Good Morning, Quilters!
Welcome to another episode of Open Line Friday—Everyone Asks and EVERYONE Answers....
We have nearly 10,000 regular readers of The Inbox Jaunt (can’t YOU help me get to 10,000 by telling YOUR friends about us?)
With that many readers, we have a vast base of knowledge and experience. Please chime in with what works for YOU and what YOU need help with.
GOAL FOR 2017
One of my goals for 2017 is to experiment with batting–which coincides with several questions we received this week.
For the past several years I have settled on two favorite batts: Wool and 100% cotton.
I love wool for it’s loft, drapability, hand, and how well it washes. (Read more about my Twin Daughter’s College Quilts HERE)
I use 100% cotton whenever I want a flat, smoother quilt–for example, it’s perfect for the Tuesday Tutorials.
Perhaps it’s time for me to expand my horizons a little…so I’m turning to YOU, Gentle Reader…
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BATTING AND WHY?
I will use this list to start collecting, experimenting and creating samples.
BATTING AND STITCH DISTANCE
One thing to note about all batting is how far apart the quilting lines can be.
This information is found directly on the package.
You may quilt closer than the manufacturer’s recommendation, but if you quilter farther apart, there’s a good chance the batting will clump up when it is washed.
MARKING TOOLS/CHALK
I am frequently asked about my marking tools.
My go-to marker is the Dritz Chalk Cartridge Set
Chalk is easy to see, easy to erase and it doesn’t break easily. (Thank you to those who pointed out that some chalk markers have wax in them as well–making them more difficult to remove!)
If I need a finer line, I like the Fons and Porter Ceramic Pencil or the Sew Line Ceramic Pencil
Both are mechanical pencils and are easy to see and to erase.
When I’m drawing straight lines with a ruler or stencil, The Clover Chalk Wheel is really fast and convenient.
SAMPLES, SAMPLES, SAMPLES or THERE’S NO CRYING IN QUILTING….
All marking tools should be tested on every fabric to be sure they will come out…
We all know it’s the fastest way to bring a quilter to tears!!!
What about YOU? What is YOUR favorite marking pen or batting?
We’d LOVE to hear!
Lori
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com. Thanks!
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90 comments
melfunkm
I love warm & natural. It is easy to long arm with, it puffs up just a little when washed, it is warm, it lays the way I like.
Conchita Quilt
Hi Pam, yes you’re right about that, the markings will come back if the quilt is subject to very cold temperature. My guess is then that depending on what you are using it for. It could be to mark a quilt for quilting, or for embroidery or as a sewing line. If it’s or quilting then you might want to use something else but if it’s for a sewing line it perfectly fine. I think the formula is still the same. ?
Jo-Anne
Several friends and I were lucky enough to go to a Jamie Wallen class in September, and he was very emphatic – do NOT use frixion pens – the colors will come back! So I now use them for doodling!
Conchita Quilt
Hi Jo-Anne, thank you for your input. I’ve often thought about that to be honest and it’s always niggled at me a bit, but then my brain changes gear and thinks, well, they’ve been used by the quilting community for quite a long time now and no-one has made reference to the marks coming back! Personally, the way I work around this “possible” dilemma is to use the colour that is closest to the thread I will be using there regardless of it disappearing with the iron. Jet Pens have every colour you can think of in the FRIXION PEN range whereas most of our usual quilting stores and online have blue, red and black mostly. I hope this is useful to someone ?
Pam Hotle
I don’t use the frixion pens to mark quilts because of a discussion on them I read a few years ago. The markings can and do come back if the quilt gets very cold. You can test this with your freezer. It might not be a problem for a lot of people but if you live in the north and happen to leave a quilt out in your car during the winter, you will see those markings come back. You can iron the quilt and they will disappear again. This was a few years ago. Maybe they have changed their formula in the newer pens.
Laurie Biundo
I mostly use quilter’s dream 100% cotton. Occasionally I get Hobb’s 100% cotton.
