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From: temom
Date: 08-01-2007, 03:32 PM (1 of 11)
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Don't laugh too hard, but although I am not a quilter, I am hosting a sewing bee this weekend for my church to make baby blankets and baby quilts for charity. I bought a roll of 100% polyester batting, 4 oz, to use in the quilts. I have precut the batting to size, but noticed that it is pretty wrinkly. I would think that the wrinkles would cause problems when the quilt is put together. So my question is should I do anything special when ironing this stuff? I don't want it to fall apart on me, lol. Also, are there any hints about having a smooth quilt sandwich? I'm wondering if it would be worth it to use the spray sticky adhesive, and if so, should I use it on all 3 layers? This is the pattern we will be using: http://quiltmaker.com/patterns/patt230.pdf If you have any suggestions or hints, I would love to hear them. Also wish me luck, as I don't know if anyone is going to show up. Theresa
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User: temom
Member since: 01-19-2007 Total posts: 410 
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From: HeyJudee
Date: 08-01-2007, 05:07 PM (2 of 11)
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I wouldn't recommend ironing Polyester batting. Usually what is recommended is to unroll and let your batting relax for a day or two prior to layering it in a quilt. Generally this will help get rid of most of the wrinkles. Then when you go to layer the quilt sandwich you try to smooth out the batting as best you can. You can use spray adhesive to layer your quilts but when you do this you spray only the wrong side of the cotton top and the backing - not the batting. The way I have always done it is to put the batting down on the surface, spray the wrong side of the backing fabric and then smooth the wrong side of the backing onto the batting. Then flip the batting and backing over so that the other side of the batting is on top. Spray the wrong side of the cotton top and smooth it over the batting. Usually the backing is larger than the top so when you stick the top to the batting, make sure that the edges of the top fit inside the backing. Also, you want to make sure that you cover the surface where you will be spraying the adhesive as you don't want to end up with adhesive all over, e.g. the floor, table etc. And be careful when using the spray adhesive. It is supposed to be used in a well ventilated area and I have been told that certain brands can be really bad for your lungs. FYI - I always go outside to do my spraying. Hope this helps and I haven't confused you too much. TTFN from
Judy |
User: HeyJudee
Member since: 01-25-2005 Total posts: 1366 
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From: PaulineG
Date: 08-01-2007, 05:10 PM (3 of 11)
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Can't help with the batting as I'm not a quilter either but I have to say that pattern is so cute and looks so easy I'm tempted to try it. Good luck with your sewing bee - I'm sure everyone will turn up and it will go well. Pauline
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User: PaulineG
Member since: 09-08-2006 Total posts: 901 |
From: Patty22
Date: 08-01-2007, 05:55 PM (4 of 11)
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temom.... the quilt should be really cute and easy to make even for those who don't quilt. Polyester batting will relax if you open the package and let the batting drape over a chair for at least 24 hours. Most major wrinkles should disappear and those wrinkles remaining should be easy to smooth out. Ironing is NOT recommended......but you could put it in a gentle fluff cycle of your drier if you are not satisfied after allowing to relax naturally. HOWEVER, if this quilt is for charity, I would check their website to see if they specify the type of batting. Since polyester isn't approved for baby clothing, the baby quilts might need to be made with cotton batting. Federal laws for children's sleepwear were developed due to the number of children harmed from their clothing in fires as polyester melts and adheres to skin rather than cotton which burns up to ash. According to Harriet Hargrave in From Fiber to Fabric (page 113): Flammable is defined as "easily set on fire." ..... While some polyester battings are less flammable than other polyester battings, all polyester melts when burned and creates worse burns than natural fiber battings." The only other comment about polyester batting is it retains odor. :( If the baby quilts will be machine quilted, cottons batts or even flannel is easier for new quilters to use in small projects. Polyester batting doesn't naturally adhere to the fabric like cotton batting does with cotton fabric. Having said this I need to say I have used polyester batting in baby quilts, but I have told the moms when given as a gift. Not trying to be a polyester batting party pooper, just trying to give you as much information as I can that might be pertenent to your situation. There are also some new Mountain Mist batts out made with corn. Has anyone seen these or tried them? Patty
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User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006 Total posts: 1194 |
From: temom
Date: 08-01-2007, 06:26 PM (5 of 11)
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Oh gosh, Patty. I bought 20 yards worth!
