If you've followed me for any length of time or taken a class with me, you've probably heard that I'm a bit of a Thread Bimbo! While some quilters collect fabric, I love to collect thread. I want all the colors, in all the weights, and all the sizes! Today I want to introduce you to my latest thread obsession: Premo-Soft Thread!

Get to Know Premo-Soft Thread

I will say, if you already love Glide thread, you'll probably love Premo Soft too. This machine quilting thread is made by the same people! When you see it in person, you'll notice there are many key differences. Premo-Soft is a 50 weight polyester thread. This means it's skinnier than Glide and Omni thread, and is comparable to a thread like So Fine Thread. A skinnier thread will be more forgiving. It will sink down into the fibers of your quilt more than a heavier thread like Omni. This also means it's great for quilting designs that require backtracking. Thread buildup from backtracking will be a little less noticeable. If you'd like to know more about thread weights, take a look at this article from my Beginning Machine Quilting series about thread weights.

In the video below I highlighted Premo-Soft as my favorite thing for the Quilted Joy Clubhouse meeting in December 2019. The video will start at the favorite things portion of the meeting where talk a little more about why I'm loving this thread so much. Take a look and read on for even more about Premo-Soft thread!

The Strength of Polyester & The Look of Cotton

I'm not the type of quilter who is easily concerned about my thread looking like a cotton thread. Part of why I've loved Glide thread is its sparkle that catches the eye and shows off my quilting. But not every quilt needs a high sheen thread. PremoSoft is a polyester thread with a matte finish and the look and feel of cotton. It's perfect for antique quilts or quilts with reproduction fabrics. And it has the strength to handle the long thread path on my APQS longarm machines much better than a 100% cotton thread. Premo-Soft has a special poly-wrap, poly-core construction so it produces little or no lint too!

Quilting with Premo-Soft

Premo-Soft was designed with high speed, multi-directional machines like longarm machines in mind. I'll only carry a product in my shop if I've tested it and know how well it works. For the last few months, I've been testing the thread on my own quilts and with our longarm machine renters. Whenever we used Premo Soft we used a size 18 needle - a domestic machine quilter would want to use a size 14/90 needle.

I've been wildly impressed with how well Premo-Soft quilts on my APQS longarm machines! The renters bring in a huge variety of quilt tops and some renters are very timid with the machine while others maybe quilt a little too fast. In all of these different situations, we haven't had any problems quilting with Premo-Soft! I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that some colors even glow under a blacklight! I used the Premo-Soft Warm Grey 4 thread to quilt my Cynthiana quilt for the 3500 series of Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting (see a sneak peek of the quilt on my Instagram!). The thread blended a little too well in some parts of the quilt and it was hard for me to see what I was quilting. On a whim I flipped on the blacklight and BAM! that thread started glowing and I could see it perfectly!

Don't Forget the Matching Magna-Soft Bobbins!

One of the many appeals to Glide thread has always been the matching Magna-Glide bobbins. Premo-Soft also has 25 matching pre-wound bobbins called Magna-Soft bobbins. Magna-Soft bobbins have the Premo-Soft thread wrapped around a magnetic core. That magnet will snap right into your metal bobbin case and won't wobble and bobble while your quilting - even when you're at the end of the bobbin. This helps to maintain consistent tension throughout your quilt. Plus you get the ease of having a perfectly wound bobbin that perfectly matches your top thread!

Give Premo-Soft a Try!

Are you ready to give Premo-Soft a try? There are more than 85 colors available and you can find them all here. And if you do most of your thread ordering online, I highly recommend a Premo-Soft Color Card. Unfortunately our computer screens don't always show an accurate representation of the thread colors. The card has actual samples of the thread so you'll know you're getting the perfect color every time. Give this thread a try - I think you'll love it!