Heavy quilt
 

My 84 year old Mom has a quilt I made with Hobbs 80/20 batting with pretty dense quilting. Mom says quilt is now to heavy for her. My sister has asked me to make her a new top then her church will tie it. Her friends have told her it's the quilting that makes it heavy. Do you think it's the quilting and tieing will make it lighter?

The batting and the amount of piecing plays more into the quilt's weight than the quilting. All those seam allowances add a lot of weight. Poly or wool batting with a sparsely pieced top will be much lighter in weight. Tieing vs quilting will not make much difference in the weight of the quilt. Maybe a few ounces but no more.

Maybe your Mom, due to age and being less agile, finds it awkward to handle the quilt.
I wouldn't think that quilting would add much weight.

i know a quilt i made w/ warm and natural as the batting is heavier than a quilt i used quilters dream request batting. all my quilts are more densely quilted.

well my husband complains everything is too heavy. He sleeps in his recliner with a blanket on. or two or three.

My folks also complain that some quilts are too heavy. I think it comes with age. The poly batting would work better for them but they are already overloaded with quilts.

Thanks everyone, I feel I am wasting my time making this top but it is a much bigger pattern, 12" Contrary wife, while her other one has tons of small pieces and I will make sure my sister uses a light weight batting

What was on the backing? I made one with that batting and fleece on the back. It was heavy but the person loved it.

You might think about the size of the quilt, too. A queen-sized quilt is going to be much heavier than a twin, which will be heavier than a lap size. And harder to fold up if they're using it on the couch. Maybe consider making her a smaller, lap-sized quilt that can be easily used and folded.

Are you sure it is the weight and not that it is stiffness?

I've noticed that the more they hang over the edge of the bed the heavier they feel, it makes it hard to turn over or fluff to give your feet room.

I am sure you are not wasting your time - just do something quick in colors that your mother loves. I have found that Thermore (it is a polyester) is the lighest/thinnest batting I can find. They use it in quilted clothing and table runners a lot. I too am wondering if the dense quilting just made it hard for her to move the quilt around. I think I might make 2 quick tops, quilt one myself (loosely) using the Thermore batting and then sending the 2nd one to be tied.

second the thermore suggestion, love it's lightness, and hand quilts beautifully.
My mom is 89, and my late boss was 85. Both mention weight as reasons for no longer using things like sweaters, high thread count sheets, etc. neither would have a quilt on their bed, too heavy. Even the lightest ones.

The amount of quilting, and whether it's machine or hand quilting would not greatly affect the weight of a quilt, but it does change the density, so a heavily quilted quilt will feel heavier for its size. The quilting flattens the layers, forcing out the air, so the quilt takes up less space and is less buoyant. Tying a quilt instead of machine quilting it will make it seem lighter and easier to handle because it is less dense and incorporates more air. Does this make sense to anyone else?

How many spools of thread did you use to quilt it? Now, how much do those weigh. Even ON the spool you are talking about negligible ounces of weight from the quilting. However, the batting, and the piecing, as others have said, will play a major role. Also, the fabric itself. Some cotton is lighter weight than others. I made a lovely quilt with shot cotton and quilter's dream select batting. It is the lightest quilt I own, despite being a full size quilt.

And yes, I completely understand how a quilt can be too heavy for someone as they advance in age. My mother has several quilts I made - only one is light enough for her to manage now. I don't think you are wasting your time at all, especially if your sister uses a very lightweight batting.

Could it be all those small pieces and seams that added the weight?

I'm thrilled with this thread. One question, though. What exactly is "too heavy"? DH and I have had the too heavy conversation. Because I do not feel the sensation, I cannot really understand. Is too heavy a pain somewhere? Does it mean one cannot turn over easily? Is it something that aggravates a bad back? What is it? It seems it would help us to have a clearer idea of what is being meant so we can respond appropriately.

For me, bring on the heavy, snuggly, cozy, just like Gram who lived two blocks off Lake Michigan on the Wisconsin side made them quilts. Now how many can we get on the bed?

Pat

Some of my children complain about heavy quilts. Overall warm and natural batting is considered heavy. I was surprised to read the Hobbs 80/20 was as it is often one of the ones that comes to my mind to use as a lighter alternative. Some others I would suggest would be the Hobbs poly batting and Soft and Crafty Toasty 100 cotton. The Soft and Crafty has a nice drape but needs closer quilting. My own personal favorite is wool batting but it is not necessarily light or drape well.

That was my first thought, also. But try, poly batting and less seams as possible (simple pattern). Also sometimes, it's more mind than matter. If she thinks it is lighter with tying, tie.

I have always used Hobbs 80/20 for quilting since it first came out. I find it lighter than W&N. I personally don't like heavy quilting done with Hobbs because the batting has a fluffiness that does want to puff up.

Oddly enough I made a king sized quilt in the day and night pattern (which has a lot of pieces) I used flannel for the backing it was tied and never felt heavy to any who slept under it. Perhaps it is the combination of things that they would complain.

I forgot to mention the batting was warm and natural.

My softest quilts are my hand quilted ones. I also think by heavy maybe people are referring to the stiffness of it. I currently have one on my bed that I FMQed on my domestic machine and it has quite a bit of quilting and I think it makes it stiffer - not necessarily heavier. Just my opinion. Interesting discussions though.

As a person with arthritis, I can't sleep with something that weighs on me. It is difficult to move around, and much more difficult if their is something weighty or at all clingy that you have to move off you before you can move yourself. In colder weather I use a down comforter; down holds a tremendous amount of air, so it's buoyant and I can move around freely under it. In less cold weather, I have a small, old quilt that was made with poly and quilted minimally in the ditch very far apart, so it is puffy and buoyant. It doesn't add resistance to movement. Something dense, like a heavily quilted quilt that holds no air, pins you down.

The quilt was for twin bed and the backing was cotton

This is the new quilt in progress, all from stash. Will see if I ca get a good picture of the quilting on her old one. I sent that one out to a long arm quilter[ATTACH=CONFIG]500163[/ATTACH]

The Palace Windows quilt I just finished is not quilted so heavily for this very reason. I finished the pillow shams first and they were heavy, so I knew I had to make some adjustments somehow. So, to answer your question, yes, quilts do become heavier in relation to the amount of quilting. Also, I have wondered (maybe even worried) that some materials are too heavy to begin with. I know it is the style to use the heavier cottons, but sometimes even my tops un-quilted are almost unmanageable. I have been tempted to use lighter weight cottons or even blends.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]500234[/ATTACH]The quilting on the quilt that was to heavy for Mom

Maybe your mom wants something more like a comforter that is soft and squishy as well as being light. Maybe she has something in mind already that she has seen or held. Good luck in whatever you decide. I would tied it though and not quilt it.