Theresa
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User: temom
Member since: 01-19-2007 Total posts: 410
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From: Patty22
Date: 08-01-2007, 07:45 PM (6 of 11)
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Theresa.....since you bought so much of the batting and it is so wrinkly..... maybe you could cut the batting in the approximate size pieces you need (with some allowance) and put those in the fluff cycle. 20 yards..... did you buy it on a roll? Those do get very wrinkly. Patty
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User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006 Total posts: 1194 |
From: temom
Date: 08-01-2007, 11:45 PM (7 of 11)
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OK, I have one 10 yard roll cut, and I will toss that in the dryer tomorrow. I'm debating if I should cut the other roll or not. Each "packet" of materials makes 3 quilts, and I have material for 2 packets, which is 6 quilts, or 6 yards of batting. Thank you so much Judy and Patty! I made up 3 quilt tops tonight between tucking my dd in and watching the "good parts" of American Inventor. I did find a huge oversight on my part. I've had my material picked out and set out for weeks - it came right from my stash. However, I only allowed 1 yard of backing per "packet" instead of 3. I'm too tired to kick myself, and I guess I'll either have a bizzare backing that in no way ties into the quilt, or I'll run to Wallyworld or Jo-Ann's in the morning. Theresa
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User: temom
Member since: 01-19-2007 Total posts: 410
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From: temom
Date: 08-05-2007, 09:31 PM (8 of 11)
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Well we had our sewing bee, and although we had a small turnout, it was a lot of fun! We have been working on the quilts for a little while, and with what we had before and what is now in the works (still needing to be quilted), we have 18 quilts. Only one of us is a quilter, but once we saw the quilting person's warm and natural cotton batting, we all decided that we would wait for it to go on sale at Joann's and get that, because it was much nicer! I also learned to pin before I quilt - what a revelation that was! Theresa
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User: temom
Member since: 01-19-2007 Total posts: 410
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From: momquilts
Date: 08-06-2007, 02:13 PM (9 of 11)
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Thank you so much for posting the link for the quilts you are making! Our church supports an orphanage in Mexico and our quilt group has been making patchwork quilts using 6" squares. It gets boring making the same pattern each time. I really like the pattern you have on your post. I printed it this morning before I went to work. It looks a lot easier than putting so many small squares together. During one of our work nights this past winter, we were using batting from a roll that was pretty wrinkled. We held a steam iron about 6"-8" above the batting and steamed out the wrinkles. Just be sure to keep the iron far enough from the batting so you won't melt it. Thanks again for sharing! momquilts |
User: momquilts
Member since: 02-02-2000 Total posts: 46 
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From: Patty22
Date: 08-06-2007, 02:59 PM (10 of 11)
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Theresa.....how nice everyone had a good time and the event was so productive. Doesn't it feel wonderful to share quilting! If there is a way to get the word out that you would take orphan blocks or scrap fabric (like posting a sign in the local quilt shop, your church, or writing to a local quild), I'm sure you could pick up some interesting blocks to add borders and spice up the process. Post a picture of the quilts your group did on the fliers and it will help draw everyone's attention to your wonderful project. This sure would help......as sometimes doing projects for charity ends up being expensive. Those 50% off coupons are big bonus days for me when I can pick up batting or supplies at JoAnns! The bent safety pins are wonderful for "basting" your quilt for machine quilting. I can't wait to hear more about how many quilts you end up with Theresa. Patty
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User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006 Total posts: 1194 |
From: temom
Date: 08-06-2007, 05:47 PM (11 of 11)
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Patty, I had a very unhappy experience when I asked for fabric donations. Two people replied. One gave us a bag of sheets and pillowcases and one gave stuff that can't be used. I guess I need to be very specific as to what we need.
Theresa
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User: temom
Member since: 01-19-2007 Total posts: 410
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