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Old July 9th 04, 04:39 AM
muse9
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Sandy Foster wrote:

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


Thanks! It is always good to get positive encouragement!

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.


I figured I had better start small. But, the next project I have planned is
not one, but two I Spy quilts. I can't make one for one of my grandkids
without making one for the other now can I?!

I had wondered about the 80/20 batting. Thanks for your input on it. If
you use that are you as likely to need to pre-shrink it?

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.


Here's another question then - if your pre-soak the batting then how do you
dry it? I assume you do NOT want to spin it in the washer. I warned you
all that I am new at quilting, and full of questions!

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!


That makes sense, I had not thought about all the antique quilts.

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


Thank you Sandy for all your help. I will put a picture of it up when I get
done.

Bonnie

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



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