What type of batting

[Lynn K.]

What type of batting is best for a wall hanging? The book I have with my little sunflower wall hanging just says batting. Is there a type that would be better since its not going to be on a bed. Thanks. Sandi in FL

[Hannelore N.]

Sandi, have a look at this site: http://www.asding.com/ There is a section there with lots of information about wadding (UK term) or batting (US term). Ali is a member here and I'm sure will advise you if you ask her. It all depends on how you want your wallhanging to look, what kind of quilting (hand, machine....), and how densely you want to quilt. But I'm no expert. I normally just use what I have in the house. I find the best all purpose batting is a 80/20 (80% cotton, 20% polyester). I normally buy Hobbs, but there are other excellent battings on the market. If I have batting questions I run straight to Ali.

Lorchen

[Hannelore N.]

Thanks Lorchen. Appreciate the quick response. I have some 80/20 and will cut a piece to fit it and see how it does. Sandi in FL

[Hannelore N.]

Hey Lorchen, thanks for the vote of confidence . For a bed quilt our favourite at the moment is the Hobbs Heirloom Wool, fully machine washable, doesn't shrink (unless you abuse it of course!). Their Tuscany Wool is also gorgeous, but that needs hand washing, so is a bit more delicate. The Hobbs 80/20 is also a good versatile batting, suitable for hand or machine quilting, but it is predominantly cotton, so is heavy in a large piece and will also shrink slightly when washed (3%-ish). For a wallhanging I would suggest a cotton batting with a scrim for stability, something like Warm & Natural or Quilters Dream Blend if you're machine quilting. We've done a summary sheet of all the battings we stock which shows the manufacturer's information in chart form, including loft, hand/machine wash, hand/machine quilt, shrinkage, etc. You can find the PDF file on http://www.asding.com/images/Waddipaedia_summary.pdf Good luck with the projects!

[Hannelore N.]

Told ya, Ali is a 'Batting Queen'.

[Hannelore N.]

I got onto the site using Lorchen's link, but couldn't get into from Ali's. I keep getting error 404 whatever that means. LOL I was looking at the prices of stuff in pounds and don't have a clue how that would translate in US, but it sure is kewl checking it out. Thanks! Sandi in FL

[Lorna B.]

I think the period at the end of Ali's sentence is messing up the link. The link works fine without the dot at the end. Oh, and by the way, great info on batting. Thanks!

Lorna

[Lorna B.]

Thanks Lorna, that worked! That is great info. Sandi in FL

[Lorna B.]

I am wondering what anyone thinks of the newer batting materials--bamboo and corn (is it PLA?). I haven't seen them rated/compared on similar charts.

Lorna

[Lorna B.]

Sorry guys, I've edited my comment to remove the fullstop so the link should work now. Multiply English pounds by 2 and you'll be close to the US dollar equivalent. Scary stuff for you I would think! A lot of the cost of batting in this country is shipping because we don't manufacture anything here and have to import it.

[Lynn K.]

Wonderful resource!

[Lynn K.]

Quilters Dream Wool has become my favorite batting, I just love this stuff! It so soft, has beautiful drape, and can go in the washing machine and dryer without shrinking.

Have you "Tinkled" today?

[Lynn K.]

Has anyone used black batting? Where can you find it? Can it be hand quilted? Thanks for any help you can give me

Patty in Alabama

[Lynn K.]

Hobbs make a black version of their Heirloom 80/20 cotton/poly. It's quite rough to the touch, but I would imagine it quilts up much the same as regular 80/20, though I haven't used it myself. Quilters Dream do a black polyester which is also very nice, I've used it in a huge king-size quilt, very nice drape etc. equilter.com do the Hobbs by the yard or in a queen size pack, a quick search on google should find you a Quilters Dream stockist. Both bats are ideal for hand quilting.

[Lynn K.]

I did find some online but it's nice to hear from someone who has actually used it! I will place the order now and look forward to giving it a try

Thanks again for your help

Patty