Thickness of batting
 

For the past 6 months I have been working on a quilt for my DGD for Christmas and this past weekend I finally got it pinned together and started quilting it. I got half of it done (SID) and I hate it. I think the batting is too thin and it does not have the "quilted" look. I keep telling myself that it is a bedspread or summer quilt and doesn't have to have a lot of loft. I'm hoping someone here can tell me if this is OK.

I think the new trend is for flatter quilts, and I personally like the less puffy look. Of course I live in CA so we don't need warm quilts too often. Consider it a learning experience and finish it. You never know - maybe DGD will like it as you made it!

What kind of batting did you use?

When you are done and wash it, it will probably give it a more 'quilted' look.

Since I am a new quilter, I'm not sure about the trend, but I do agree with Treasureit in that I like the less puffy look. Even though I live in TN, it can still get relatively cold here, but if I had enough quilts, I'd just keep piling them on the bed!

I used a polyester batting in the bag. I checked before I used it and it didn't say if it was low, med. or high loft.
I'm thinking about skinning it and starting over.

i think the trend for flat quilts is a result of people wanting quilts that look like the ones they remember at grandma's house. that's fine except that when they were new, grandma's quilts were NOT flat... they just wore that way during lot of use and wear and washing.... but of course, if the quilt is half done, don't undo it .... and then when finished, spritz with a bit of clear water or dampen 2 or 3 towels and then put in the dryer....the batting will definitely puff up and soften a bit. i'm sure your DGD will love it.

Not knowing what brand of batting you used I can't guess what it will do. But it will definitely be quilt she can use year round. I have used the thick loft batting and it is a bear to quilt on a regular sewing machine. Your granddaughter will love it and use it forever.

I sometimes double batt, using a layer of Warm and Natural and a layer of low loft Poly. The quilt has nice weight ,a bit more loft , and warmer.

once the quilt is finished, bound and washed it will fluff up a bit- finish it up- it will be fine

Really puffy batting is IMO near impossible to hand -or- machine quilt. You'd probably have to tie it every 3 inches (at the most, depends on the batt and what the manufacturer recommends for maximum quilting distance) if you switched to a really puffy batt.

Honestly, I don't think really puffy quilts have been "in" since 1975. Though I have never been one to care whats "in" or not, LOL :)

this is what i remember from when i was a kid at my grandmother's. i loved having 2-3 quilts piled on top of me.

My bet is it will be fine and fluff up a little when you wash it. The first quilt I ever made was with Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon cotton batting, which is a very antique "flat" batting. When I was half done, I took it in to a quilt shop to ask about the flatness and was told it was fine. At that time I thought a hand quilted quilt was supposed to be more puffy, like a modern day comforter. That quilt has been much used and loved for maybe 20 years now (it was a baby quilt).

I think the problem is that you're stitching in the ditch. I personally don't like SID because you can't see the quilting. I am finishing a quilt that a woman started many yrs ago. She did SID in some areas and i have to look real close to see where she's quilted. The areas that she came away from the seam a smidge is easier to see the quilting. I also come in a smidge from seams and you can always see my quilting. This quilt has what looks to be a baby's flannel sheet as the batting - therefore - no loft there!! It'll be a light-weight quilt, but you can definitely tell that it's been quilted.

Being compressed in the bag will flatten out the batting. I bet it fluffs up after being washed :) :) :)

I agree. I just did a baby quilt and thought that it looked flat until I washed and dried it. I really like the look that it has now!

I would say finish it...then wash it good...it will be FINE...really...

I use the low loft batting for FMQ. The closer the quilting the flatter the look, the bigger the quilting a softer and fluffier look. When I hand quilted used warm and natural or thermolam--always a flatter look.