Softening a fused quilt
 

I am about to finish a twin sized quilt with 5 pictures I drew, cut, fused then sewed down the pieces. I did not window pane the fusible web therefore it is stiff. The remainder of the blocks are pieced ...pinwheels. Will it make any difference what kind of batting I use to make it less stiff and more cuddle friendly. i.e. will a thick polyester batting make the quilt less stiff and softer??? Thanks for any suggestions you may have. Sue

I don't have an answer about the batting, I don't think any batting will lessen the stiffness of the fusible though. I learned my lesson about fusible. I use the lightest weight there is. I'm glad there are several on the market now that seem to almost disappear when used. I usually use only Misty Fuse for all my fusible now.

Wonder Under (Pellon 805) can be softened by steam setting, but I agree about the batting. I doubt it will make any difference.

I would cut the backing of the fabric that is behind the fused applique, you have to be careful not to cut the top appliqueed piece and pull the fabric little by little to continue cutting. I woul leave at least 1/4 of it. I learned that at the begining of my applique journey. Now I always window cut the fusible web. And only fuse at the edge.
Good luck. Don't think the batting will make any difference.

lessons learned. I hope you appliqued around the edges too? even fused will fray on the edges.. I think it wont get softer but if its not the whole of the quilt maybe it wont matter? like right near the top where one might handle it the most? batting wont make it softer but might make it less noticeable if the feel is fluffy over all. just a thought. I sure hate sewing fluffy batting however. yuck!

A agree with BellaBoo. You need to use the lightest fusible that is available. Use to NOT be many selections !!! Type of batting I doubt will make any difference. Good Luck !!

I have a friend who I swear does everything fused. Her blocks are so stiff compared to others in our block exchange group. she likes it so everything is stiff and stays in place. When quilting these blocks I can tell the difference when the machine goes over these blocks--has to work harder. so I am not a fan of stiffener and only use it only complicated and landscape type pieces. JMHO