For marking I like the blue wash away. The chalk markers – especially white, are great. I was told (at the Houston quilt fest) my many name quilters, NOT to use the colors, like with the Dritz chalk set. I use the yellow chalk wheel and remove it asap.
Michele
Thanks for some good tool hints! I am anxious to read more comments on batting. I use Warm & Natural for my quilts. i want to try a wool batting at some point because I love quilts, but I don’t like sleeping under them – too heavy.
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Wool is very light.
Suzy Webster
Batting…..I love Hobbs Silk and their Cotton/Wool batting as well as their wool are my favorites
C Coco
I used that Clover yellow chalk on a quilt and it does not come out. It must have sifted into the batting. I spend a couple of years making a Grandmother’s flower garden and have washed the quilt several times and you can still see the yellow chalk marks. I would not use the Clover products.
Mary
I agree! I used a blue Clover chalk marker on a baby quilt and could not get it out. Grrrr…….never again!
Holly
I like Hobbs Wool batting best but only on my very best quilts, otherwise I use Hobbs 80/20 cotton blend. My fav marking pen is the blue water erasable pens. I mark mostly on white/off white/beige so a chalk pen doesn’t work for me. I am playing with many of your designs Lori. Working on a Christmas themed quilt and have used your packages (love ’em), trees, snowflakes, snowman (love ’em…very clever stitching) and many more. So much fun to stitch! Thanks much!
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Send a photo! Sounds adorable!
Kris
Quilters Dream has become my favorite batting. I use 80/20 low loft for most of my quilts but if I am making a baby blanket or something that will be washed frequently I use there polyester. I ordered the Dream Green because it was on sale and I really like that. There polyester batting quilts like the cotton and is very soft. I shy away from wool as my husband has a wool allergy and I am afraid it will come through the cotton and affect him. The bamboo is more expensive and I don’t see an advantage over The Dream Green so have never tried it. Since I live in ND I haven’t found a use for the silk batting.
Susan Spencer
I’m loving working with Winline’s 100% Bamboo batting–very warm and drapey, and gives good stitch definition. Also it is naturally anti-microbial, so resists molds and mildew (very important where I live!)
Laurie Biundo
I, too , love their bamboo batting. However, It’s a lot more flammable.
Denise Mohler
I mostly make quilts that will be used frequently so I use warm and natural cotton batting. I do use clover chalk wheels for a lot of my markings, I have also recently purchased the frixion marking pens as they do iron out and they have several different colors for you to use depending on the fabric color you are using.
Gypsybaker
Thank you soo much for the advise on pot holders & I am going to use wool batting on a runner for my coffee table & am glad to hear moisture won’t go through.
Melanie McNeil
All battings have problems and all of us could find reasons not to use one or another. Wool — cruelty to sheep. Polyester — petroleum product. Cotton — any idea how much fuel and pesticides are used to produce this? Bamboo — if it’s processed chemically is very harmful to the environment. And then there are questions of safety from flammability, etc. What’s a quilter to do? We could all use old blankets… Yet that isn’t very practical either, is it?
All that said, my preference is usually polyester, Warm Company’s Soft & Bright. I like it because it is very washable, it doesn’t crease easily, and it has nice loft for stitch definition. And it is substantially less expensive than cotton and wool. I have used wool several times and have found the thickness/loft to be too variable to trust. I’ve had wool batts that were thick and luxurious and others that were too thin to hold up under the weight of the top. ALL FROM THE SAME COMPANY, Hobbs. Same product, supposedly. Not happy with the quality control, though I like the thicker loft for how beautifully it quilts.
Conchita Quilt
It would be nice if we could have access to organic cotton and bamboo! I think I might just write to the companies I know and find out how they produce their cotton and bamboo. Thank you for the heads up. I find that in life, meaning food, clothes and entertainment I have no problems living my vegan lifestyle, but when it comes to crafts we’re so much more limited. But you learn something new everyday. Thank you! ?
Kathy Klug
I have been making bed quilts since 1968 (although do more wall quilts now). I still like Mountain Mist regular weight poly batting for bed quilts. The cotton brands seem to be too heavy to sleep under. I have used all the name brand battings in projects and have been happy with them all.
