Piecing batting
 

Today I pieced batting for the second time. I just have too large a stack of batting pieces to open a new package of the increasingly expensive stuff! I'm just making this up as I go, but I lay it out on the quilt top - using as few pieces as possible. Today I had three pieces - last time just two. I butt the straightest edges up against each other and zigzag right over the join - using a fairly large zigzag. This one had two large pieces that I joined horizontally - making sure the join was not in the same place as the seam piecing the backing of the quilt. It lays very flat and seems secure. The third piece for this one was a long strip that went down the side. Not happy about it, but that's what I did. that long strip is about 6" wide.

I'm quilting it myself on my domestic machine. I've done about 1/2 the quilt and cannot tell where the batting seams are as I sew.

Any other advice? This is not a quilt I expect to see much daily use or to be washed frequently. If I can cut down on the collection of batting bits and pieces I have I'll be a happy camper.

Sounds like you did a great job. There is also a batting tape for joining the batting together. Sometimes I will just use some heat and bond cut into strips and bond the pieces together.

I often do the same....it's too expensive to throw away.

I seam mine together with the blind hem stitch - keeping the straight part of the stitch on the right and the zigzag part catching the batting. I like how it comes out better than using the zigzag on my machine. I put the 2 pieces together, trim the edge using a ruler and rotary cutter, pin, sew, then open them up and rub my finger along the seam until it's smooth.

I've pieced several this way and they come out great. When complete, I can not tell where it is pieced.

Thanks for the info about the batting tape. I've just bought my first pkg of QD Request and I have some left over.
Glad to know I can use the leftover pieces.

Where do you buy that batting tape? I have tons of weird-shaped pieces that I'd love to be able to use!

I use fusible interfacing which is very inexpensive. Cut it into strips........I usually use 2" or 2 1/2". Use a damp press cloth when you iron it on. Been doing this long before the strips came on the market.

This is the way I use up my larger leftovers. The smaller ones I put in hot pads or table runners. Unless you use a thin fabric or light color no one will ever know. We must be frugal.

I overlap the straight edges slightly and cut a wavy line through both layers top to bottom. Then I butt the curves and hand stitch together. It makes the join impossible to detect once the quilt is made...no lumps, bumps, or dense spots.

Me too! Pieced the batting together, but had way more pieces than you did. All I did was loosely baste them together, by hand. Figured the actual quilting would hold it all together. It did. Seems silly to not use all that left over batting.

Sometimes I use the small pieces when I make stuffed animals.

I use them for table runners,place mats,purses,and mug rug.I will piece batting for a quilt when needed.

Yup. That's exactly how I do it too.

Also ... I save all of my batting "scraps". Before I quilt anything I make at least one practice sandwich with the same batting, thread and fabric to test my quilting motif, thread combination, tension - everything.

My Viking has a serpentine stitch that I like to use. I haven't tried it on anything large, but for small projects it does a wonderful job.

This is exactly what I do! I have a bolt of this leftover from garment sewing. I just cut me a strip and iron it on. It is either a lightweight or a feather weight, I'm not sure. It is so incredibly cheap at Joanns, much cheaper than the batting tape. 1 yard of this is considerably cheaper than 1 roll of the batting tape and it does the same thing

I sew together as much as I can, like you said this stuff is not inexpensive. I don't use the standard zig zag, but the one that is multiple little baby stitches, with this stitch mine just lay down a little flatter

JoAnn's sells fusible TRICOT interfacing by the yard - it's whisper thin, undetectable and softsoftsoft - it's the same material used to make those expensive rolls of batting tape. Buy the yardage, cut it into 1-1/2" wide strips and fuse away. It's so much cheaper with very little work.

Thanks for this tip. What a great idea.

Ghostrider, that is the way they put wallpaper up, only they cut a straight line instead of curvy. Good goin'.

i've been piecing batting by butting the pieces & zigzagging them for years- have never had a problem with it & really can't see any reason to spend money of some special tape-that probably takes just as long as my zigzagging-

Feather stitch works well but I like using fuseable interfacing cut in strips.

Thanks so much for this information!!!

I have also been basting bits and pieces together to get enough for a project. I call those batts my Frankenstein's Monster projects. LOL! I figure once the piece is all quilted, everything will be well secured for as many washings as needed & batting is too expensive to waste.

I do the same thing, except i use scissors and snip it as straight as i can, then hand stitch together.