Pretty ugly mess, isn't it? There must be a better way. Does anyone have any suggestions about this? (Please don't tell me I'm the only one who struggles with this.) I have heard of people stitching their small pieces of batting together...which is fine, I guess, if you always use the same type of batting. (Although I have also heard horror stories about stitched-together pieces of batting separating once inside the quilt if the top isn't quilted heavily enough.) So...discussion is ON...let's see what kinds of ideas you all have about this!And...bad news...the Amish quilting shop outside of Dover wasn't open yesterday....so I only got a photo of the cows across the way from it and of Amish buggies outside the Amish grocery store. Those of you with a heavy snowfall might like to see the grass in the cow picture! We did get some spices and produce and meats and cheeses at the Amish grocery store and a couple of things that made hubby happy at other stores....for our recently-acquired Wii game system. I made a quick stop at Joann's and got some more BATTING and thread and a quilting magazine full of Christmas projects (for next year, of course). We each had a nice burger platter at a family-type restaurant we like in Dover, and finished shopping for the grandkids. It was a fun day....but I still wish the Amish quilt shop wasn't closed on Thursdays. I knew they were closed on Sunday but didn't know about Thursday. Hope I remember that the next time I want to go there! (I want to take the Lakeside quilting ladies there one time soon, so when you read about me planning that, please remind me NOT to go on a Thursday.)
I always get a kick out of seeing the buggies parked near the cars...such a mix of the old and the new! I also enjoy seeing the little Amish kids shopping with their parents....and did get to see one little boy today and one little girl.....SO cute and so excited as the store had some Christmas items on display for us "Englishers" to buy.
Okay...now, don't forget......I want your ideas on how to solve my batting problems as mentioned above. I'm counting on you...so don't let me down! :)
34 comments:
Pat I buy it by the roll and only use it for large quilts. I buy the packaged one for wall hangings, runners, coasters, bags, etc... I do pice it and have never had a problem.
small pieces that are not good for a project I use to clean my desks and dry erase board at school.
same here, I buy it by the large roll at Joann's, and I do piece it for smaller quilter and have never had a problem either.
I usually buy batting in precut queen sized pieces. I also piece some together but that is for things I WILL be quilting heavily enough to be sure it doesn't shift. (the small pieces are also good for journal covers, purses and quilt as you go projects.) I confess that I usually buy only Warm and Natural 100% cotton batting now. It quilts better for me.
Storage? Err hmm... I have batting stashed in various places. There are two bags in the spare room that is officially storage/junk room and ironing room. (the iron is NOT where I sew, so I get to move around some) I also have a batting in the trunk of my car that has been there for weeks! Oh and I found one onsale online and couldn't resist, I think it arrives today.
hm....I keep my batting in a large clear plastic tote... I always check it first to see if I have the correct size before I go buy more...cause you know...batting is boring to buy...lol
I do piece mine together and use it for wall hangings, totes, and anything other than a quilt that will be washed and used a ton...
My LAQ does those and I buy the batting from her...
oh, I do always use Warm and Natural...so that helps..
I'm sorry Pat, I'm letting you down as I don't have a clue...I only have one odd shaped piece of batting which will probably end up in the trash :0)
Crispy
I'm interested in seeing all your comments. As you know, I haven't finished much but I already have bits and pieces. I was going to sort/store by size...kind of like I do scraps but there might be a better idea out there.
I don't keep much batting around, but buy it as I need it for a project. For small items, such as placemats, I do sew the small pieces together, and have had no trouble with it.
I try not to waste anything, so I also piece batting and have never had a problem with it shifting. I guess it depends on how securely it's pieced together. Smalle pieces can be saved until the holidays and used for ornaments.
all great ideas, I have nothing better to offer. I do like those pictures of the buggies!!!
I've never had a problem with batting seperating if I stitch pieces together to make a larger piece. I wash, dry and crinkle quilts too!
I not only purchase batting on rolls for longarming but I do get smaller packages and can tell you I have a bin full of smaller bits that I've considered using for packing material! LOL Anyway, I keep a bin of my smaller pieces and if they are too small for piecing together for pillows, runners and such I use them to DUST! Yes, they are wonderful to dust with and toss out. I will even put a small piece under my dust mop for the hardwood floors to collect dust quickly.
