How To Choose The Perfect Batting For Your Quilt?

It seems like talking about batting should be stress-free. Its whole purpose is to soften and make things comfortable, after all. However, picking the best one for your project might be quite difficult. There are many different brands, concerned with fiber composition and loft, cotton against polyester, and much more. After learning how to big stitch quilt, now move next to choose the batting. Fortunately, these hints provide you with the knowledge you need to master the batting aisle.

Choose the Size of the Purchase

For the regular crib, twin, full, queen, and king-size quilts, batting is bundled; however, you may also purchase it by the bolt in any custom size that you need. In order to use this option, you must either have it cut to your specific size in the shop or at home by yourself. Off-the-bolt may, although requiring an additional step, end up being a more cost-effective (and practical) option if you quilt a lot.

Examine the fiber content

Wool, silk, bamboo, or a poly-cotton mix are all acceptable materials for quilt batting, but cotton or polyester is the most popular choice. Additionally, batting is available in organic (preferred for baby quilts) and recycled fiber combinations.

The good news is that there isn’t really a right or wrong answer since fiber is primarily about personal preference. But there are certain aspects to take into account. All battings—including those made of cotton, wool, silk, and bamboo—shrink to some extent; the box will indicate how much. (For this reason, while making a quilt sandwich, you want it to be a little bigger than the quilt top.)

The most affordable alternative is cotton, which is also the most comfortable. You may be surprised by its considerable weight. Wool and silk are ideal materials for summer quilts since they are lightweight and breathable. In the center is bamboo, which is still breathable but heavier than wool or silk and lighter than cotton.

Examine the Loft

The loft is just another word for thickness. The lines of your quilting will be easier to see and the quilt will be puffier overall if you use high-loft batting. If you like to highlight the piecing over the actual quilting lines, low-loft batting produces a flatter finish.

Consider your device

Practically any batting you can purchase may be used on professional longarm quilting machines. However, if you’re using a home sewing machine, you may find that the lower loft is simpler to work with – particularly if your project is rather big. It might be difficult to get your basted quilt through the neck of your machine because of the thickness of huge batting cuts and heavier loft, and doing so is asking for trouble.

Pick Scrim if you want stability

A thin layer or grid of woven fibers that are added to certain cotton battings is known as a “scrim.” While quilting, it serves as a stabilizer and aids in keeping the batting together. If you’re just starting off or want a pattern with broader space between quilting lines, this might be an excellent safety measure. Keep your quilting lines near together if you use cotton batting without scrim to prevent fiber separation after washing.

Know how to bond and beard

A form of glue or bonding adhesive is included in bonded quilt battings, which means washing the quilt may cause the batting to loosen. To ensure that your quilt lasts for a long time, this often calls for tight quilting lines.

Thermal and resin bonding are the two forms. By first putting a thin layer of low-melt polyester scrim and then heating it, thermal bonding is created. On each side of the batting, a thin barrier is created by the low-melting polyester melting and melting. A glue-like solution is applied to both sides of the batting to create resin bonding, which helps keep all the fibers together.

Bearding is the term for droopy strands that ultimately leak through the top of the quilt and should be avoided. This shedding is highly bothersome, which is an excellent reason to start off with high-quality quilt batting.

Coordination of hues

Black, bleached, and natural batting are available. Generally speaking, natural batting should be used in extremely light quilts, bleached batting in quilts with a predominance of white or medium-value colors, and black batting in quilts with a predominance of dark colors. Any bearding will be concealed in this way.

Final thoughts

There are several factors to take into account while selecting batting, but in the end, it comes down to personal choice. Do your homework, decide how you want your quilt to feel and look, and you’ll have a lovely project.