Water Soluble Thread

— Great for basting quilts!

$6.75 to $24.00 per spool

Water soluble thread is a terrific product for various purposes such as machine and hand basting, trapunto, appliqué, and heirloom sewing.

I especially like to use water soluble thread for basting quilts.

I prefer to pin baste my quilts on a table, but find working around the pins when I'm quilting to be a real pain.

So, after pin basting my quilt, I stitch lines every 6" to 8" across the quilt in both directions using water soluble thread.

I prefer to use the thread in both the top AND the bobbin. My favorite brand is Vanish-Extra which is made by Superior Threads.

After I've completed all my quilting, I gently wash the entire quilt to remove my markings and the water soluble thread. I can dunk the quilt in the washer and lift it out and the water soluble thread is gone.

Some people have said that they've had some trouble getting the Vanish-Extra to dissolve easily. So, Superior has designed a new product, Vanish-Lite, which dissolves much easier.

Because I think everyone needs to try this thread, I am making the threads available on my website. Please click here to order.

Here are some of the advantages of basting with water soluble thread:

• Grid basting stabilizes the quilt beautifully setting the straight grain of the quilt.
• Grid lines wash away so you don't have lines where they're not wanted.
• Grid basting with water soluble thread is a great opportunity to practice stitch-in-the-ditch knowing that the thread will wash away, taking mistakes along!
• Getting rid of the pins allows you to concentrate on each area without distraction.

Check out the quilting detail on these quilts which were basted with water soluble thread:

• Myrtle Creek Memories
• Tea Time

Tip from Annie:

Be sure to keep any bobbin wound with this thread in a closed ziplock back along with the spool of thread. You don't want to accidentally sew something (like a swimsuit!) with it. Store in a dry place.

Back to top

There are several ways to get patterns and books by Annie:

• Please ask for these products at your local quilt shop.
  (We offer wholesale rates on all patterns to qualified retailers. Just ask your local store to contact us for more information.)
• Print out an order form and mail it to us with a check or money order.
• If you prefer to pay by credit card or bank transfer, you may use the online order form to pay through PayPal. (It's amazingly easy and quick to set up a PayPal account. Give it a try!)
• Please call (435-674-9816) or email us at annieu@infowest.com if we can answer any questions or if you would prefer to order by phone.

© Annette L. Unrein - March, 2004. All rights reserved.