I have a friend who measures her pieces and puts a note on them so she doesn't have to keep unfolding them to see how large or small they are. Good luck!!
I use the same kind of batting all the time. I buy a queen sized piece that I cut up for smaller projects. If I finish a large project I buy the size needed. I don't usually have much waste putting it the different things I make. I love the pictures you take in Amish country.
I cut the pieced into smaller pieces and put them in my yard. It is called southern SNOW! Which is the closest thing we get to real snow!
Pat
I buy it as needed but there's always that 1/4-1m extra lol... I piece them with my machine! That way they don't come apart.
I try to use a good bat too... I like warm n' white/natural but the LQS also has a polyester one that I like I believe it's by the same people who make warm n' stuff lol..
I only piece the same kinds together
As for storage... small strips and pieces I cut into squares for coasters and stuff into a bag... the strips that are too small for that get stuffed into another ziplock for "stuffing" for ornaments and pillows and things. The larger pieces get folded and added to a pile. I have a endtable that's storage where I keep all of my quilting stuff!
I tend to buy the same batting all the time and I do piece my battings together. I never piece it in a straight line - always curves - and whip stitch that together. I have never had a problem with it separating. My leftovers are kept in their original bags and then they can stack up on top of each other.
What a shame the shop wasn't open. You'll have to remember that.
Greetings from Albany, Western Australia. I store my spare (lots of) in large crates under a spare bed. I have used small pieces for table mats etc. But I also made a large 'sausage-shaped' pillow for my queent size bed - I know there is a 'proper' name for this, but I am having a 'senior' moment. It was to make sure the pillows did not drop behind the bed. I used lots of odd bits of batting to roll around some old towels to fill the pillow. I thought it was a great way to use up some old towels and the batting. Sam
I love catching batts on sale to use later so yes have some around!!
I also use the small pieces for runners or stitcheries as I do a lot of those.
Have also sewn with a large zig zag stitch pieces together to use in runners and such. Never had a problem.
I have used small piece cut up as stuffing in ornies too.
Hate to waste it as it is not really that cheap even on sale.
I do have a large old picnic hamper full of some but also store it up on a high shelf in spare room closet and my sewing room closet.
My new fav bat is Bamboo..super soft and quilts like butter!
Pat, I use those zippered plastic bags that bedding comes in and store my batting in those. I do it by type and size so I can grab a bag that has small pieces or one that has larger ones. I got the bags a few years ago when we bought new bedding and knew right away they would be used for some kind of fabric storage! :-) That green grass is looking mighty nice and has to be warmer than it is here.....which is not much more than five degrees above zero! Brrrr!
Everyone has already given any ideas I had Pat, so good luck wrangling that batting!
Hi Pat, like you I have many different types of batting plus many different sizes of left overs, so here is how I store and size it. Anything that would suit a cot quilt to a large bed quilt I have rolled on a tube. To hold it in place I use masking tape and on that I write the size. Smaller pieces I fold, again use masking tape to keep them folded small and write the size on it. Also, I keep a list of what sizes I have, colour and type. It's a bit pedantic but it works.
good luck
Miche'le
If I end up with odd shapes of batting - out they go. If I kept them all my house would be packed to the ceiling. If someone requests them I will save them for a little while but if they don't pick them up soon - then out they go. I can't take the mess they create and I'd rather start with a fresh package than try to piece them. I usually buy just about the size I need for each project so have very little waste.
I, too, am absolutely no help to you! I have the same problem...but, I have been good and am checking for small projects in the batting-bag-from-hell first.
Everything I do has already been mentioned. I separate by size and color (I have used black batting), if it larger than 18x18 it goings in one bag, too small gets tossed or saved for the local vet office. I also use scraps to dust with and to practice my machine quilting on.
I don't have a heck of a lot more to offer you, Pat. I usually buy large pieces, king or queen size, and cut them down to what I need for baby quilts and lap quilts. If I am doing a single bed size I will buy that size. If I have smaller pieces I piece them together. Any that are 12 inches or larger I will use for quilt-as-you-go projects and bags or placemats etc. Anything smaller I use for dusting. Yes, I'll admit it. I do dust every once in a while. I keep everything sorted by kind and approximate size. At least I try to do that. But I seem to have bags and bags full of batting that should probably go into the garbage. I love those photos!
