Quilter at Heart: The Understudy

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!