I have spent the last few days catching up with life; cleaning the house, going to the bank, getting groceries, doing laundry…and trying to figure out how to tackle the quilting.
Usually I like my quilting to create a certain amount of depth and texture as well as interesting thread work. With this quilt I want to create a flatter, more like a painting or tapestry quilt. So I have been in a quandary about what to use for batting.
Personally, I prefer wool batting over other types because it is light weight, does not retain creases if the quilt has been folded, has a nice loft when the quilting is further apart and gets flat and thin when the quilting is heavy which creates really nice quilting texture.
Cotton batting is flat, but it is heavy, bulky when pushing the quilt under the sewing machine and holds creases and folds forever.
I have used wool blend felt for small mixed media pieces and really like the way it quilts and how it holds its shape. So I thought about using 100% wool felt which I happened to find at Joannes for $17.99 a yard. This seemed like a great option, it’s a little squishy and thicker than wool blend felt. I quilted a small sample and really liked it, so I fused my quilt top to the wool with Mistyfuse, which does not stiffen the fabric like some of the other fusible webs.
When finished, I really liked the flat sturdiness of the fused top, but when I picked up the quilt top it felt heavy and pretty stiff, this was worrisome. I put the whole thing on my sewing machine and brought the needle to the center of the quilt to slide it around following some of the shapes as though I were quilting it. Then I knew I had a problem, it was hard to manipulate the top smoothly, because of its bulk, I could just imagine how hard it would be to keep my stitching lines fluid and smooth. I was already envisioning the knots in my neck and shoulders forming while wrestling the top under the needle.
I put the top back on my pressing board and with Nina’s help ran the hot iron over the surface in sections to warm the fusible web and peeled the painted top off the felt.
I remember from previous experiments that if I put Mistyfuse on the top and back fabric and fused it to wool batting, the batting would loose some of its loft. Now I have refused the top to wool batting and fused the backing fabric as well to the batting. It is still a little puffy, but I know it will be much easier to maneuver under the arm of the machine. Next is the scary part, starting!
stay tuned…
17 responses to “Batting a thousand”
Oh the horrors of creativity and choices! You seem to have settled on a good solution. Wishing you lots of luck on this next phase.
I know it’s too late now, but have you thought about splitting a wool batt into 2 layers and just using half a layer in a quilt?
I’ve had extremely successful results doing that with cotton batts.
Good thing you had a practice run! I see picking the thread colors wasn’t any hardship *smile*
I’m excited to see the quilting phase of this quilt. I really love the quilt and have been watching it take shape. It is so lovely!
Laura T
How exciting that you have published a book through Blurb. I purchased a copy tonight and can’t wait for it to arrive. You remain a constant inspiration. Linda Friedman
lindasartquilts.blogspot.com
I’m with the rest of them – anxiously anticipating the quilting. What machine do you use?
You go GIRL!
Thanks Linda!
Jojo I will probably be using my Janome 6600. Nina has taken over my Bernina 1630 and my pfaff 1475 is in a carrier since it is the most portable of the 3.
hi, pleased to meet you
Your blog looks fantastic
Come and pay a visit some time
love the newest quilt Judy! I’m looking forward to seeing how you quilt it.
Good luck! It’s always at this point, when the rubber meets the road and the needle meets the quilttop, that I start to get really scared that I’m standing on the edge of destroying or elevating the piece!
Can’t wait to see your stitching progress.
Thanks Judy.
Bestest of Luckest – it’s what I say to my poker beaches:)
i’m slightly confused about whether you ended up re-fusing the top to the wool felt or to a different wool batting material?
either way, just the concept of fusing the large painted top sounds scary enough to me, much less unfusing and re-fusing it. but as this series of posts has shown, you’re a confident risk-taker in pursuit of your artistic vision, and i so admire/envy that.
your quilting will be equally fabulous — good luck & can’t wait to see the progress!
Hi Luanne, yes I know it sounds crazy, I fused the top to wool felt, then unfused it from the felt and then fused it to wool batting, crossing my fingers all the while.
Hi Judy,
I just purchased a lot of Mistyfuse ultraviolet because I am making the larges quilt I’ve ever attempted. I already have it entered [and concept accepted] in an art show the middle of September. With COVID-19, I am not sure it will run or be canceled. At this point, they are moving ahead hopeful that this virus will get under control.
The reason I’m writing is at the behest of Mistyfuse Iris. My quilt consists of horizontal strips which will NOT be top quilted. I plan to quilt as I go. It is an art show and they are not particular about how many stitches per inch, the quilting, or any thing related to what is usually judged at a quilt show. This is one reason I entered. I am not good at lots of even quilting. I pushed a similar quilt to this through my Juki with a 9″ harp. It was all aches and pains and horrible quilting. So this time I have, what I hope is a better idea.
I told Iris I was planning on fusing the backing to the Mistyfuse [thus making sure the backing is nice and smooth], then fusing and stitching down a row at a time. Since there will be no top stitching, I thought this would save me. The quilt I envision is 5′ tall x 10′ wide. She gave me a link to this blog post of yours. So far, I see your problem with the wool felt. GLAD I saw that, because I had contemplated using wool felt because it would keep everything in place. However, it I can’t shove it through my machine, it does not work. I’m planning on ordering wool batting, but still looking at which one. I’ve gone to the quiltart group for advice.
I have not seen the posts following this one, so now wondering if fusing the backing to the wool batting ended up being a problem?
I would much appreciate any words of wisdom you can offer me as I attempt this large quilt. My comfort zone is really in the 10″ – 24″ range in one direction; other dimension does not matter as long as I can easily get it in my machine.
Hopefully awaiting your words of wisdom.
Thanks,
Ann E. Ruthsdottir
designerann@yahoo.com
Hi Ann,
I have been fusing my quilt tops to my batting since 2005, after I first did it with my quilt Primordial Sea that is 7.5 feet by 5 feet (8′ x 6′ before trimming) with a painted silk charmeuse top, wool batting and cotton fabric backing.
Using a light weight wool batting (instead of felt or cotton batting) would make sewing/quilting such a big piece much easier to do on a domestic sewing machine. For the last several years I have been using Quilters select wool batting and I like it because it is not as thick and puffy as some wool battings https://quiltersselect.com/products/Select-Battings/Select-Soft-Wool so it makes a slightly flatter, and thinner quilt.
You can find the process I use for fusing my top to my batting here https://www.judycoatesperez.com/making-black-and-bloom-all-over/
You could make a grid of mistyfuse pieces across the front of the quilt and do the same for the back and it would hold things together to do stitching through all of it, but if you aren’t going to quilt through the top, I would recommend fusing the whole top to what ever batting you use so it looks smooth and consistent across the front. Without the quilting I think it’s possible you’ll be able to see where it’s fused and not fused.
The other option you could do is if you wanted to use felt, is to do the back in sections and then sew them together and then fuse the top across the whole thing.
Good luck!
Thanks Judy,
I wondered if the area not fused would look different. With that in mind, I think I’ll totally fuse the whole back then sew my strips on. There will be NO top sewing.
Because my sewing is not always 1/16″ accurate [LOL], I think I’ll start sewing the strip on in the middle. Guess I better mark out an accurate straight line. The work up and down until it is done. I’m looking at wool that I can sew ~6-8″ apart. [Do not like the sound of what happened to you with the large piece of wool felt.] That way I have only one piece that will be too wide. I’ll just put some ties to the back to hold it together. I’ll try to make it as inconspicuous as possible.
I really appreciate all of your knowledgeable help.
Thanks very much,
ann
You must be on the West Coast because it is 7:39 PM here in Maine.