Ahhh...we are entering the "b's" of quilting....batting and backing. Necessary, but not alway glamorous aspects of the process.
Are you asking yourself - what is there to talk about? Ah, my dear friend - quite a bit, actually!
Let's look at batting first, shall we? (And since batting is - well - batting, I'm going to give you some pretty quilt pics to look at as well!)
Batting
You have your choice of types of batting, as well as sizes of batting. Yup - I know, decision paralysis heading your way!
Cotton Batting:
To scrim or not to scrim. Scrim is a light layer of woven material that holds a cotton batt together. When you choose a batt with scrim, you usually have the option to have your quilting lines further apart. The scrim keeps the batt together, and close quilting is not required to prevent the batt from separating when washed.
Cotton batts without a scrim generally require a much tighter, or closer together, quilting to hold the batt together.
Have you ever seen a vintage quilt that is lumpy in the corners of the blocks, and at the quilting lines? That's a batt without scrim - and with quilting farther apart. The batting has separated and formed those lumps. Ugh!
Other Factors:
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- Cotton batting doesn't usually offer different lofts, or thicknesses. So if high loft is what you are after, cotton batting may not be your best option.
- Shrinkage - as with most natural fibers, there is generally shrinkage. If you want to minimize this, you will have to prewash your batt - just another step in the process!
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Other Natural Fiber Batts:
Wool, silk and bamboo are popular and fairly easy to obtain. Some prefer the warmth of wool, or the lightness and breathability of silk or bamboo. Bamboo has the additional benefit of being naturally anti-microbial!
Polyester Batting:
Polyester batting is - well - a polyester blend. Because it is a man-made product, you often have a variety of lofts (thicknesses) too choose from.
Other Factors:
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- Because it is polyester, you won't have any shrinkage - yippee!
- I like to spray baste, and have found that many products don't work well with the polyester batts.
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Blends
There are some poly/cotton blends available, which offer the best of both worlds. Natural fiber, plus the ability to create a bit more loft with the added poly fibers.
Other Choices
With many of these batts (cotton, natural fiber, poly and blends), you have some other choices to make. Do you need a specific size? Do you want fusible? With most batting companies, you can purchase packaged sizes (Crib, Twin, Full, Queen, King). Some, such as the cotton batts, are also available from the quilt shops or fabric stores by the yard, which gives you tremendous flexibility as to how much you purchase.
What About the Quilting?
So glad you asked! Read the package! Each type should indicate the minimum suggested quilting space (such as every 3") as well as the average shrinkage rate. Keep that in mind when making your choice. If you want large areas without quilting, be sure that the batt you select accommodates that!
Try it Out!
Batting is a personal choice that affects the look and feel of a project. Try different manufacturers and types of batts to see what suits your individual preferences. And realize that you may need different batts for different types of projects.
For example, I tend to use Warm Company's fusible fleece for my small projects, such as table runners and placemats. The fleece has a nice low loft, and the fusible makes it quick and easy to work with!
Great - so you feel like you have a handle on batting. So what about the backing? Ah...another story entirely!
You have a few choices to make here as well!
Pieced Backing
If you are working with standard 40" to 44" wide quilt fabric, and your project is larger than 32", you probably need to piece your backing. The general rule of thumb is to allow 8" extra for the backing and batting.
This helps with any slippage that may occur when the quilt is being quilted. Also, many long armers will require it - check with your long armer for their specific requirements.
Some quilters like to put any left over fabrics to use on their back, piecing the strips, scraps and any additional blocks to make a backing large enough to accommodate their quilt.
Others create what is basically two quilts in one, by putting another quilt on the back. How clever is that!
Extra Wide Backing Fabric
If you don't like to piece your backing, many fabric companies now offer wide backing fabric. It is a bit more expensive - but think about it. You are getting MUCH more by the yard. Instead of 40" to 44" wide, it is often 108" wide. Think of the time savings alone!
Alternate Fabrics
Minky, a plush velour feeling synthetic fabric is popular for crib quilts and children's quilts. It makes the back extra soft and snuggly.
Flannel is another soft option often used for backing. Like Minky, it adds a snuggle appeal for the side of the quilt that is often closest to you! Be warned - flannel is a looser weave, and usually has a higher shrinkage rate. Don't forget to prewash it if you don't want additional puckering and shrinkage for your quilt!
While I've covered a just a few broad aspects of batting and backing with you, I haven't covered all of them! There are many many more options! That's one of the amazing aspects of quilting for me - all of the possibilities.
Kate is going to have more insights on batting and backing for you as well, so hop on over to her blog to get more helpful suggestions!
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