Poly-Fil batting?
 

I have been asked to make a quilt for a friends son, she bought all the fabric and a roll of batting. The batting is a packaged kind from Jo Ann's.. The batting said on the package that it is a Hi-Loft Batting 3/4 inch, the distance for quilt said 2 to 4 inches. The quilt is a twin and I was planning to quilt it on my home sewing machine doing FMQ and a all over stitch.

Do you think this will be to heavy to quilt it on my sewing machine? and do you think it will be stiff after it is quilted? Thanks

I personally hate hi-loft poly bat because on the long arm I always seem to get puckers with it. And when I quilted on the DSM I've had problems too with it being hard to handle. So I'd suggest you substitute it for either a low loft poly or a 80/20 (cotton/poly) blend. OR if she's wanting a puffier look, maybe a washable wool. Word of caution about the wool--if this quilt will be washed often and then put into dryer, I wouldn't use the washable wool--only if they plan to lay it flat.

I've had a couple customers bring that batting for their quilts- it is very lightweight so the heavy question- no, the batting won't make the quilt heavy.
you will need to really, really baste well though. Quilt from center out on a well basted quilt, if pin basting I would say every 3-4", if thread basting I would probably baste a 2" grid. I wouldn't recommend spray basting for this.
She might not have any idea what she was buying. Call & talk to her about it. It will not make the quilt stiff at all quilting the recommended amount. I found it not that bad to work with.

I am quilting a 50 x 60 quilt using Hobbs poly down batting. I spray basted the quilt sandwich. I stitched in the ditch first making a plus sign to divide the quilt into 4 sections. I continued SITD quilting around the blocks to stabilize the quilt top. Next i did free-motion quilting using the plus sign through the quilt center to quilt each of the 4 sections.
This way you keep the bulk of the quilt always to the left. I also used a home sewing machine with a small throat space.

Non quilters seem to think poly batting is the best choice whereas most experienced quilters go for the cotton or cotton blends. I think poly batting is hard to control especially on a DSM because the cotton quilt top and batting do not work together and there are areas of stretching or puckering. It can be remedied by lots of basting; however, I personally don't think the process is worth the time it takes.

I use poly batt 99% of the time with no issues but it's a lower loft batt. I've done a couple projects with a super fluffy hi loft batting and my machine did fine, I just had to go slow and make sure everything was well pinned. My walking foot was a must and when I loaded and moved things around I had to double check more than I typically do to ensure that all my layers had no puckers. Came out fine, I'd use it again (was Soft Soft Hi Loft)

I've been quilting long enough that I don't consider myself to be a "non-quilter" but I prefer polyester batting because I like the poof of it. I usually use the low-loft though. I'd think the high loft might be too "poofy" to quilt with your DSM though and not get frustrated with the bulk of it. I have done both machine and hand-quilting with polyester batts. They are very easy to work with and do well with laundering. I did use a cotton batt for a Grandmother's Flower Garden simply because of the vintage feel of the pattern. Hand quilted it. Glad I usually use poly!

A few years ago, I did a king size on my dsm using high-loft batt, because I wanted more of a comforter effect. It is no heavier than any other, and it is not stiff. I did a combination of quilting with the walking foot, and free motion. I did it with the 3-part technique from Ann Peterson's online class (put batting on the middle third, quilt it, then add batting to an outside third using batting tape, quilt that, and then repeat for the last third)

The only warning I would give is that if you use spray basting, get it right the first time. If you try to reposition the material after you've already set it on the batting, the batting tends to come apart.

I would ask her if she still had the receipt for the batting from JoAnn's. If she could exchange it for Quilt Lite,I think it would work much better. I always give my Long Armer Quilt Lite to use in mine. She doesn't mind using it and I love the feel ofall the quilts she has done for me.

