Tuesday, November 3, 2020

More Thoughts About Batts

Here is a chart which makes comparing the differences between batts.

Category of Batt

Specific Characteristics

Uses

100% cotton

Breathes
Shrinks; preshrink only if manufacturer’s directions allow
Does not catch fire easily and does not melt
Minimal bearding
Drapes well; be careful of grain
Little or no shadowing through
Quilting lines can be spaced a maximum of 1” apart; sometimes closer is required
Needling takes skill

Can give puckered look of antique quilts

 

Good for bedding.

Needle punched 100% cotton

Breathes
Hangs without distortion, no grain
Minimal bearding
Opaque
Quilting lines can be spaced a maximum of 8 inches apart
May be preshrunk
Can be too thick for hand quilting

Machine quilting

Especially good for machine quilted wall hangings

Stands up well to heavy use

80% cotton / 20% polyester blends

Quilting lines can be spaced a maximum of 2 to 3 inches apart
Drapes well
May be pre-washed

When the feel and drape of cotton batt are desired without close quilting required by 100% cotton batts

Wool

Quilting lines can be spaced a maximum of 3 inches apart
Warm without weight
Extra care necessary when laundering
To avoid bearding, choose resinated wool
More expensive than other batts

Warm, light weight bedding

 

When tiny stitches in hand quilting are important

Silk

Not available in a wide variety of sizes
Quilting lines can be spaced a maximum of 1 ½ inches apart
Easy to needle
Light weight
Drapes well

Clothing

Polyester

Quilting lines can be spaced a maximum of 2 to 3 inches apart
Warm without weight but does not breathe
Melts in excessive heat
May lose loft with many washings

Large bed coverings

 Where tiny stitches in hand quilting are important

I want to highlight one more thing about a batt; the distance between the lines. Sometimes the manufacturer’s recommendation isn’t necessarily what you want.

I often judge quilts at Washington’s State Fair. Signing my name to the score cards often brings questions. One of my favorites: the quilter wanted to know why I said her quilt would benefit with more quilting. Evidently I thought there was some unnecessary pouching. The quilter didn’t understand, she used Warm and Natural (per the manufacturer the quilting lines can be 8 -12 “). All I could say was “how would I know?” She kept insisting that she quilted it enough. I don’t think I ever got through to her “How would I know what batt she chose?”

Experience with batting is the best and possibly only real teacher. Read all you can about the various products, talk with other quilt makers, and make your best selection based on this information.

 

 

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