What a great discussion with lots of ideas.
If you are worried about joined pieces separating then ironing a very thin fusible interfacing down the seam will prevent that happening.
I use some of my left over pieces to make a sandwich on which to practice free motion quilting. i then put them into plastic sleeves and keep them in a folder for reference.
The Amish would have made my day. I love going thru Amish country in PA.
Fantastic pics.
Merry Christmas, TTFN ~ Marydon
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I use the left over batting for stuffing...i stuffed that Christmas tree I showed just recently with left over batting...took a full bag. I usually just put the left over batting back in the bag and store that way. If I have big enough pieces and am stippling, I will just sew the big pieces together and put in a quilt. Works out good...I really hate to cut into a big piece of batting for a small project but..well...if it has to be, it has to be. I used alot of those pieces in those little bag I made....
I just love the Amish country
Pat I use to have that problem with loads of bits of batting everywhere.....then I made myself buy and mark a King-sized batting for smaller projects......those small projects I always made them in measurements of 36" square, to 56" square......etc.....so that I always knew about how much I had left over for the next project. With something even smaller, I'd zigzag the remaining batting together and that worked.....I hope that made sense.
OK, my 2 cents worth. I buy either 70-30 cotton/poly or just poly so I have leftovers stored in two places plus really small pieces in a bin. I can tell by the feel which is which. I store it with a post it note telling the size so I don't have to figure it out when I go to use it. I do zigzag pieces together, especially for charity quilts and I do tend to quilt heavily, almost all the time. Really small pieces are for cleaning the cutting mat and the rails on the quilt frame. Nothing goes to waste around here.
Hi Pat,
I have been measuring my leftover batting, then depending on the size, I might fold it in half, and then roll it into a roll, wrap a piece of masking tape around it to keep it closed and write the size of the batting on the tape in a sharpie pen. Then I store them in a big galvanized washtub I keep under my quilting machine, and also in a smaller red washtub that sits on a stand. Then I use them for wall hangings, placemats, totes, baskets, etc. . .and occasionally I will stitch some together and use in a quilt.
Good luck in taming your batting, I hope you are able to get some good ideas from us gals !
Love the pictures, they warmed me up just a little !
Beth in North Dakota. . .
Hi Pat: I honestly have batting all over the sewing area. On the days that Greg and I actually decide to clean it up - the big pieces (baby quilt size and bigger) get stowed away in a tote. Bags of unopened bed size battings get put up in the closet and we have a huge roll that is stuffed behind the couch. We have a small home. Those little pieces that scatter everywhere like the sides of the quilt sandwich that get cut off I cut down into project sizes for potholders, mini bags, or coasters. I'm sure there's more things but that's the extent of my square/rectangle knowledge. I have a few pieces around for practicing - usually in the scrap basket - easy reach. and the weird, torn, and oops pieces are stuffed with too small scraps into old t-shirts or pillow cases that we sew up to make bedding for animals. You can donate these to your local animal shelter/humane society.
I use small pieces when I am practicing or making things like pot holders...I also use them for dusting...they are great used on a swifter with a little endust to do my hardwood floors...as for storing...I just cram the batts in the closet!
I am a warm and natural(or warm and white) batting girl. I purchase from JoAnns with a % off coupon either queen size or on the roll. As I use a batting, I trim then I immediately sew it on to a piece I already have building a twin, baby or throw size batting as I go. Before long, I have a batting to use for my next project. Depending on the size differences of the scraps, I sometimes am building a couple battings at once. I use the largest zigzag setting, in a LONG stitch length and my walking foot to put the batting together. When I used a poly batting, I hand stitched them together as I went.
Wow some great ideas!
I have been trying to use all mine up LOL so I don't have it everywhere!
I love your pictures of the horses and buggies...love that life! I put all my batting pieces into a large basket (LARGE)! I sort them into cotten and poly (very little of this), and I use them for string piecing and to put together battings sometimes.
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