joining batting
 

I was reading the thread on quilting in sections and read with interest (and enlightenment!) the process of joining your batting in an "s" line to avoid future creasing if it was done in a straight line. Wow...never thought about that but it makes good sense. My question is as follows: I have just whip stitched 2 lengths of batting together in a straight line and after reading the thread decided perhaps I should undo my joining and re-cut the pieces as suggested...but...I haven't enough width I think to do this as I was making do with what I had lying around. Now am I asking for trouble here? Should I bite the bullet, undo the stitching and buy another piece wide enough that I can attach with an "s" seam? This quilt is for my grandsons' bed and the join is going to be on the edge of the bed before the quilt drapes over the side.:(

I have just whip stitched it together for years. Never had problem, I do make sure the area joined is well quilted.

I used to join with the curved seam and whip stitch by hand. Now I just butt two straight pieces together and zigzag on the sewing machine. So much faster, and there's no problem with it coming apart or "showing" after quilting. I don't think there's any reason to fret over it, and certainly no reason to do it over.

The S cut isn't a necessity; just an extra precaution. A straight line is fine as long as there is a moderate amount of quilting over the area. Might be a problem if quilting lines are 10" apart. Quilting over the join helps keep the batting from shifting. I would leave what you have done as is.

I agree with Prism. If you are planning a very open quilting pattern it might be an issue. I try and plan the join so that it falls within a block rather than the sashing as I usually have more quilting in the block. I also have always just butted straight seams without a problem.

This is what I do too w/a wide zig zag.I would not take it apart.I have whip stitched by hand too but jts more time consuming.

I did this the other day on two small pieces to try this out, and it went great. :)

This method gets my vote ! I too have been joining batting for years with a wide zig zag, with no issues.

I'd never even heard about cutting batting with an S-curve. I'll have to try that sometime.

I make changing pads as my "practice sandwiches" and zig-zag multiple pieces together. Granted, I do quilt quite close together on those, but even after LOTS of washing in warm water & med-high heat in dryer, I've never seen any issues whatsoever.

I join the sections in what every line they fit best and then hand whip. Personally I just don't feel happy with machine whipping.
i then spray 505 when I put onto quilt, followed by close quilting as others mention.

Thanks everyone for your advice, as always, most appreciated.

i use a machine zig zag. if by hand, , i use a ladder stitch. last week, i pieced 7 narrow strips together to get enough width. it was a wall hanging that won't get washed much.

I have never done an "S" curve. I do overlap the edges and make sure it is straight and will butt up to each other nicely. I use 2" cut strips from a bolt of lightweight fusible Pellon fusible interfacing. I have been doing this since the early 90s. I use only Hobbs 80/20 batting.

I make changing pads as my "practice sandwiches" and zig-zag multiple pieces together. Granted, I do quilt quite close together on those, but even after LOTS of washing in warm water & med-high heat in dryer, I've never seen any issues whatsoever.[/QUOTE]

Good idea to make these changing pads as samples.
I have a stitch on my Husavarna that is called a bridging stitch, which I use. It is simular to a zigzag, but the needle goes down an extra time in the middle of the zig and zag.

I use this same method and it works very well. I have joined some crazy odd pieces of batting together to make a full piece for my quilts and never have had a problem with any creases or bunching.

I too, just zig zag my batting together on my machine. It seems pretty sturdy.

I zigzag straight edges of batting together and haven't had problems, nor has the long-armer I take my larger quilts to...she does the same with her own quilts.

I have used the iron on tape for this purpose. It works great. It's a roll of mesh 3/4 inch wide and has the iron on glue on one side. I use a silicone sheet to protect my iron. It's Dritz Quilting Fusible Batting Tape. I believe I got it at Joan's.

So how would one make the S curve work with doing quilt as you go? I've just been making sure my batting met in the middle of the sashing for each square.

I HAVE JOINED BY HAND AND ZIG-ZAG . Then i got a "fringing" foot to join them.
when you zig-zag you crush the batting. With this foot it forms extra thread in the stitch and lets the batting retain the fullness. This is fast and easy.