We’ve been talking a lot about finishing projects. While
not completely done with some ideas about tops and piecing, I did want to talk
about another part of finishing your quilt or your quilted project – the
batting.
Batting – or wadding as it’s called in England and
Australia – is the “understudy” in the quilt play. It’s not seen, but the correct choice is oh,
so very necessary in order for a command performance.
When I first started quilting, my choice of batting was
pretty easy -- whatever was the least expensive or on sale. And at that time
thick, fluffy polyester batts ruled.
There wasn’t a cotton batt to be found.
Time has passed and there are now more brands of batting
and they are comprised of everything from cotton to recycled goods. Before we move into what kind of batt is
needed for a certain look, there are some universal ideas that need to be kept
in mind no matter if you're purchasing Hobbs or Mountain Mist.
Size
– Keep
in mind that your batting (and your backing) need to be at least three to four
inches larger than the quilt top. These
extra inches are to allow for some “shrinkage” during the quilting
process.
Packaging
– There
are lots of battings available that are pre-cut and labeled according to size. If one of these is used, be sure to let it
“relax” before quilting it on your domestic machine or by hand. When a prepacked batt is taken out, there are
lots of creased folds in it. Lay it out
somewhere overnight so that most of this can fade away. All the folds won’t disappear, but they will
relax a bit, so that when the quilt is pinned or sprayed to keep the top,
batting, and back together, wrinkling won’t be as big of an issue.
If the quilt is going to the long arm artist, check with
her or him about this step. Quite often
this step does not apply if the top will be quilted on a long arm. As a matter of fact, some long arm quilters
prefer to use their own batting. Quite
often they purchase batting in rolls and keep their favorites in stock.
Use
– Most
quilt tops use some sort of “standard” batting.
Fiber content and loft (thickness) can vary, but they usually don’t
require some special type of batting.
However, if you’re making some of those bags you bake
potatoes in the microwave or the microwave bowl holders, then you need this…
And not regular batting.
Likewise if you’re constructing quilted bags. With those need a lower loft, stiffer batting
that is fusible.
So now let’s consider the fiber content of batting. I know this sounds like really boring
minutia, but months are spent making a quilt top. Hopefully during this process you have a
vision of how you want your completed quilt top to look. Choosing the correct batting will allow this
vision to become reality and content is key.
Most batting is either cotton or polyester or a
combination of the two. Wool, silk, and
bamboo are also used for batting and there is a batting that is made out of
recycled material. There are also
batting that is completely organic.
Each type of batting gives a different look. If a flatter, more traditional “puckered”
look is desired, then a cotton batting is the best choice. These are generally thin and can stand up to
the heavy-duty quilting that gives that antique “puckered” look on quilts. If you want a traditional look, but want the
quilt to be a bit thicker, use two layers of cotton batting.
If the quilt is probably going to see the inside of a
washing machine quite a bit, a polyester batting may work best. If you started quilting in the 1970’s or 1980’s I know what you’re
envisioning – those thick, fluffy polyester battings that were almost
impossible to quilt well, whether you were machine or hand quilting. Polyester batts have come a long, long way
and are nothing like that now (although the thick batts are still available if
desired). A quilt, such one for a child,
that is going to be laundered a lot, would be a great candidate for a polyester
batt. Those battings hold up well to
heavy-duty play and heavy-duty washing.
Is
the quilt a “show quilt?” If
the quilt has a show in its future, careful consideration should go into the
batting. If a more “traditional” look is
required (that antique puckered look mentioned earlier), a cotton batting would
be a great choice. A cotton batting will
show off the piecing more than the actual quilting.
If the quilt is heavily appliqued and the quilting
outlines the applique pieces, a good choice is two battings – regular cotton batting
against the backing and wool batting next to the top. The wool batting can stand up to that type of
heavy-duty quilting and the combination of the two batts make the applique “pop”
off the quilt top.
What’s
the temperature? – If the quilt will live where it’s really
cold, consider a wool batting. It’s
light but the warmest there is. Likewise
if you’re living where it’s kind of balmy in the winter, a thin batt would be
best.
My favorite kind of batting for a quilt that’s going to
be on my bed or given away is the 80/20 blend.
It’s 80% cotton and 20% polyester.
It looks really good and holds up well. And it's easy to quilt.
All of the types of batting discussed so far work pretty
well if you’re quilting on a domestic or mid-arm except the thick polyester
battings. Those are bulky and can be
difficult to fit in the neck of the machine.
However, they make wonderful tied quilts.
What if you’re planning on hand quilting? I’d pick a polyester batt. They’re just easier to needle. If you have to have a natural fiber, pick the
lowest loft available. Cotton batting is
needle punched to keep the fibers together and this makes hand quilting a
challenge. The lower the loft of a
cotton batt, the less needle punching is on the surface.
Silk batting is the best choice for hand quilting, but
it is expensive and requires some special consideration. Silk doesn’t cling well, so additional
pinning is usually needed.
Quilt
color – Usually the cream/beige/ecru color batting works well
with just about anything. But if the
quilt’s background fabric is white, white batting should be used. If the background fabric is dark, black
batting is the best choice.
Information
on the back of the package
Like a lot of things, batting has its own special
vocabulary. Here’s a quick rundown of
some terms you need to be familiar with:
Quilting
Distance -- The
maximum distance between rows of quilting needed to keep the batt in place.
Scrim
– Term
used to describe the light layer or grid of woven fibers added to some cotton
battings. It stabilizes and holds the
fibers together. If you’re planning on
keeping your quilting lines close together, you can use cotton batting without
scrim.
Bonded
– These
are battings made with glue or bonding adhesive. When laundered, some of this bonding may wash
away, leaving your batting loose. If
using a bonded batting, plan on really small quilting distances.
Bearding –
These are wispy fibers from a batt that creep out through the top of a quilt
top. This can completely ruin the look
of a quilt. Bearding usually occurs when
a cotton batting doesn’t have scrim or when using polyester batting (because the fibers are so
thin they can migrate through the top).
The best batting companies manufacture their product so that this doesn’t
happen with either cotton or polyester batts.
Buy accordingly. The least expensive batting is not always the
best choice.
Fusible
– This
means that the batting can be ironed into place and will not require either a
spray adhesive or pins to keep it where it needs to be. Fusible batting works really well for small
projects, but it’s harder to use on large quilt tops.
Lastly, don’t throw your batting scraps away. Larger pieces can be joined with either the
iron-on quilting adhesive tape or butted together and zig-zagged. Smaller pieces work wonderful on a Swiffer
sweeper!
So, as you’re finishing projects, don’t scrimp on the
batting. It’s the unseen part of your
quilt, but it’s just as important as the top.
Love and Stitches…
Sherri
