Here are the two quilts I recently made for the children. I made a third, but I used some high loft, polyester batting that someone gave me. It is sooo hard to work with! And it makes the quilt look all wonky in a bad way. So I'm not showing that picture. My daughter loves the high loft, cushiony look it makes, but it's so hard to work with that I only use it very occasionally when I have run out of the batting that I prefer. I suppose with this lofty stuff I should tie the quilts. That process does not appeal to me in the least. So... meanwhile I have this giant roll of fat polyester batting taking up room in my house.... and a couple weeks ago another woman gave me another roll! Yikes!
I'm just waiting for my next pay check so I can buy some cotton batting again. Then I'll be happy and more productive. What kind of batting do my reader(s) use and prefer?
P.S. You can see on photo #1 above that I am still having issues uploading photos. See the line of color change? This is the best attempt out of 5 to get this photo posted here. I think editing photos (e.g., enhancing colors) contributes to the difficulties in posting photos, but I don't know why, because I have done that forever, and this problem is recent. However, I do seem to have an easier time when I don't edit. But then my pictures don't appear as sharp and colorful. And these two are NOT edited, so why did that first one post so reluctantly?? Frustrating...
8 comments:
Like your daughter, I love high loft for its "cuddle factor", though I've never quilted it, only tied.... For machine quilting I like a cotton batting, but hand quiting nothing compares to a low loft polyester I don't think -- so much easier to get nice small even stitches then on cotton...
I have no answers for your photo issues but I love that quilt in the first photo :- ) It's going to make some lucky child very happy (not to mention warm!).
I love Warm and Natural 100% cotton batting. All I do is machine quilting but I would imagine it's just as nice for hand quilting, and it's super warm too.
Love the first quilt, Carol! I don't have any insight about the line in the photo...did the blogger people ever get back to you about it?
As for the batting, I almost always use Warm and Natural off the roll. I buy it at 40% OR 50% off at Joann, either on sale or with a coupon, and I usually buy a lot it at once so that I have a good supply here. I find that I can cut 2 quilts out of the width of it, so it is more economical.
My guild just gave me a couple of packages of Fairfield Low-Loft, and I'm a little apprehensive about it, because I can't even remember the last time I used a poly.
What a good DH!
No solution to the 'line' issue on the photo. But the quilts are just great!
I am with you--I don't like that puffy polyester stuff! I find it is slippery. I like Hobbs 80/20 or Warm and Natural 100? cotton or their new 80/20 blend. Both are readily available up here in Canada. I love the quilts!
Funny you should mention batting. JudyL tuned me into the Mt. Mist Rose...which I'm going to try this week sometime. And the Mt. Mist Company also sent me a sample of their newest: A cotton and corn -- yes CORN -- batting. The rep that I visited with said that they had to seek alternatives...because polyester is petrolium based and is so very expensive. So...I'm looking forward to "playing" a little this week.
Love the quilts for the children!
For those rolls of high loft you have...pin the quilt so it's ready to machine quilt. Turn your iron to medium - medium/low (you'll have to experiment) and iron the top. Be careful not to touch your iron to the batting. This will usually flatten the batting. Don't iron too much or the batting can become stiff and gross. I used to iron a lot of projects to get rid of the loft when I was stuck with the batting.
Remember, practice first.
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