Paula Hedges
I use Warm & Natural almost exclusively (buy it on the bolt when I can get it at 60% off!). I do have a queen size Quilter’s Dream 80/20 waiting to be used. I’d like to try the wool batting.
Nancy Walker
Hands Down…Dream Batting. Longarmer for 20+ years. I have tried most all of them and quality remains consistently good with Dream. Mostly use Request or Select weight. Recently tried their new 80/20 and it’s also nice and softer than some others. I also like Dream Wool but here in the desert, not much call for it! Nancy
Janette
Use cotton mostly, have tried wool on a small quilt. Really like it, so will try it on a larger quilt. Have also used a poly on a wall hanging, which turned out rather nice.
Marking is still a work in process, have tried the ceramic pencil, guess l press to hard because it keeps breaking . Lol. Right now have been working with a blue gel pen. When l finish tree skirt will let you know how it washes out. Lol !
jbaner
I love wool, but sometimes the cost is prohibited, so my next favorite and used the most is Hobb’s 80/20. It’s mostly cotton so it feels good, but has just enough poly in it to give it some loft. A great compromise. However, I don’t particularly like the packaged ones. They need a lot of airing out to get it fluffy. I buy it on the roll and it’s wonderful. It come in natural, black, and bleached white.
Also my favorite marker is miracle chalk because it comes out with an iron. I actually have removed the chalk from the “chalk-o-liner” wheel and replaced it with the miracle chalk. So great!! It is hard to see on white or light fabrics, so often will use the wash out blue pen lightly on those. Thanks for your blog. I’ve learned a lot!
Diana McDonough
I typically gravitate toward cotton batting (warm & natural or warm & plush), but that’s merely based on familiarity. I like to wait for a 60% off coupon and buy a king-size which I cut up for smaller quilts to make it most economical. I may have to experiment with wool….
As for marking, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these air-soluble markers:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0182HZZ02
They don’t last really long, but long enough to quilt my design.
I also like ceramic pencils, but haven’t had much luck with them lasting (mechanics broke).
Joan Marshall
I love Quilter’s Dream Wool which I usually use for my personal quilts. But their 100% collon in Select or the thinest Request is what i use in my customer’s quilts.
Nancy Wasserman
A comment on the Frixion Pens…here is a link to a great article that was written: http://quiltskipper.com/2015/08/frixion-pens-all-you-need-to-know/
by Jenny Lyon. She contacted the Pilot Co which makes the pens. In summary, the pens are a combo of gel ink, and thermo ink which makes the gel ink disappear with heat. But there is still ink left in the fabric which can come back if exposed to cold (think quilt in suitcase, shipped to someone…). As the pens were never designed for fabric, an ink remover must be used (two are mentioned in the article) to thoroughly remove either the gel ink or thermo ink (which can cause “ghosting”) from your fabric. I’ve never used them, but I do have a friend who used them regularly. She shipped it off as a gift and some of the marks came back and she had ghosting problems as well.
Marta
Thank you, Nancy and Jenny!!
Marta
Hmm… so many comments include Frixion experience. I am going to get in touch with the company and ask questions. Then do some experiments. With allergies and also arthritis in hands and finger joints, the pens have worked very well for me…so far! Probably will be another Friday before I return with results of inquiry/experiments.
I had not known wool batting existed until I learned about it on The Jaunt. Looking forward to trying it, especially for those utilizing FMQ.
