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What kind of batting do I use to make a quilt? High loft or low loft? And what is the difference between the t?

November 19th, 2012 Leave a comment Go to comments

I have two beautiful 3 feet by 4 feet fabric panels that have a very pretty horse design on them I want to make my first quilt out of it. I thought I would take a matching colored solid fabric and use that for the edges and the back. I just would like to know what kind of batting to use and where the best place to purchase it is. Thanks! 🙂

Sorry to make it even more complicated, but loft isn’t the only consideration. You also need to decide if you want to use polyester batting, natural fiber batting (cotton and bamboo are the most readily available, but there are wool and silk as well), or a cotton/poly blend. Once you decide that, you may eliminate the loft question entirely.

I prefer cotton batting because I like a flat quilt, and I like that it is an all season batting. Natural fibers allow air to pass through (referred to by quilters as "breathing"), while polyester traps the the air under the quilt. This means polyester is a very warm batting, and is best used in a winter quilt. I also like the drape of cotton batting, although there are some higher end polyester battings that are made to mimic the look of cotton batting. They are very thin and drapey.

Another thing to consider is how you are going to fasten the layers together. There are two methods – sewing (either by hand or machine) and tying. You can sew straight lines through all of the layers (or get adventurous and do free motion quilting using a darning foot). For a quilt the size you’re talking about, straight line quilting would not be difficult. Tying is when you use a large needle and embroidery floss or pearl cotton (don’t do yarn – it’s just too difficult) and stitch down and up in the same location, then tie a square knot. (Look up the proper way to tie a square knot – most people do what’s called a granny knot, and it isn’t as secure). You can tie the knots on either the front or the back depending on where you want the tails to be visible. Cut the tails to about 1/2" – 1" after the knots are secure. Repeat this every few inches.

Your decision to tie or sew affects the batting you choose. Most importantly, check the batting instructions to find out how closely you need to quilt it. Some batting must be quilted every 2", while others are only every 10". If it has to be quilted every 2", that’s an awful lot of tying. Also check how easy it is to "needle" – that means how difficult it is to hand sew through. If you are going to tie your quilt and you want it to be very puffy, then you need a high loft batting. If you want it to be thinner, a lower loft is good, and natural fibers are also very good.

As for where to buy it, if you have a JoAnn Fabrics they can help you out. You can also find prepackaged batting online, including
JoAnn Fabrics
http://www.joann.com/joann/search/search_results.jsp;jsessionid=UZ1AU2TIVD5JCP4SY5KVAFR50LD3OUPU?CATID=cat1110&keywords=batting&_requestid=1733926

Hancock’s of Paducah
http://www.hancocks-paducah.com/ItemList–Batting–m-20

and even Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1246280047/ref=sr_nr_n_0?ie=UTF8&rs=1055398&keywords=batting&bbn=1063498&rnid=1063498&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Abatting%2Ci%3Agarden%2Cn%3A1055398%2Cn%3A!1063498%2Cn%3A12890711

Here’s an excellent page that explains batting in greater detail:
http://www.quiltersbee.com/qbfabtip.htm

  1. Doodlestuff
    November 19th, 2012 at 14:40 | #1

    If you are going to tie the quilt with yarn, you need high loft. If you are going to machine quilt it or hand quilt it then you want low loft. Unless you have a special reason for it, you don’t need the very low loft.

    I purchase mine at Joann’s, Hancock’s and quilt shops. It really depends on what I want from the batting. My overall less expensive preference is Hobbs, usually sold at Joann’s. It’s an 80/20 blend of cotton and polyester.
    References :

  2. Moi
    November 19th, 2012 at 15:14 | #2

    I’m making a quilt too, I bought low loft at Joann fabrics for 7.99.

    I like low loft because it’s heavier and will hold up better. When you feel the differences, high loft has more air space in it and pulls apart easier. While low loft feels somewhat like a layer of fabric. 🙂
    References :
    6 years quilting experience.

  3. swbiblio
    November 19th, 2012 at 16:02 | #3

    Sorry to make it even more complicated, but loft isn’t the only consideration. You also need to decide if you want to use polyester batting, natural fiber batting (cotton and bamboo are the most readily available, but there are wool and silk as well), or a cotton/poly blend. Once you decide that, you may eliminate the loft question entirely.

    I prefer cotton batting because I like a flat quilt, and I like that it is an all season batting. Natural fibers allow air to pass through (referred to by quilters as "breathing"), while polyester traps the the air under the quilt. This means polyester is a very warm batting, and is best used in a winter quilt. I also like the drape of cotton batting, although there are some higher end polyester battings that are made to mimic the look of cotton batting. They are very thin and drapey.

    Another thing to consider is how you are going to fasten the layers together. There are two methods – sewing (either by hand or machine) and tying. You can sew straight lines through all of the layers (or get adventurous and do free motion quilting using a darning foot). For a quilt the size you’re talking about, straight line quilting would not be difficult. Tying is when you use a large needle and embroidery floss or pearl cotton (don’t do yarn – it’s just too difficult) and stitch down and up in the same location, then tie a square knot. (Look up the proper way to tie a square knot – most people do what’s called a granny knot, and it isn’t as secure). You can tie the knots on either the front or the back depending on where you want the tails to be visible. Cut the tails to about 1/2" – 1" after the knots are secure. Repeat this every few inches.

    Your decision to tie or sew affects the batting you choose. Most importantly, check the batting instructions to find out how closely you need to quilt it. Some batting must be quilted every 2", while others are only every 10". If it has to be quilted every 2", that’s an awful lot of tying. Also check how easy it is to "needle" – that means how difficult it is to hand sew through. If you are going to tie your quilt and you want it to be very puffy, then you need a high loft batting. If you want it to be thinner, a lower loft is good, and natural fibers are also very good.

    As for where to buy it, if you have a JoAnn Fabrics they can help you out. You can also find prepackaged batting online, including
    JoAnn Fabrics
    http://www.joann.com/joann/search/search_results.jsp;jsessionid=UZ1AU2TIVD5JCP4SY5KVAFR50LD3OUPU?CATID=cat1110&keywords=batting&_requestid=1733926

    Hancock’s of Paducah
    http://www.hancocks-paducah.com/ItemList–Batting–m-20

    and even Amazon
    http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1246280047/ref=sr_nr_n_0?ie=UTF8&rs=1055398&keywords=batting&bbn=1063498&rnid=1063498&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Abatting%2Ci%3Agarden%2Cn%3A1055398%2Cn%3A!1063498%2Cn%3A12890711

    Here’s an excellent page that explains batting in greater detail:
    http://www.quiltersbee.com/qbfabtip.htm
    References :

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