I don't know about the non-quilter statement, imho. I always use poly batting, and I wouldn't count myself as a newbie quilter. I generally use medium to low-loft though. I have made a baby quilt with high loft once. I didn't notice it being harder to manage through my DSM, but that might have been because it was a small 30x40 quilt. That roll of batting was a Poly-Fil from Joanns too, and supposed to be 1" thick, but honestly, it was about 3/4" thick. So if it says 3/4" thick, count on it being about 1/2" thick. Just my experience. If you feel uncomfortable quilting with it, I would ask the lady if she can return it to Joanns and buy what you are more comfortable working with. You are the quilter here:)

I think that kind of batting is the hardest to work with of all the bats. I'd ask your friend if she would mind if you used a bat that is easier to work with. Someone at my quilt club talked me into using that kind of bat to "use it up". If that ever happened again I'd tell the person to use it themselves! NEVER again for me.

I do not use any high loft from anywhere. Was given some batting pieces to do charity quilts and am not using those scraps, will donate to a church store. People can use it for crafts but I never use it for quilts, no matter who will get it.
If I will not use it in my quilts, it will not be used for others.

To save yourself a lot of headaches/frustration on your DSM, request a lighter weight batting. Feel both of you will be happier with the end results.

I would have no problem asking friend to return batting and to purchase your preferred choice. I assume that you are making the quilt as a favor. I only make what I like since it's a hobby and I quilt for pleasure.

Thanks everyone for your advice, still don't know what I am going to do but will take all of your advice into consideration in what I decided to do.. I just don't want to piece a top and then have it look bad after it is quilted. I am not that good at FMQ yet but am practicing a lot so hope to get better soon.. Thanks again

Maybe your friend can exchange the batting for a low loft poly batting, 3/4" loft will be a real bear to quilt on a DSM, it would be good if she wanted it tied though.

And maybe she wants it puffy. I guess I would call and talk about the differences.

I made a quilt of this size using this batting -1", though, not 3/4" -I quilted it on my SQ9185 Ccomputerized Brother sewing machine. I WON'T be doing this again. It was really difficult (and, yes, I worked from the center out) to keep my stitching straight.

A wonderful lady named Sarah, an employee at Joann's who is an avid quilter and teaches classes, clued me into a batting that is absolutely WONDERFUL!!!! I use it almost exclusively now: Soft and Bright by The Warm Company (needled polyester batting). It is definitely low loft, but the needle just glides through it, it never shifts, and the quilt looks wonderful when finished. I usually buy it off the roll, although there are sometimes prepackaged ones. I think it costs approx. $9.99 per yard, but I have never paid full price for it; I usually get it at 40-60% off. You should realize that at Joann's, especially in regards to batting, the sale price may not be displayed, so just ask someone if it is on sale.

Let me suggest you get new batting and use what you have for smaller, quilt-as-you-go projects.

Good luck!

I second Soft and Bright, that's my usual batting, I get it by the roll on Amazon or Walmart, they have the packaged sizes too.

I mostly quilt with hi-loft poly batting and I love it. It is warm without the weight. I quilt on one of two 9" throat machines and have no problems with it. It is easy to work with. Warm and natural or warm and white is very thin. I never sleep under a quilt made with them, so I don't know how warm they are. I use large safety pins to sandwich all my quilts. I have made over 200 quilts.

If you don't like this batting, you shouldn't have to deal with it, especially if, as it seems from some of the advice from people who have used it, it will mean more work and/or frustration for you. Surely it can be returned and exchanged for something you would like better. If your friend isn't an experienced quilter, surely she would go along with whatever you want to do. I hope she kept the receipt. If she's paying you, you might want to explain that you'll have to charge more if you use this batting that takes more effort to baste and sew. The false economy of buying the cheaper batting will quickly become apparent.

Thanks everyone for your advice on batting. I spoke to my friend and asked her if I could take it back as I think it would be to hard for me to quilt. She said fine, so I am going to take it back and look for a low loft batting. I will look for the Soft and Bright batting, Hope they have it. Thanks everyone..