For our guild CASA donations, I have used white cotton flannel as a batting. They are meant to be a “comfort” quilt, not for a bed. They fold up nicely and fit in an automobile or other type situations (as in court case). I have made them
for our own grands too. Actually, my husband has done me the great compliment of using the sofa quilt I made for him on his bed too. It has flannel also in the pieced cover with a high quality muslin for the backing. He says it is the warmest quilt he ever slept under and is flexible around his body. “Ever” includes the goose down he grew up with. It was very easy to quilt on my sewing machine.
capepetrel
I have mostly used Warm and Natural or Warm and White because it is all cotton. To me, it seems to be getting thinner. I was really pleased when I found a thicker version at a Joanns in Anchorage, AK. I can’t get it where I live in Juneau though. I tried several types of batting at a quilt class and really liked the wool batting for the way the quilting looked in the finished product, but I found it difficult and expensive to obtain in Alaska. I have tried some of the new bamboo products and once Joanns seemed to be selling off an all-cotton product that was thicker than Warm and natural. It quilted nicely. I’ll have to look at the package.
Janice Henson
I only use cotton. Many are allergic to wool and polyester battings. I would like to try wool blend at some point. I also get hot with polyester battings.
Amy
I tend to use Warm & Natural and Warm & White since I buy them by the roll. Quilter’s Dream and Hobbs are what I look for if I need to buy a smaller piece. As for marking, I use a variety of tools, it all depends on the piece I need to mark. I love the Frixion pens, but they do leave a mark on darker fabrics. My number one “go-tos” are Roxanne’s white and sliver pencils. They show up and wash out nicely. As much as I like chalk rollers, I can’t use them with my Bernina stitch regulator – the dust mucks up the eye and the BSR won’t work properly.
Glenda Reece
Hi everyone!, I have recently started FMQ a large (108″ x 108″ quilt that I pieced I’m using rulers for some stabilization, my problem that I keep facing is little nest on the back side, everything seems to be going fine, I see and hear like it’s skipping a stitch or not picking up the bottom thread, sometimes it messes up the top thread and it starts to fray and then breaks, I’m working with a new JUKI 2010 and I love the machine, I just wish I could establish better stitches on the back side with no nest forming or thread breaking. hope someone that knows much more than me that can help me out it would be so much appreciated.
thank you
Glenda,
Tresa
I had the same problem with my Juki. It only happened when I was quilting away from myself slightly to the left. I think it was because of the thread going into the needle left to right. The needle puncher’ s the thread (and I think fray’s it.) before going into the quilt. I just got used to not quilting in that direction and had a lot less trouble.
Marta
I had this problem with a Viking and took it to shop several times..no help in long run. On advice, I eventually Googled, How to fix nesting under seam or some such..Learned to keep machine very cleaned out and to put in new needle when that happened.. (Save old needles for other purposes..), Following that protocol has relieved the nesting problems from continuing.
Doesn’t mean other things can’t cause it. but it fixed it for me.
OH, one other thing, make sure top and bobbin thread are held
out of the way, from being taken up, when first beginning a seam.
Gma Jane
Could be thread is spinning in your bobbin. I get that occasionally with 40 wt poly thread. I use bobbin washers with the shiny thread, or wind a bobbin of matching aurifil.
Diane
Would you go over the how to load chalk, replace chalk sticks and advance the chalk) because mine came without instructions and when I attempt to change chalk, advance it, load it etc it breaks. Thank you.
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Sure
Linda
Thanks for the review of the various marking options. On your advice, I bought a ceramic pencil a few weeks ago, but haven’t had occasion to use it yet.
As to batting, I use 100% cotton for most projects. I also tried the bamboo batting a while back and really liked it’s qualities, but only plan to use it when I particularly want those qualities in a quilt. Most of my quilts in the past few years have been made for children, and I’ve opted for durability over other qualities for those.
Conchita Quilt
Ooh bamboo, I’ve not tried that! Thanks for the heads-up! My guess is it won’t be easy to find here in Spain so UK is my best bet. Got to make the most of the low pound LOL cause knowing the English they’ll be back on track in no time. ?
Susan A
I too love wool ….but you have to baste very closely as the puffiness has t be controlled when quilting….it’s warm and so lightweight….
For less warmth I love quilters dream and the new company quilters select- Harder to find
I have a silk batting waiting for the top I’m making now
I use sewline select chalk pen almost exclusively….I’m able to control the marking
And it comes out in the washing
Thanks everyone for the input !!
