Bearding

[Rita C.]

I am having a problem with bearding on quilts with cotton batting using my longarm. Mostly on the back of the quilt. I'm wondering if it is needle size, bobbin tension (a little tighter than it should have been) or the fabric (batiks on back) and a mix on front. It is definately not the thread color, but batting pulling through the holes to the back. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Susan

[Margo C.]

The batiks maybe part of the issue, but I would try changing to a new needle in case the one you are using has a burr causing the batting to poke the batting through to the back of the quilt. If the quilts are going to be laundered, the pokies from cotton batting will probably wash away and not be an issue. However, a polyester batt that beards is the gift that keeps on giving! :roll:

[Margo C.]

Thanks,
I usually put a new needle in with every large quilt, maybe not each time, but often, but I will definately try that.
Susan

[Margo C.]

You might also try to lightly mist the quilt with water. Sometimes static electricity can cause issues like that, especially when the air is really dry, and adding moisture can help.

[Margo C.]

Exactly what batting did you use? Did it have a scrim? Battings with scrim need to be placed scrim side down to prevent bearding. Sometimes it is a static electricity problem caused by the dyes interacting with the batting - but that is usually with poly battings and dark dark backing fabrics.

[Margo C.]

I'm not sure. I used a customer supplied batting. I think it was Warm and Natural cotton batting. Does that have scrim? I didn't think so. So many fabrics are batik with very fine weave I wonder if that contributed to the bearding. I'll just have to play around with needle size and tension. Static isn't my problem. I live in the Pacific Northwest where it rains in the winter. Anyway thanks for the suggestions and Ill keep my eye on the scrim.
Susan

[Nancy R.]

Hi Susan -

Warm and Natural does have a scrim. Don't know if that's your problem, but it's a possibility.

Nancy

[Nancy R.]

Susan, the static problem I am referring to has nothing to do with humidity (that's a different problem we can have!). It is more common with dark dyed fabrics on the back and poly batting. The dark dye has one kind of 'charge' (don't remember if it's positive or negative) and the batting has one too. Just like when you place magnets together they can either stick or repel, that can happen with the batting/fabric combo too. As I said I don't remember which charge combo causes the bearding but somehow the electron combo can cause the poly curly fibers to come through the needle holes. And that type of bearding does not stop!

Cotton batting that might beard will slough off after washing. New strands of cotton will not come through again. So it's a hassle but at least not a permanent problem. A few months ago I had a W & N customer quilt do that... I told her it would go away with washing, and it did.

[LINDA T.]

When you say bearding do you mean poking through the holes of the needle? If that is the case then your needle is probably dull. I like a GrozBeckert 4.0 SAN needle for just that reason - they last longer and the titanium helps keep them sharp. Scrim is not usually the problem but a dull needle can make it happen no matter what the batting. Thread also plays a part. I find it is more common with cotton thread than poly - the fibers grab the batting more. Most of the time when you wash it the batting will shrink back into the quilt and not be a problem. Good luck!

[LINDA T.]

Thanks for all the tips...I am not having any problems now, don't know what I'm doing right! I think the problem may have been the backing. It was batik, and I rarely sew quilts that have a batik backing. Most of my customers just piece together whatever they have for the backing. I did notice that having a smaller needle helped with the batiks. I am nervous about moistening a quilt that is batik, due to possible color bleeding. Many of the local quilters don't prewash their fabrics and after seeing an incredible quilt with one dark purple batik bleeding onto its white neighbor, I swore I would prewash. I am kind of lazy about that, so now I'm swearing to prewash all batiks...LOL.
Anyway, thanks for the tips. I've had my "new" machine, an APQS Freedom since last summer and I keep learning about this machines little idiosynchrysies. It's amazing, each machine has its likes and dislikes and you have to play with them to learn its tricks.
Susan