how much batting to buy and wider fabric

like others, I got some JoAnns coupons via email this week, so I'm going to
use them!

I plan to buy some batting, now, it makes sense to buy more than what I
need, but I don't know how much to buy, I mean, I get coupons frequently
enough, or it goes on offer, so I don't need a years supply, I really just
need an amount that isn't too difficult to lug home from the store (I walk).

I also want some wider fabric for a backing, I figure in a place like
JoAnns, this should be easy, just wonder to another part of the store and
look for cotton, I don't need particuarly wide, 54", I think. Is there
anything else I should be looking for in making this purchase?

Anne

I usually buy 10 yards of batting - it may be a little bulky to lug home,
but it's not heavy. As far as backing fabric goes, I'm not sure that
Joann's carries wide cotton that is suitable for backing. I have seen it at
the Super Stores, but not at my regular store. I've never actually used the
wide backing for my quilts - no reason not to, I just seem to have fabric on
hand that is suitable for backing my quilts.

Have fun shopping!

Pauline
Northern California
"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
...
like others, I got some JoAnns coupons via email this week, so I'm going
to use them!

I plan to buy some batting, now, it makes sense to buy more than what I
need, but I don't know how much to buy, I mean, I get coupons frequently
enough, or it goes on offer, so I don't need a years supply, I really just
need an amount that isn't too difficult to lug home from the store (I
walk).

I also want some wider fabric for a backing, I figure in a place like
JoAnns, this should be easy, just wonder to another part of the store and
look for cotton, I don't need particuarly wide, 54", I think. Is there
anything else I should be looking for in making this purchase?

Anne

Pauline wrote:
I usually buy 10 yards of batting - it may be a little bulky to lug
home, but it's not heavy. As far as backing fabric goes, I'm not sure
that Joann's carries wide cotton that is suitable for backing. I have
seen it at the Super Stores, but not at my regular store. I've never
actually used the wide backing for my quilts - no reason not to, I just
seem to have fabric on hand that is suitable for backing my quilts.

Have fun shopping!

Pauline
Northern California

Joann's near me carries wide backing that is tone on tone in widths
of 90" and 108". They probably carry something in the 70"-ish range but
I never buy it. Most of my quilts are between 70" & 80" in length so I
usually buy the 90" stuff. If I'm using muslin -- which I often do --
then that's almost open stock in any size made! When I buy batting or
generic backing, I usually buy 10 yds. Fabric would be easy enough to
schlepp home but, as you say, the batting would be a pain.
A suggestion for having to carry home a whole big load of batting
would be to use a luggage carrier. I keep one of those fold up ones in
the trunk of my car, along with an average size bungee cord, for when I
have to drag several boxes in to be mailed. I don't see why you
couldn't do the same thing with a big bag of fabric. Have the stuff
double bagged so that there are is no opening for fabric or batting to
peek out of, stack the bag(s) on the base of the luggage "schlepper",
strap it down with the bungee cord and away you go :-)! CiaoMeow ^;;^

PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ (RCTQ Queen of Kitties)
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about
their whiskers!
Visit my Photo albums at http://community.webshots.com/user/tiamary

I usually buy 10 yards of batting - it may be a little bulky to lug home,
but it's not heavy. As far as backing fabric goes, I'm not sure that
Joann's carries wide cotton that is suitable for backing. I have seen it
at the Super Stores, but not at my regular store. I've never actually used
the wide backing for my quilts - no reason not to, I just seem to have
fabric on hand that is suitable for backing my quilts.

I ended up getting 3 yards of batting, it was just right for carrying home,
it was also just right pricewise, along with the other things I'd bought and
the coupons I'd used, it added up to just over 35 dollars, which meant I
could use another coupon to get a further 5 dollars off! It really is mega
savings week and it didn't mean I bought anything I wouldn't have done at
another time, other than perhaps fabric markers, I may have just bought one
had I been paying full price, but they had 6 for 9.99 which I used with my
40% off voucher, this means I can now put labels on my quilts!

It is a superstore, but I didn't find wide fabric, maybe I didn't look hard
enough, I didn't have much time. As I needed 3 yards, I was restricting
myself to 2.99 bolts and the easyist way to do that is to just head for the
solids, they are better quality than the odd cheap one you find amongst the
rest. But I couldn't find anywhere near the right shade of blue and I didn't
want to start looking for a different colour, in the end, I found something
the same hue, but darker, which really won't matter at all, though might
require some thought when it comes to choosing threads for quilting.

Anne

A suggestion for having to carry home a whole big load of batting
would be to use a luggage carrier. I keep one of those fold up ones in
the trunk of my car, along with an average size bungee cord, for when I
have to drag several boxes in to be mailed. I don't see why you couldn't
do the same thing with a big bag of fabric. Have the stuff double bagged
so that there are is no opening for fabric or batting to peek out of,
stack the bag(s) on the base of the luggage "schlepper", strap it down
with the bungee cord and away you go :-)! CiaoMeow ^;;^

Not really all that viable when you have a pushchair and a preschooler! If I
ever do decide to buy that much, I might as well just drive the car over,
even though it actually takes longer by car, I've never yet been lazy enough
to do it, though I have been known to do it on the way home, when it really
does save time, compared to putting the car in the garage and walking over.