Judi Drozdowski
I am allergic to wool, so my favorite batting for quilts is Quilters Dream Orient, it has a little more loft and is lighter and 100% cotton. I use Warm and Natural for wall hangings.
suzanprincess
Judi, I too am allergic to wool, but as long as I’m not touching it I have no problem. I love my Woolie-Bees pillows and my wool blanket, and have purchased wool batts to use in quilts for my bed, though I have not tried them yet. I love the warmth and breathability of wool. I cannot wear nor sleep under polyester; it quickly makes me unpleasantly hot and sweaty, no matter the temperature.
Ness
This last year I changed from Hobbs to Quilters Dream washable wool… I love it!! The loft, the lightness, the warmth and its a dream to quilt through. I make bed size quilts mostly and it is wonderful in them. Very very little shrinking . It’s also very consistent in its thicknesses and so soft!
I also like warm and natural cotton for flater (is that a word ?) items. I’ve used it in a ton of baby blankets too. It gets pretty heavy in a queen or king quilt. But I do love the warmth. Just my opinion! 🙂
Conchita Quilt
I don’t use wool due to the cruelty of the wool industry but I can say that cotton is my favourite and have also had quite good results with poly and better ones with Cotton/Poly blends. When the result is not so good is when I’ve used the poly very high loft. That is better left for hand quilting which I’m now not able to do. Then to be completely honest…….if the results are not so good, it’s cause my quilting sucks ? As my recuperation is taking it’s dandy time I still haven’t been able to put your wise knowledge from your craftsy classes into real practice but soon hopefully I won’t have to blame the batting for my shortcomings cause I’ll be a quilting genius ??✌?️?
Linda
Good for you for using the power of your consumer spending to promote or oppose issues that are important to you!
Conchita Quilt
Thank you Linda, you’re very kind. I usually expect nasty or harsh comments in response, so thank you for that! ?❤️️
DorothyB
I usually use wool batting but would like to try the silk one of these days. I did get a great deal on a bolt of cotton batting so have been using that from time to time. It really depends on the look, loft and feel I am going for. I love my chalk wheel, both in blue and white. I also use the water erasable felt marker. I have a few friction pens but have run into the problem of them not erasing completely. Also you can use soap slivers to mark dark fabric
Ann
I am a fan of Quilter’s Dream, too. I often use cotton but love to use wool, it’s so warm without adding weight. Also, I have some silk batting that I haven’t used yet (Hobbs) – it’s 90% silk, 10% poly. I’d like to hear if anyone has used silk batting, what they think of it, and if there are any special tricks or hints to using it. About the cotton + wool comment – I know that a lot of very accomplished longarm quilters use both, with the wool on top because of its loftiness – yet it goes very flat when quilted densely. I’ve heard a lot of positive things about using those two layers together.
Barb S
I did a summer double gauze with silk batting. Love how light and lovely it feels.
Carolina
Barb-
I hope that you see this question.
I have seen the gauze in my local quilt shop. I like the way it looks, but didn’t know that it could be quilted. How do you go about making a quilt with it?
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Anyone?? I really dont know about gauze quilting. Do you have any photos?
Kim McKee
My batting of choice is and 80/20 purchased from Marshall Dry Goods by the roll. My Bernina loves it! For a more puffy look I go to the Soft and Bright polyester sold at JoAnn’s. Finally, one of the safest markers I use is a sliver of soap – I just save the Zest bar when it gets too small for the shower.
suzanne guthrie
just to suggest additional lines of thought….I usually use warm & natural, easy to work with, and for charity quilting the 10″ space between lines of stitching is a real plus, also like the USA made, however it holds creases too.
Donna
It depends on what I am quilting and for whom. Children’s quilts, I like poly batt for the extra loft, they love cuddly. For adults quilts either W&N or Hobbs 80/20.
Tammy Jewkes
For flat quilts, I like the Hobbs 80/20 batting. Even though the quilt is flat, the texture of the quilting shows up nicely. But, I use all types of batting, depending on the desired outcome of the quilt. I also use the chalk pencil, and when using a stencil, I like a pounce pad (but you really just wipe it across the stencil).
