Quilting... It takes an hour to make one full pass, and I
wasn't moving the machine slowly. Four
and a half passes are complete. I am
using Dream-Poly batting.
Back in days gone by, I used nothing
but polyester batting in my quilts. I
never recall the stuff getting lumpy; the fabric wore out first! Polyester battings are generally better
quality than they used to be. If
quilting density recommendations are followed, there is seldom a problem with
it breaking apart or getting lumpy, even when washed often.
But after reading a number of horror
stories about using polyester batting with a longarm machine, I wondered what
would happen when I tried it. A customer
had given me a package of Wal-Mart’s batting to use with her Wildlife quilt –
and it was thoroughly and tightly wadded and crumpled into that package.
I’m happy to report that I had no
trouble whatsoever; my HQ16 handled it with aplomb. I had to work at it to get all the wrinkles
and creases out, and it’s too fragile to just grab it and pull to straighten it
out; I had to smooth it down gently and often as I went along. (Not as fragile as the cornhusk batting a
quilt shop owner recently showed me, though!
That stuff disintegrated when I breathed too heavily on it or shuffled my feet in its vicinity.)
The quilting through cheap poly bat
being a rousing success, I had no qualms about purchasing Dream-Poly for the
Eureka. It’s sooo soft and fine, and has
a lovely drape. Furthermore, it is much
lighter weight than cotton batting. I
have made several king-sized quilts with Warm & Natural cotton batting that
were so heavy, I needed a hand truck to transport them from the quilting studio
to the bedroom. And, while cuddly and
warm, they press down on arthritic toes something fierce.
The Dream-Poly cost me $36.50 for a
piece 120” x 120” – it was $10.95/yd. A
bit more than some battings, but the quilt will be a Christmas gift, and I want
it to be extra-special nice.
I got the batting at a cute little
quilt shop in Wakefield, Nebraska, called 'Quilt Shop'. (That's what I would have named it,
too.) Victoria and I stopped there
during our excursion to various quilt shops to our northeast and east Friday,
October 28, 2011.