Ane

are we talking the kind for a baby or the kind the preschooler sits in? if
it's for the pre-schooler you can for transportation purposes I would just
bung said bags on the seat of the pushchair and let your preschooler have a
walk - if you can cope with walking slowly and stopping for every bug/flower
etc that is G both my kids learnt to walk home from town at an early age
and loved it and if you keep up the oh what's that over there thing going
they can easily walk for 45 mins or more and as an added bonus they will
want a nap when they get home too BEG also possible: take a bungee cord
and strap the bags to the pushchair *or* some ducttape (sp?) and tape it to
the handles if it's no the kind you can hang stuff on.

if you have to one can carry a weeks worth of shopping on a buggy (stroller)
nappies and toilet paper included! till Jan of this year all I had was my
feet, a buggy and a bike to do everything with (no car) so I learnt how to
schlep almost anything home from the shops g

--
Jessamy
Queen of Chocolate Squishies (and Occasional Liquorice Ones)
In The Netherlands
Take out: _I love the colour_ to reply.
www.geocities.com/jessamy_thompson
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jes...pson/my_photos
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not really all that viable when you have a pushchair and a preschooler! If I
ever do decide to buy that much, I might as well just drive the car over,
even though it actually takes longer by car, I've never yet been lazy enough
to do it, though I have been known to do it on the way home, when it really
does save time, compared to putting the car in the garage and walking over.

Ane

I find that the wide backing fabrics at Joann's shrink a LOT. I would
definitely prewash first. I don't feel the quality is worth the price, but
YMMV. I am more comfortable using Kona cottons and piecing my backings. I
just snip the selvages and stitch the pieces together. Easy peasy.

--
Valerie in FL
My quilts: http://community.webshots.com/user/vjkahler


"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
...
like others, I got some JoAnns coupons via email this week, so I'm going
to use them!

I plan to buy some batting, now, it makes sense to buy more than what I
need, but I don't know how much to buy, I mean, I get coupons frequently
enough, or it goes on offer, so I don't need a years supply, I really just
need an amount that isn't too difficult to lug home from the store (I
walk).

I also want some wider fabric for a backing, I figure in a place like
JoAnns, this should be easy, just wonder to another part of the store and
look for cotton, I don't need particuarly wide, 54", I think. Is there
anything else I should be looking for in making this purchase?

Anne

are we talking the kind for a baby or the kind the preschooler sits in? if
it's for the pre-schooler you can for transportation purposes I would just
bung said bags on the seat of the pushchair and let your preschooler have
a
walk - if you can cope with walking slowly and stopping for every
bug/flower
etc that is G both my kids learnt to walk home from town at an early age
and loved it and if you keep up the oh what's that over there thing going
they can easily walk for 45 mins or more and as an added bonus they will
want a nap when they get home too BEG also possible: take a bungee cord
and strap the bags to the pushchair *or* some ducttape (sp?) and tape it
to
the handles if it's no the kind you can hang stuff on.

if you have to one can carry a weeks worth of shopping on a buggy
(stroller)
nappies and toilet paper included! till Jan of this year all I had was my
feet, a buggy and a bike to do everything with (no car) so I learnt how to
schlep almost anything home from the shops g

nope, the older is almost 4, we decided not to bring the tandem pushchair
with us when we moved, we've rarely regretted it. Our single pushchair is
one that has a horizontal handle, which I find fabulous as I can push it one
handed and have a hand free for the older one, or for opening doors and the
like, but it's not very favourable for hanging things from. Also the route
is a moderate hill, on the way to the shops, it's up, on the way back it's
down, so extra weight is potentially dangerous.

Anne

Anne Rogers wrote:
Not really all that viable when you have a pushchair and a preschooler! If I
ever do decide to buy that much, I might as well just drive the car over,
even though it actually takes longer by car, I've never yet been lazy enough
to do it, though I have been known to do it on the way home, when it really
does save time, compared to putting the car in the garage and walking over.

Ane

I think we're having a language question here :-). By pushchair do
you mean what we call a stroller -- the wheeled "chair" you put a baby
or small child in? Just curious as I haven't seen that particular term
used before :-). Regardless, trying to use one of the luggage cart
thingies would be impossible if you were also pushing a stroller -- even
without the preschooler.
As for finding the wider backing, in my Joann's it's on the shelves
with the muslin and you *do* have to look for it. Someone else
mentioned that it shrinks and I also find that to be true. It's worth
it *IF* you have a coupon. If I had to pay full price, I wouldn't buy
it because I can get better quality wide fabric for just a few dollars
more money per yard from an online source. CiaoMeow ^;;^

PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ (RCTQ Queen of Kitties)
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about
their whiskers!
Visit my Photo albums at http://community.webshots.com/user/tiamary

I think we're having a language question here :-). By pushchair do you
mean what we call a stroller -- the wheeled "chair" you put a baby or
small child in? Just curious as I haven't seen that particular term used
before :-). Regardless, trying to use one of the luggage cart thingies
would be impossible if you were also pushing a stroller -- even without
the preschooler.

yes, that's right a stroller, I tend to find that because of widespread
American film, TV, internet etc. non American, English speakers understand
almost all "American" words, but the same is not true the other way round.

Anne