Batting

[Linnea S.]

I'm working on my quilt and I'm ready to put it all together, so I went online to look for batting....geesssss...there's so many to choose from.
There seems to be quite a variety, cotton, wool, polyester, 1/8", 3/8", etc... So my big question is, which one have you found to be the easiest to work with? Do you have to worry about shrinkage?
Happy quilting!
Barb

[Margo C.]

Barb, this is one area that personal preference plays a huge roll! If you do a Google search for "which batting to use in a quilt" you will get lots of references full of information and advice.

As a new quilter, I strongly suggest that whatever batting you decide to use, keep a scrap of it and label it as to exactly what brand and kind (fiber) it is, what quilt you used it in and what you like & don't like about it. Build a library of different battings as you try them by doing this. Trust me....you won't remember unless you make notes!

Harriet Hargrave recommends that you make a small quilt sandwich of lots of different kinds of battings and quilt them all the same way to see the differences in how they behave. Do they have enough loft? Too much loft? Do they shrink? How much? Can you pre-shrink them? How far apart can it be quilted. What happens when it's washed? She sells samples for this purpose: http://www.harriethargrave.com/Batting-c14/

The questions go on! And new battings are introduced all the time. You can now buy "green" batting that is actually made from re-cycled soda bottles! :shock:

If you tell us about your quilt, maybe we can direct you in choosing a batting for this project.
How large is it?
Is it to be used or just displayed?
Will it be washed? How often?
How closely do you think you will be quilting it?
Will you quilt by hand or machine?
Do you want it puffy?
Do you like the flat/puckery look of old fashioned quilts?

[Pam D.]

Bystrauss, one of our UK members Alison Booth (TQS screenname Alibeoley) runs an online wadding shop. Check out http://www.asding.com//index.php?mai...roducts_id=370 for her waddipaedia which is very very useful. I hope that this helps you. :-)

[Margo C.]

What a great chart! Thanks, Pam and Ali!!

[Margo C.]

Great info!

[Margo C.]

Thanks everyone for the great info!

Margo...its a Bargello style. You can see the design/kit here: http://www.lockwoodquilts.com/store/...lts/links.html
I'm probably going to make it a wall hanging, so I don't want it very thick and I'm not sure yet how close I will be quilting it but I don't imagine it will be too tight. This is my 4th quilt and it turned out great but I don't think I'll do another one of these for awhile...LOL. I proved enough to myself now I want simple and fast. I will say, this quilt will make you an expert at aligning corners and seam direction...LOL

Barb

[Margo C.]

WOW Barb! That's an ambitious 4th quilt!

If I were doing something like that, as a wall hanging, I would probably choose something with some body that doesn't need to be quilted very closely. Something without much puffiness. I would probably choose something like Warm and Natural which is a needle-felted cotton batt that can be quilted up to 10" apart, but if it will be hanging, you will want to quilt it closer than that to keep its shape. You can pre-wash this batt to shrink it so you can launder the quilt later without surprises. Here is more info from the manufacturer: http://www.warmcompany.com/wnpage.html

[Margo C.]

Thanks Margo, really appreciate the suggestions. I'll post a picture of the finished product on my profile page when it's done.
Happy quilting all.
Barb

[Teri L.]

One other question - are you going to hand or machine quilt?

Teri

[Teri L.]

Hi Teri,
I'm going to machine quilt it. I don't have the patients to hand quilt and I envy those that can because that, to me, makes them truly authentic.

Barb

[Teri L.]

My very teacherly suggestion is that you get several crib sized battings and quilt fat quarters of fabric used in the quilt (or not if there isn't enough left) with whatever thread you would use on the quilt.
Make sure you're using an needle that is appropriate to the size of the thread (see Superior Threads Education topics) and like Margo said, take notes on batting, tension, needle and thread.
These little practice sandwiches will give you more information and valuable practice time.

Teri

[Betty J.]

Just a suggestion...the basic batting I use for most of my quilts is Hobb's Heirloom 80/20 (80 percent cotton, 20 percent polyester). For a beginning machine quilter this is a good choice. Then learn your battings along the way from there. It's all a journey. I would keep a record with samples and practice before getting onto your real quilt. Here's a link where you can order it:
http://www.hancocks-paducah.com/Item--i-HL-90

There are quite a few very good battings and some have very specific uses. There are also some really unsatisfactory battings that can make quilting a very unhappy experience. So starting with this good basic batting is one way to go and learn about batting from there. I do not wash mine before quilting, but I do steam press it with a lot of steam, which tends to shrink it a bit.

[Betty J.]

Thanks Teri, yah...I definitely plan on practicing on samples but no matter how much I practice I still manage to make a wrong turn here and there... Oh well, as some one told me, never point out your mistakes because more than likely only you will see them. Besides that's what makes it authentic. So I'll go with that.
Thanks Sewdreamy, I'll try this batting. I like the idea of creating records and samples. I did that with all my different machine stitches so I could see what they would look like.
Barb

[Teri L.]

Barb,
Wrong turns are part of the process which is why one of my favorite quilterly sayings is, "a seam ripper is a quilters best friend!". Don't point out your mistakes most people won't see them and whomever does won't say anything as there is the internal acknowledgement, "been there done that".
Betty Jo gives good advice with the 80/20 batting, have fun learning.

Teri

[Teri L.]

Yep, I just orders up some 80/20. Sounds more like a cocktail...LOL I may need it.
Just finished my first batch of 140 friendship triangles today....yeah!
Thanks