Hunters Star shower curtain...question
 

I almost have the top done, using batiks for the star and a neutral color 100% cotton for the rest. I'm not really wanting to put batting in it, not even warm & natural which is all I ever use. Do you think I could just put a cotton backing on it and quilt it as if it had batting? Or would it be too limp? Shower curtains typically are kinda drapey limp. Haha! Thanks for your help. I might be ready for this tomorrow, so I'm hoping to hear back from someone this evening. :-)

I think I would use flannel as a batting -- to provide a little more weight to the drape, and also to keep seam lines from shadowing through as much. I would pre-wash and dry the flannel several times to preshrink it. You might want to add some drapery weights in the bottom to keep the drape nice.

Thanks for that suggestion prism99. I could totally get flannel tomorrow.

My sister did this. She just used cotton fabric for the backing and then just SITD around the blocks since there was no batting to keep from shifting. It's been up several years and still looks good.

Don't forget to wash and dry the flannel a couple of times before using. If you have to wash the shower curtain the flannel would shrink if it hasn't been preshrunk.

I would probably back in cotton with no batting and then just do the minimal quilting you can get away with. Probably stabilize your horizontal rows more than your vertical as the horizontal is where the most stress will be while hanging for an extended period.

You don't have to have batting or flannel. Especially if you use a heavier weight cotton for the backing. I make jackets that way all the time. I get a good soft cotton twill and quilt the pieced parts directly to the backing with nothing in between. It makes them much lighter weight than if there was anything in between.

I made a shower curtain last year and backed with cotton, no batting. I did minimal SID quilting to keep the whole thing together. I think it worked fine and it has lots of weight to it.

A Hunter's Star shower curtain sounds beautiful. I would use cotton twill or duck cloth as a backing and quilt either in the ditch or otherwise as you desire. Since you live in Missouri I would not use flannel or batting due to high humidity. I think you need something that dries quickly.

I wouldn't put anything in it: flannel or batting. Remember what kind of enviroment a bathroom is.

Only once did I not put batting in a quilt because the backing was flannel and I thought that would be enough. I have regretted it ever since. There is no definition to the quilting and it just looks flat even though I love the fabrics.

I have had a shower curtain for years with no batting between front and back. I just used cotton on the back and quilted around whatever on the front. Works fine. I use a shower liner between curtain and shower.

Yes, I would suggest using a shower liner to keep the curtain from actually getting wet.
I quilted a table topper without using batting of any kind. I found it much harder to quilt.

I have made several shower curtains with heavier cotton, some lined and some not lined. I have not made a pieced shower curtain, however. What I can tell you is that I like the unlined shower curtains best because they laid better and dried quicker. If I was making a pieced shower curtain (and this does sound pretty), I would line it with a light weight cotton and SID. How are you doing the top? I would recommend a separate piece for buttonholes or grommets and that piece I would interface or use extra lining to stiffen. Can't wait to see it.

Just a thought. Why not use rip stop nylon as a backing. It is light weight and waterproof.

I made mine years ago, without any kind of backing, because I thought it would dry better and faster if it were thinner. I just zig zag finished all seams, and made sure to sew over all seams that were not back tacked. I put a heavier clear vinyl curtain under it, and have been washing and using it for about fourteen years now and it still looks fresh. I guess it might be time to make another one, but I would still make it navy blue and sea foam green to match the bathroom though.