Scrim batting
 

Hi Quilters, I have a question a friend needs answered. She has batting with scrim, I think she called it. I don’t know what that is but she says it’s little bumps. 🤷‍♀️Anyway how do you sandwich it in a quilt? Do you put the bumpy scrim facing the wrong side of backing or next to the wrong side of top? Appreciate your thoughts and answers.

Instruction that came with warm and natural said scrim side up. So that would be scrim next to the wrong side of the top. There is some controversy to that. I’m not sure it matters.

The case for the scrim going down suggests the strongest part of the batting should go where there will be the most wear on the quilt. There is an argument to be made that the bumps could interfere with the needle while quilting but I’ve never experienced that.

I was told that the bumps go down. Especially when working with minky, so it doesn't beard through.

Since l began longarming in 2012, I have always mounted batting with " dimples up, pimples down". Scrim batting l have used has always had scrim covering the pimple ( rough) side None of the quilts l've stitched ever experienced bearding.

I go with the dimples up, pimples down rule when mounting my quilt sandwich on the long arm. The dimples are made by the needling entering the batting and the pimples are made by the needle pushing the batting fibers out the bottom. The way I understood it was that this was the motions that made the batting so going the opposite way will mess it up.

I only once placed the W&N with the scrim down against the backing fabric. There was so much bearding and that quilt still looks awful. One day I will take the binding off and rip the quilting out and put the batting in there properly. Maybe it's only Warm & Natural, but when the label says scrim side up, they mean it. This was on a longarm. I do not know if the same thing would happen on a regular sewing machine.

The following is directly from the Warm Company's website. In other words, scrim side goes down.

No, there is not a right or wrong side but there is a “scrim” side. When manufacturing Warm & Natural or Warm & White, the cotton fibers are layered onto a scrim – a thin nonwoven substrate material. During the needle-punch process, barbed needles force the cotton fibers through and entangle them to the scrim. This is what holds the batting together without glues allowing quilting or ties to be up to 10″ apart. When quilting Warm & Natural or Warm & White, it is usually easier to do so in the same direction it was needle-punched – the cotton side facing towards your quilt top and the scrim side facing toward your quilt backing. With Warm & Natural the cotton side is distinguished by its leaf & stem remnants (face to quilt top). With Warm & White there is a side that is shinier and smoother. This is the scrim side and should face to your quilt backing.

Wow....this is my "Huh??" moment. I pretty much use Warm and Natural all the time, and only quilt on my sewing machine. I have always followed the "clean side up" rule and honestly have never had any issues. I guess I'll do some more checking. Maybe for me..."if it ain't broke....." I'll just do what I've been doing.

Well, after Dunster's comments, I realize that I thought the scrim was the seeding and stems side. Dang it!!! That is too funny. Every day I learn something new. This is my first "aha" moment for the day. Thanks Dunster!

I have used batting scrim side up and scrim side down with no problems with bearding or anything. On both domestic and long arm.