Am I crazy, dreaming, or what?
 

Somewhere I thought I read that when using Insulbrite, you should put a layer of muslin on top of it to catch the condensation that forms when hot things are placed on the table runner, hot pad, placemat, etc. I have been reading a lot of discussions on the board about using Insulbrite, but none seemed to address this idea. I am making a table runner, using Insulbrite, a thin layer of muslin on top of the shiny side, and am now confused. Do I use another layer of muslin underneath the Insulbrite? a layer of batting? thin batting layer? flannel? nothing else? Any help will be greatly appreciated! If nothing else, maybe I can determine if I am crazy or what! :)

I have used Insulbrite when I make mug rugs. Never used any muslin or extra batting. There is the noise of crinkling that some people don't care for. I never can find the right side from the other side. They both LOOK THE SAME to me.

What a good question. I have used Insulbrite one or two times and have to say not really impressed.

One hot pad that I made was not what I call "up to duty". Maybe I had it upside down but I could feel even heat on both sides????

I have made some potholders and used batting on both sides of the insulbrite. I also could feel heat, no matter which side I used, which should not make any difference, because it was the same on both sides. Not really empressed with the product.

since there is a "right" side to insulbright, i always test it by placing the iron on it and seeing where the heat stays or goes. then if it's not doing what I want, i flip it over. never really heard of using muslin on it due to any moisture though.

I have only made hot pads and pot holders......between my outer fabrics i use 1 layer of Insulbrite (shiny side facing the hot side) a piece of muslin and a piece of 100% cotton batting.. in that order....and i use 100% cotton thread. I don't over quilt because it just seems this would make the thermal effect weaker along the quilt lines. I know i read this instructions somewhere - and it has worked great for me so far.

I've never used it, never made potholders or anything for hot pots/dishes. It just seems to me though that it shouldn't have a right/wrong side, potholders you buy at the store don't.

I've used insulbrite several times and can never see a difference in sides. How do you determine which is the "shiny" side. I've never heard of putting muslin on it either.

I used with muslin on one side and quilt with crosshatch, it remains warm but not hot when I use it

The only thing I found that mentions anything like that is from the Warm Company website. Scroll to the bottom for their "recommendation":

http://www.warmcompany.com/images/creative/ibeng.pdf