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Old July 8th 04, 11:12 PM
Sandy Foster
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In article ,
"muse9" wrote:

I am finally making good progress on my very first quilt top! I am using a
9 patch pattern from an Alex Anderson beginner quilting book. The piecing
is going well; I'm learning a lot and loving it!!! In fact I find I have to
stay away from my sewing room unless I know I have the time to sew because
it seems to magnetically pull me in and keep me for hours at a time!


Congratulations on your new addiction, Bonnie! We'll be your support
group -- encouraging you to give in to temptation whenever you like. G


This pattern is for a 30x30 wall hanging but I am making it for a large doll
quilt/lap quilt for my DGD. As I get closer to finishing the piecing I know
I need to think about the batting I will use for this quilt. I've read so
many conflicting opinions on cotton versus poly or cotton and poly blends.
I'm sure this question has come up many time before but I am still fairly
new here and could really use some opinions.

Since this is a doll quilt for a child it will get somewhat rough usage and
will need to be washed occasionally. I read on the bag that cotton batting
will shrink - is this a big problem? I also read that if you use cotton
batting you have to quilt fairly close together and since I'm totally new at
this and don't have much faith in my quilting abilities this concerns me.
Does one batting hold up better than another? I will be machine quilting so
is one better than the other for that?


I think you're smart to begin with a smaller quilt before jumping in on
a larger one. As for batting, my favorite is Hobbs 80/20. It's mostly
cotton (80%), with just enough poly (20%) thrown in to make it more
stable and a bit easier for hand quilting when I want to do that.

For machine quilting, an all-poly batt isn't as nice, simply because it
tends to slither, rather than "grabbing" the fabric of the top and
backing, as cotton does. Cotton does shrink, but many people prefer the
look this gives to the finished quilt. If you don't want that look,
simply follow the package directions to pre-wash the batting --
pre-soaking might be a more accurate term. That's what I do, since I
prefer the less "puckery" look, but I think I'm in the minority.

In thinking about how the batts will hold up, consider how many antique
quilts are still with us. g Most of those used natural fibers, such as
cotton, in the batting, and they're doing fine. Cotton batting tends to
become softer and more cuddly over time and with more and more
laundering; that doesn't mean that they're deteriorating, though!


This small quilt is my first "training quilt". I got mentally hooked on
quilting several months ago and have been soaking up whatever information I
could on the subject. Some of the best information I've received has been
right here with all of you!

I would greatly appreciate any hints or help regarding batting! Thank you
all so much!

Bonnie


Best of luck with the quilt, Bonnie, and be sure to show us pics when
it's finished.

--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
my ISP is earthlink.net -- put sfoster1(at) in front
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