Longarm quilting with Minkee backing HELP!
 

I have a quilt on the rack right now that has JoAnn's store brand Minkee as the backing. Little tufts of the minkee pile are coming up to the surface through my needle holes! I switched to a smaller needle (size 14, which is the smallest I have and the smallest I can go with the threads I am using and lengthened the stitch but I am still experiencing the problem. I have the minkee loaded not too tight, so as not to stretch it. Think Minkee has like a brickwork pattern to it and the pile on it is pretty high. Right now I am not loving Minkee. Is this unavoidable because the minkee is white and the quilt's border is royal blue? (I suspect it will not show in the white areas but this quilt also has a bright green in it too)This is the first time I have worked with it and it may just be the last. Any ideas anyone??

This pic was taken before changing needles. Look at the lower right flower petal where it meets the center circle

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This was taken after changing needle and lengthening stitch. No difference, still getting the tuftees.

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Although I don't have or use a long arm and do my quilting on a home machine....when I use Minkee for the backing I often put a very thin scrim or the thinnest batting between the layers. I haven't had this problem.

I have batting in. Hobb's polydown.

I wound up throwing away the minkee type fabric that I bought from Joann's and going to another store to buy real minkee. The stuff that I bought from Joann's developed nickle size fur balls all over it. If I put my hand down on it I would cover up several of them - that's how bad it was.

I have quilted with minky and a low loft batting had no trouble. Note though I bought my minky from a quilt shop. So can't comment on on Joann's quality. I have a long arm and it quilted like butter...sooo smooth I think it's my favorite for quilting now.

Unfortunately they are not loose tufts. I tryed pulling them with tweezers and it just succeeded in pulling more of the pile up to the top, then stopping, not coming loose. This is a client quilt and I have an email to them now (Can't find phone number!) I'm not sure I understand what you are saying to "sweep a hand needle sideways to pull the tufts into the sandwich".

I think she means from the Minky side ... perhaps if you rub or pull from the Minky side it might come through.

I quilted with Minky (LQS Minky) with no batting on my domestic. Did not have this problem with it.

Seems to be worse when I backtrack over stitches but I have to backtrack, if I do custome quilting. The only way I can quilt without backtracking is a panto or all over meander and I am sure April doesn't want that, she wanted a custom quilting. :( I will just work on peicing until I hear from her. The only options I see are live with the tuftees or don't use this minkee as a backing.

I think you can use the blunt end of a large needle from the top to push the tuft back into the batting. Once it is pushed back, the needle end is under the fabric and you can swish it around underneath the fabric to move the loose stuff away from the hole. Tedious, but it should work.