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Flannel Update and yet another question

For all of you that offered suggestions/guidance when I asked about using flannel, thank you. I ended up not going that route as the LQS had NO flannel fat quarters to play with and my previous experience with lack of testing had less than desirable results. I ended up using cottons for this baby quilt. The top is done and I think quite cute. One of these days I must get pix done & uploaded.

Now my question revolves around batting. I typically use Warm & Natural/white batting for everything. I also only hand quilt. I have another top that is completed and ready to be sandwiched so I can see if I need to get more batting for the above baby quilt. When I measured this top to purchase backing fabric I thought I measured it

108 square. Bottom line, I have it laid out on the batting and have barely any batting left on the sides for shrinkage. Do you think this is going to be okay considering it's being hand quilted vs machine - ergo, less shrinkage? Is my logic correct here? Usually it's either considerably too small and I piece the batting or there's oodles excess and it's not an issue. Can you tell I'm really not looking forward to piecing a 6 in. piece of batting? I know I should just to be safe, but........

Kim in NJ also pondering what to get the DH who has every toy/tool known to man for his birthday just 2 weeks after Christmas

Reply to
AuntK
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Reply to
Estelle Gallagher

Now, Kim. You know where I'm going to stand on this one. Go on and piece it. Just do it. It very probably won't kill you. Otherwise, you'll agonize the whole time you're quilting wondering if something is going to slip or stretch just the least little bit. Life is way too short to spend any of it wishing you'd just gone ahead and smoothed your own path. I suppose I should add that my hand quilting is extremely limited - something like one crib quilt that's been 'in progress' for 8 or 10 years. Polly

Reply to
Polly Esther

Honey, if you can hand quilt Warm & Natural, you have my undying respect and admiration. That stuff is tough... ~:o)

I agree. Piece that suckah! But shrinkage shouldn't be a problem if you quilt and bind it before washing. As the batting shrinks, the quilt top will shrink along with it and leave you with a wonderfully puckered touchable piece. If I understand what you're asking...

AuntK wrote:

Reply to
anthony

Reply to
Roberta

Howdy!

Short on batting: This might work w/ the "birthing" method; sew the layers together around the outside edges, leaving an opening for turning. When I use Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 (no way will I try to handquilt W&N again ), the batting will stretch a bit when gently pulling the layers in the hoop, kind of relaxing the batting so it lies flat.

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When I saw Marti Michell do this, she sewed all the way around the quilt, leaving an opening in the middle of the back (w/ a pieced backing) to pull the wad thru'. Worked fine, and she didn't have to try to even up an opening in one side.

Good luck!

R/Sandy

Reply to
Sandy Ellison

birthing also works from somewhere on the backing rather than the edge. piece the back and leave an opening somewhere big enough to birth the whole thing. i saw ricky tims do it on simply quilts yesterday morning. could check hgtv website for his episode. sorry, brain not in gear at all. j.

Reply to
nzlstar*

You can also cut a slit in the backing and then put the label over it- after whip stitching the opening closed. I've heard this one before but I'd think you'd need a fairly large cut in order to get the bulk of the quilt thru it and an even larger label to put over it. Maybe not a great solution after all?

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Reply to
Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Howdy!

When Marti Michell does this, she opens a seam in the pieced backing; makes it easy to sew back together w/out leaving an obvious "after-thought" seam. I tried it; works fine. Anyway, it helps when the batting isn't quite over-sized enough.

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You can also cut a slit in the backing and then put the label over it- after

Howdy!

Short on batting: This might work w/ the "birthing" method; sew the layers together around the outside edges, leaving an opening for turning. When I use Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 (no way will I try to handquilt W&N again ), the batting will stretch a bit when gently pulling the layers in the hoop, kind of relaxing the batting so it lies flat.

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When I saw Marti Michell do this, she sewed all the way around the quilt, leaving an opening in the middle of the back (w/ a pieced backing) to pull the wad thru'. Worked fine, and she didn't have to try to even up an opening in one side.

Good luck!

R/Sandy

Reply to
Sandy Ellison

On Jan 7, 11:40=A0pm, Sandy Ellison wrote:

.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions but I decided to piece the batting since this project is turning into the quilt from he**. Now don't ask me why but when I inserted the extra piece of batting in the center, the stupid thing didn't work in either direction. I'm now in the process of adding another strip in the other direction. Of course, I machine basted - which I've successfully done in the past - but this time the batting is now all puckery. So I've sliced the machine basting and am now hand basting the strips also. This is the same project that my 1/2 sq. triangles that I so carefully calculated then cut all the pieces were the wrong size. Ran out of that fabric; had to go with 2nd & 3rd choices for those pieces. I'm planning to do a scalloped edge on this thing. There are no borders - the whole thing just kind of floats and since there are bias edges on all 4 (or 10) sides I agreed with Miss Polly and decided that I really only was just postponing the obvious. Like I said, this thing is the quilt from he**. And Anthony, thanks for the kudos but it's simply a case of ignorance being bliss. I've just never known that Warm & Natural was difficult to hand quilt! Even after the first (lap size) quilt that I made for my dearly departed Nana. I wanted it to be extra warm for her and decided to use 2 layers of that stuff. It's a double irish chain pattern. The stitching in the ditch on that did require the use of pliers to pull the needle through and the flowers I quilted in the plain blocks were a little on the troublesome side, but otherwise it went fairly well. So you can see why now, a single layer of that stuff is a breeze to hand quilt!

Kim in NJ

Reply to
AuntK

... portion snipped

Somewhere I saw a suggestion of prepping the short section to be hand sewn by folding the seam and ironing it. Then you don't have to fiddle with it when you go back and hand stitch it. I've not tried it yet, but plan to do so on a baby quilt that I will finish after I finish my DS's quilt. I cannot remember where I saw that idea.

Bev in TX

Reply to
countryone77

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