Lightweight batting sandwich or stitching question
 

Hey Friends~ I’m new to quilting and have made three so far. They have turned out great but they’re still kind of stiff. I have used cotton for the back and the top and a lightweight polyester for my batting. I have stitched them with the meandering pattern that’s not too tight. It comes out real pretty and slightly puffed when washed but they still aren’t that kind a quilt that you could just wrap up in. If you’ve ever been to Cracker Barrel and seen their quilts, I want something like that. Am I just using the wrong batting and maybe should use more of a cotton blend batting or do you think it’s actually my stitching that’s causing it to be stiff? My meandering is not tight so I don’t think it’s that. I have washed them multiple times. Any help would be appreciated!

Which batting are you using? There are a lot of poly battings out there. I used to use Mountain Mist - a very light weight batting and I am not sure if there is any scrim in it - and it drapes very well. (I quit using it because I didn't like to deal with the very thin spots) I have been using Warm Blend (50/50) by Warm and Natural - good price and has worked very well with a respectable drape. It's easiest for me if I can buy it by the bolt. But I did just buy a couple of wool battings from Hobbs to try. I do not like 100% cotton - it just didn't feel right to my touch. Since I live in So. Cal. I want a thin quilt - but not too thin - and I don't want it to shrink when I wash it, and I do not want to have to wash my batting.

Did you by any chance read the label on the quilt at Cracker Barrel to see if they have polyester in the quilt? My sister bought me one of those "hand made" quilts at Walmart - there was a piece that became unstitched and the batting looked like the Mountain Mist type.

Some poly battings are softer than others. Hobbs Polydown is very soft but has a lot of loft to it. Cotton batting softens with every washing. Warm and Natural has an especially stiff drape. My recommendation would be to try Hobbs 80/20. It has overall great properties, loft but not too much loft, softness, a high cotton content.

Aside from the batting, what kind of thread are you using? Cotton thread, especially 50/3 will stiffen up a quilt. Polyester thread does not, even when close quilted, even a 40 weight.

Hobbs Thermore tinsulate is thin poly batting. I tend to use Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 thin cotton batting. well 20% is polyester. i like a flat quilt look.

I have one of the Cracker Barrel quilts and I think my quilts using Hobbes 80/20 have basically the same drape. I usual quilt about 4" apart.

Quilters Dream Request is very soft and thin. Makes a very soft and "drapey" quilt.

I like Quilters Dream Green for light poly batting. Thin but very even, no thick/thin spots. But because of its green color due to being made from recycled materials, don’t use it if you have a lot of white fabrics in your quilt.

I agree with the Quilters Dream batting choice. Their cotton batting has three lofts, making it easy to chose the one you need. I personally prefer wool batting for the drape, washability, hand quiltability and the fact that it is warm in winter, cool in summer - as most natural fibers are. Both Quilters Dream and Hobbs batting make a wool batt.

This site will tell you about the different QD battings, and you can find them in several places online so you can compare prices. Same with Hobbs, which is often on sale at Connecting Threads.
http://www.quiltersdreambatting.com/

Hi Everyone, thank you so much for the advice on the batting! I appreciate your collective wisdom. Robin

Thanks Prism99 for the thread and batting tips. I did use Polyester thread but now that I see the replies, I’m sure it was my cheap batting that I used!