06 January 2010

sharing the joy ... an invitation

to participate in a different kind of swap...

I want to focus a bit more on how to quilt it, that is:
what texture and drape (stiff, firm or soft)
how thick or thin,
how warm or not

my quilt "ends up" after quilting. This goes for both my lap quilts and my wall quilts.

So far, it's been a lot of learning by doing and gaining experience. But I am ready to start organizing my knowledge and expand on it by focussing a bit more on two factors together:
batting + quilting

What I want is to build myself a personal "library of smaller quilted samples" to return to whenever I am planning the batting & quilting part of a project.

The picture above is of my recently modified Snow White. I added my first wonky star / maverick star / liberated star block to it. It's good to rest the eyes on after all the Christmas red...

I like the texture of this quilt, and I wonder what kind of batting i used? It's made back in
spring 2008, but did not take any notes about it.

After my last post, Janet kindly led me in direction of Debra at I've gone Completely Batty. She's on a mission to explore different kinds of battings, and have taken on a huge job, working through more than 50 different products.

Debra and I had a little exchange of ideas, and she is now posting to see if anyone is interested in a quilted sample swap. Please head over and see if this is a way to share and to broaden your quilting repertoire!!


This picture shows more of the quilting / texture. The modified Snow White is pieced of several white and off-white pieces of fabric, and then quilted with straight and wavy lines in a improvised manner. I used some heavier (Ikea) woven cottons from a flee marked find, it has a bit of weight and hangs nicely. The 5" star sits on the 32" * 57" backdrop.

So, if you are game to play, or just interested in knowing more about batting, please take a look over here...



11 comments:

Twisted Quilts said...

My aunt has told me to stay away from anything but all cotton batting particularly for children's quilts. She says in a fire the polyester would melt. Have you ever heard that?

Unknown said...

I prefer cotton or a poly cotton blend for quilts, they drape nicely and are easy to quilt using either of those. I tried wool a few times - but it was quite tough to quilt (although very warm). I'd like to try some more types, so I shall watch how you get on with interest!

shellysquilts said...

This quilt is great! As far as batting goes, I have used alot of different battings. My "go to" batting is Hobbs 80/20, but I love the washable wool. For a flat, antique look, go for 100% cotton. Good luck on your batting quest, it will be fun!

Allie said...

I'm not going to join in, but I'll be watching with interest!

Anonymous said...

Marit, I like the star...and I agree with you about trying smaller personal quilts/projects. I love the large quilts of course, but it faster and easier to experiment with a day project! Good idea to know about battings. I'm not that familiar, but do like both cotton and polyester. The blend may be best..not sure.

sewbeit said...

God Dag Marit,
I mailed a "squishy" package to you yesterday. If you have any questions about any of the battings just holler at me and I will tell you what I know or point you to a web site. I could not find any of the Orient that I really wanted to send you. I have buried it in this avalanche of batting trial materials. There is however a cotton fire retardant one that is great for childrens quilts a couple black batts some blends and some cottons and a couple needlepunched polyester.
Have Fun!

KateKwiltz said...

I tend to use a poly/cotton blend for anything that's going to get washed a lot, like kids' quilts. But I just bought some bamboo batting and will try it out soon to see how I like it.

The texture on that quilt is gorgeous!

Meg said...

I think the whole topic of batting is greatly neglected. I'm very much looking forward to your (and others') insights, and I'll check out the links.

By the way---very nice machine quilting. The surface stayed so smooth--no shifting. I just looked back at some of your other projects. They're also very nicely quilted! Would you share your process for machine quilting? (model of machine? do you use a walking foot? do you pin baste? how do you baste? etc.)

Marit said...

Thank you all for sharing about your choice of batting!

I will try to include more "facts" and techniques when I post about the quilts I make. Trying out different things, I sometimes have a hard time remembering what I did on a specific quilt. So, I think I will take Meg's comment as a request and try to add specifics about the process.

Anne said...

Nydelig hvit quilt med mye tekstur - og spennende tema (quilteprosessen og utprøving av vatt). Er ganske opptatt av det selv, så fikk mye interessant lesning på sidene du lenket til - takk :)

sew katie did said...

I adore this quilt. Can't even talk batting. The negative space is great and the stitching divine!

Thanks so much for the fabric!