I am hand quilting a wallhanging ( of course it's a christmas present) and used Warm & Natural cotton batting. It is just not going easy--my fingers are sore from pulling the needle through. My stitches are not consistent size either. I have used low loft poly batts for hand quilting and got along fine.

What do all of you handquilters use for batting?

Merry Christmas to everyone!!

chris

I use low loft poly, Quilters Dream in the lowest loft, and Blue Ribbon Cotton. I avoid battings like Warm and Natural.

If you can't change batting, try loosening the tension or a different needle. That might help.

I heard that John James Big Eye Golden Glide needles work great with Batiks because they are such a close weave.

You might give them a try. I don't know if it would make any difference with batting.

I like to use the Hobbs 80/20, Legacy 80/20 or cotton batting and Tuscany cotton batting. They are all wonderful to hand quilt and easy to needle. Wool is also a good choice.
As Janet already said I also avoid battings with a scrim. It's possible to quilt in bigger distances (not an option for me, I prefer dense quilting!) but they are also hard to needle.
Maybe it's okay for you to do a little longer stitches and only aim for eveness?!

Right now, I'm quilting Jane's Journey with Thermore batting. I have never seen such thin batting - it's polyester. I have quilted through the 100%cotton from the Tuscany Collection with no trouble, but I prefer to use a low loft polyester.

i use warm & natural and don't seem to be having a problem - I'm quilting Grandma's Flower Garden and i'm always quilting thru seams because of the hexagons!

The quilting group I go to also uses the warm & natural. I don't like the poly batting that joann's sells - it's too loose - odd description, but i don't like it because the needle falls thru and i can't get my rocking motion going for small stitches.

Try a new needle - I was beginning to have a hard time and changed the needle and it went thru like butter

I have used warm and natural and it went just fine. I have a small pair of pliers that I use to pull my needle when I can't get it with my finger. It works great! Dh had a small pair of needle nose pliers he gave me. Good luck!

Some like warm and natural and work with it fine. I just don't want the aggrivation of how it reacts. There are so many more choices for hand quilting. Best to try it on a very small piece before putting it into a larger piece.

I use W&N for everything including hand quilting and I don't have any problems. I have learned not to put so many stitches on a needle at once ( I use a size 10), and I use the rubber finger tips on one finger to help pull the needle through, I get those in the drug store. The uniform length on your stitches should should just be consistant, different bats do make different stitches sometimes.

I only hand quilt small items but when I do I use a platinum needles. They glide thru like butter.

The reason your fingers are sore is because the needle keeps slipping through them when you are trying to pull it through the fabric...

So I wear a "finger cot" on the index finger of my sewing hand. I buy them at the hospital I work at, but you could probably find them at your local drug store. If you can't...you can buy a box of medical gloves in a small size at the drugstore and then cut off one finger and slip it on your index finger.

They do wear out and get holes in them, so you just keep replacing them as needed.

Also...stick your needle into a bar of soap to lubricate it. It will slide through the sandwich easier then!

If your underneath finger gets sore from being stuck so many times, you can take a piece of electrical tape and put it over the end of your finger to protect it. You'll still "feel" the needle, but it won't stick you.

Hope these ideas help you! :)

i have a round rubber disk thingy that i bought at joann's to pull my needles thru if i need help. Some women in one of the quilting groups use pieces of rubber band that comes around the bunches of broccoli! Suppose you could also cut up a thick rubber band, too.

I use poly batting. When the needle slips I reach for a small piece of rubber shelf lining - the non-slip stuff - and grab the needle with it. Works great. It helps open jars too.

So many wonderful hints and suggestions. You are all a great group of folks. Everyone is so willing to help.

You are all appreciated by this quilter that's for sure.

chris

Hi Chris - I just took a hand quilting class yesterday. My instructor has been HQ for 30yrs. She will not hand quilt with warm and natural for that very reason. W&N is very dense. I got to stitch on many different types and I loved the wool batting (has a high loft). there is another called Thermore, very nice low loft. Poly is easy to quilt through, another high loft. Then another with lower loft was Hobbs 80/20 Heirloom, which happened to be her favorite - this was a medium loft. hope this helps. Suebee

Have you tried the twin pointed needles? You can quilt with any batting or fabric with them.

Twin needle for hand quilting? I dont think I have ever seen them? is this a specialty?

I use Quilter's Dream low loft poly for hand quilting. It drapes well and isn't too warm. (I live in Florida). I use warm and natural for machine quilting. But basically I don't like its texture.

Do a search on here. We have discussed them before and I posted pictures then. They make them for needlework and for quilting. I first saw them at a Quaker demo. You can buy them on line.

I think the twin pointed needles are used for stab stitching - you don't have to turn the needle underneath the quilt when you use this method.

when I used to hand quilt I used beeswax on my thread... I tried it on the needle one time it seemed to slide thru better.. also used moleskin on my fingers to help prevent sore fingers..

I have been using flannel for batting for table toppers, place mats and wal quilts, pretty easy to hand quilt.I see lots of other hints that I plan to use , like the rubber tip finger thing, I am picking one of those next trip to town.

Rita

You can try usung a needle grabber that helps pull the needle through. I usually use a childs balloon cause with all the Grands I seem to have a lifetime supply.

I have to agree with you, I made a table cloth and used warm & natural, I put 2 or 3 holes in a new silver thimble, I hand quilt exclusive, and I don't believe I will ever buy warm & natural again. It is too hard to hand quilt.

Also if you don't have beeswax rub your thread with a dryer sheet.

I always use wool when I hand quilt - the lanolin in the wool helps the needle go through smoothly.

I have only used W&N, so have nothing to compare to, but I have a question about the wool. When you use wool, does that mean you cannot wash it? My only experience has been one lap size, one queen size, and a few doll quilts, but used the same batting in all. I found some little disks that are sticky on one side to go on my finger that really helped with the pain thing. I tried several thimbles, but couldn't feel the needle well enough with them. I should probably say that I'm a stabber too and that probably makes a difference. I bought some of the John James double needles (sharp on both ends with the "eye" in the middle), but haven't tried them yet.

The new wool battings are machine washable in cold water and then lay flat to dry or line dry.

Needle oil on a cotton ball to stick your needle in and out of a few times will help the needle glide through the fabric better.

It seems like the twin needle would be difficult to control. Do you use just like a normal HQ needle?

Cotton batting is horrible for hand quilting.....I learned the hard way too. But I like cotton batting the best for machine quilting.

I think this depends of the brand you have. I used different brands of pure cotton (Hobbs, Tuscany, Legacy, Quilter's Dream) and they were wonderful to needle and to hand quilt. Battings with a scrim are much harder to hand quilt.

you didn't list the one I used.....Warm & Natural...so that may have been the problem. I'll try the brands you listed next time.

what is a scrim? ive never heard that before. Thank you :)

My HQ instructor told me that W&N is very dense, hence the reason for her not ever using when handquilting.

A scrim is a very light textile made of cotton or synthetic fibres like polypropylene. Scrim battings are needled through this stabilizer to make it stronger and to prevent bearding. You can quilt it in bigger distances up to 10 or more inches.
Warm & Natural is needlepunched with such a material, therefore for many quilters is harder to needle than others like mentioned above.

Thank you very much for answering.

I SADLY agree, tried warm natural several times and although prefer it's makeup it resists the needle quite badly causing irregular stitches, SO have returned to poly ,which gives a nicer loft

what is needle oil and where do I buy it plse?