Most embroiders use rayon thread or polyester thread that is made specifically for embroidery and has a shine.  Many embroiderers are also getting good results using metallic threads.  Usually these threads are used on the top to give your embroidery designs a beautiful sheen, but they can also be used in the bobbin when quilting in the hoop.

Normally when embroidering designs, a “bobbin thread” is used in the bobbin.  This is lightweight thread usually size 60, 70, or 80, that reduces thread bulk in the finished design.  However, using embroidery thread in the bobbin when quilting in the hoop, adds a pretty effect to the stitching on the back of the quilt.  Using your embroidery thread on the bottom also gives you more color choices.

There are many thread manufacturers that include these threads in their line-up.  Deciding which brands to use is a personal preference and many people stick to one brand of thread in a design. However, I have found that I choose by color and effect, so it is possible that my designs contain more than one brand!

The Pfaff®ActivStitch™ technology and the Husqvarna Viking® deluxe™ Stitch System also helps give you good results when using metallic threads in the bobbin.  Embroidering at a slower speed and placing the spool in a vertical position is key to good results.

This is the back:

In the jack-o-lantern tablerunner,  for the top I used Madeira’s rayon thread, “Baltic Melange”, which has both white and black strands twisted together on the spool, when I embroidered the spiderwebs.  I used black rayon thread in the bobbin, and as the top thread shows slightly on the bottom, it looks like I used the Melange on the bottom as well.  What a bonus!

The photos are of my table runner which I made on my Pfaff® Creative Sensation™ Pro II sewing/embroidery machine and the Pfaff® Creative Icon™, using the Creative Grand Metal Hoop, size 240x150mm.