I don’t do a lot of hand quilting any more, but when I have in the past, I’ve never limited myself to just glazed cotton thread. I use whatever works best for the look I want, including Rayons & silks. I just worked a little shorter thread for those that tend to fray more. I also don’t knot the threads, & bury a long tail in the quilt & run over it with my stitches.
I learned a neat technique of threading my needle so it can’t unthread itself, it’s the same way you’re supposed to thread silk ribbon. Hey there’s a thought! Quilting with silk ribbon!
The Oct 20th post on my blog demonstrates the needle thread method I’m talking about. It can be done even with the thinnest silk thread, just takes a little concentration!