide in the fabric better. I have been doing some applique with more visible stitches (see Applique Outside the Lines) and, so far, I prefer a matte finish on those threads as well. If I run into an area where I want some shine, I’ll consider using polyester thread.
I do have concerns about the possible break-down of polyester over the long term. We know that cotton lasts if it is stored correctly. Polyester fibers may outlive us all by centuries, but it hasn’t been around long enough to know that for sure. It’s funny because in most areas of my life I am a true early-adopting techie but when it comes to quilting I make more conservative choices.
I cannot see a reason in my own work to use polyester thread at this time – but maybe you see a reason to use it in your quilts. My advice to you would be to choose the thread that, based on what you want it to do, works best for you.
FYI – As many of you know, we LOVE and use Superior’s Masterpiece cotton thread. The 'Frosted Donut' at left is filled with Masterpiece bobbins in colors that Linda and I selected and you can find it on our site. I hand applique, piece, and do a lot of machine quilting with Masterpiece. It is my go-to thread.
ABOUT SILK THREAD – Silk is harder to keep on your needle as you stitch, it is a bit harder to find in quilt shops in a wide range of colors, and (the last time I checked) it was more expensive than cotton. When there is so much good cotton thread available that does the job so well, why use silk?
Piece O Cake Blog 
Becky-
I use cotton thread for just about everything. HOWEVER, not only do many in my applique group prefer silk thread, but Bob Purcell is coming out with a new line of silk thread. I may have to give it a try. Just a FYI. Knowing me though, I will probably stick with cotton.
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Good to know…
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why use silk thread you asked – It is invisible if you applique well. I do needle turn and use silk thread, 3 shades of beige – light, med and dark and sometimes a black. I could get by with just one color because it never shows. It just slides into the fold of the fabric and melts away. I did a jewel toned Jacobean flowers quilt from all kinds of my little scraps on a black background that was accepted into the Paducah show in ’07. I needle turn applique at 12-14 stitches per inch and used the beiges on that quilt. I love silk thread.
Karol
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Karol. I do know that a lot of people love silk thread. I dont. People often ask me for my opinion on thread which forced me to think through why I use what I use. Im happy to share my thoughts. It sounds like you have also thought about why you use silk thread. Luckily for both of us, we live in a world where we dont all have to make the same choices.
As to the number of stitches per inch, my stitches are also typically 12-16 stitches per inch, depending on the fabric and shape I am stitching. You can get this stitch length with a fine cotton thread as well.
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