if you want certain batting send it with the quilt and inform the la that is what you want them to use.

I can't imagine a longarmer not discussing batting choices. It could make a difference in the cost to the customer or to the bottom line profit of the quilter. It certainly makes a difference in the appearance of the quilt, even discounting the effect of shrinkage.

I agree. I was a little surprised at the "transaction" with this long armer. She did a beautiful job, don't get me wrong, but not much discussed. Then since it was the first quilt I ever had done I didn't know what questions to ask.

I don't think I hate the quilt with the crinkliness - it just surprised me. I think some people do prefer that look.

Next time I will know more of what questions to ask.
good tip

Did you wash in hot water and dry in hot dryer?

if you want certain batting send it with the quilt and inform the la that is what you want them to use.


And you get the longarmer like the one I brought my batting of choice to her along with the quilt and she said Are you sure you want to use that expensive batting? The one I use is much cheaper. :p I wanted to say lady read a quilt magazine once in a while.

Uh.... what else were you going to do with it? Put it up in a cupboard for a rainy day??? :shock:

I too sent one out to get quilted. she quilted very close together. it's so crinkley, that it slides off of the bed. the area of the quilt laying on top of the sheet is less than if it was hand quilted. You have to look at that too. if it has a lot of crinkles, less fabric touching the sheet, less surface area, so it will slide off. My first time in over 350 quilts this has happened to.

I recently took a quilt to a long armer for the first time. She helped me choose a quilting pattern and recommended what color thread to use. I was very happy with the results, but I'm now realizing we never discussed what sort of batting to use. I have no idea what's in there. Thanks for posting this, so I'll know what to ask next time.

I took both quilts to the laundry mat. I washed in cold water and dried in a medium heat dryer. I guess that depends on how accurate the machines are doesn't it :)
well this is going to be a gift.. I hope it doesn't slide off the bed :shock: hhmmmm it layed on my couch without sliding off so maybe it will be alright

I pre-wash all my fabric and pre-soak batting when possible. Cold water, gentle cycle w/Tide Free, low heat. And then I repeat that twice when I finish. Every time the quilts crinkle because it isn't just heat that causes cotton fibers to react that way -- it's also water & the tumbling. I actually find that warm water & medium heat don't make any noticeable difference in shrinking. The reason I don't use heat on my quilts is because it damages the fibers, not because it is a huge factor in shrinking. Hot water & high heat will over stretch the cotton fibers and then cause them to curl back up on themselves but it's by no means the only cause of crinkling.