Here is the inspiration for my piece:
I gave this Christmas ornament to my mom and I think I'll make a wall hanging for her to go with it. I might create a few reindeer on surfboards to accompany Santa.
I have been sewing for years, but I am a new quilter. Today I made a trip to my friendly neighborhood fabric shop to buy batting for the first time and was knocked over by the choice. Do you have any tips for batting selection? Is there a particular type (wool, cotton, poly, etc) or weight you like to use for hand quilting, and is it different from batting you would use for machine quilting? Is there a batting you tried and would not use again? Why not? Have you ever had anything wild happen with the batting after quilting and washing?
Many thanks to those of you who have left comments on my blog! I'm having a breather now that I'm back from holiday and guests are gone, and I will definitely be checking out your blogs soon.
6 comments:
batting is such a personal choice -- the only advice I'd give you is pay attention to how closely the manufacturer recommends quilting lines be -- if they're too far apart for the type of batting you buy there'll be a lot of droop and clumping over time....
I love the surfing santa. Living in Canada the santa's we see are all wintertime, its nice to think of the jolly fellow enjoying some summer too ;-)
I do hand quilting and prefer polyester batting over cotton .... for me, polyester needles better.
Love the idea about Santa and gang on surfboards!
I'm afraid you're going to have to take the plunge and try out a few different waddings for yourself, as (with most things) the more people's advice you ask, the more different answers you'll get! Personally I use a cotton and polyester mix wadding (Hobb's Premium 80/20 actually) as I find the cotton in the wadding sticks well to the top and backing, and makes for fewer tucks and pleats in the backing. It's also good for hand or machine. By the way, love the surfing Santa!
What a cute idea! Reindeer would be such a cute addition to the surfing Santa. I've used several different brands of cotton or cotton/poly mix, but I prefer the flatter look and that is purely a personal preference.
I love the ornament - excellent inspiration for your quilt. and the colors are marvelous in the pic. reindeer on surfboards? fabulous.
I'm allergic to wool, but I have friends (in particular Bonnie) who swear by it, quilts so smoothly. I've also heard it's much easier to get down under than it is in the states. I've been keeping away from 100% polyester now that I know more about how it's stronger than the surrounding cotton and wears away at it.
I've been using Hobbs Heirloom 80% cotton/20% polyester and like that. Quilters' Dream Request is 100% cotton and I like that too, but have to admit it needs a lot more quilting for me to be happy with it.
Good luck - I know there are lots of choices. Do try the wool tho if you're not allergic.
Love the windsurfing Santa. A real fun idea!
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