Gypsybaker
This is a great topic for me because I’m new to quilting…just finished piecing my 1st
large wall quilt. I also want to make pot holders but don’t want to use the batting that
has that crinkle noise…what would y’all recommend?
Vivian Bringslimark
Although the crinkle makes some noise, it saves your fingers from getting burned. I’ve tried all other batting and once the oven temp is above 325 deg, you will feel the heat straight through. I’ve done it enough times to learn my lesson. Besides, I don’t want to send pot holders as gifts and have to explain that these can only be used as table warmer or find out later, someone burned themselves. Also note, I have burned a mark on my wood table using a “table warmer” only pot holder because it did not have the “crinkle” noise binding. It is designed to transfer the heat; less about moisture. No one will hear the noise except you for the short time you are transferring food from oven. It’s worth it to me. I’ve been burned way too many times especially around christmas baking time and it hurts!
Linda Thompson
For pot holders. NO POLY, it will melt, transfer the heat. Wool is nicer for your tabletop, if it gets used as a pad under a hot dish. The moisture doesn’t go thru.
Barbara
Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 almost exclusively. Soft, drapes nicely, quilts beautifully with more loft than 100% cotton, and washes beautifully. I know wool looks & feels great, but how do you wash and dry it? Especially the drying part? Love your blog & tutorials! I’m working my way through your first Craftsy class right now.
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Wash in machine and dry in the dryer–it gets to butter softness with use and abuse!
Dianne
I use Hobbs 80/20 exclusively. Never beards.
quiltbabe
I’ve been using Hobb’s Heirloom almost exclusively for a number of years, though I’ve also used wool and loved it. At the moment, I’ve both bamboo and silk battings waiting for me to finish piecing the projects I have planned for them.
But I still think my favorite batting will always be Quilter’s Dream.
Sandy
I really love to quilt using Dream Cotton Select (100% cotton) and Dream Wool. Dream Cotton is a little more stable: It holds on to the top and backing, which makes quilting on a domestic machine easier. The Select shows the hills and valleys of the quilting. Dream Wool is not quite as stable as the cotton, but not too bad. It poofs up more than cotton, shows the hills and valleys more than cotton and very warm. (My cat prefers the wool batting: she claims every quilt with wool batting as Hers!) I’ve also used 100% bamboo batting. It was on a roll at the quilt store so I don’t know the brand. Bamboo quilts up very flat, not showing the hills and valleys. However to the touch it’s very soft and luxurious. It drapes beautifully. I have to work harder while quilting because it isn’t as stable as wool or cotton. I’ve used and liked all three of the above battings. It just depends what I want for a particular quilt.
Mary
My favorite is Quilters Dream blend, so soft and drapes nicely. I also like Quilters Dream wool. I do machine quilting at a local quilt shop. Quite a few of my customers now are requesting blend for their quilts.
Carole @ From My Carolina Home
I use mostly Warm and Natural, or Warm and White, both from the Warm Company. They are a local employer with a warehouse not too far from me, so I like to support them. I have a wool batt that I’ll be using for the first time, and I am told that I’ll love it, so I can’t wait to try it.
Peggy
I Love, Love, Love wool! Also, I love the fact that both wool and poly do not form creases when a quilt or runner have been folded. My go-to batting is Quilter’s dream wool or Quilter’s dream poly.
DelightedHands
I love to use Warm ‘n Natural Batting……I make tons of quilts and of quilts with that exclusively. As for marking the tops for my frame quilting work, I’ve just added Frixion pens to the Clover chalk pen I usually use. (In past, I have used the air erasable pens also but I live in FL and they disappear pretty quickly! lol)
Barbara Heyden
My favorite batting Warm and Natural
Gretchen W
I like the Quilters Dream wool batting and also their cotton batting. Has anyone tried using them together in the same quilt? I was just thinking about that this morning.
I use a variety of marking tools, the drizzle chalk is one of my favorites.
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