Wadding/Batting as outer layer
 

Hi there,
First of all, apologies if I am posting in the wrong place - I am a newbie to this forum and to quilting :) I have made one quilt so far and am now planning a second, however I have a question - I have searched and Googled to no avail and am now hoping someone on here might be able to respond...

I want to make a quilt with a fabric backing (same fabric) and appliqué directly onto the wadding/batting as the top layer of the quilt. So the wadding would be exposed. I am using Warm & White batting.

Can anyone tell me if this will work? Having the batting mostly exposed, with only some small fabric shapes appliquéd directly on to it?

Any help appreciated!

Why would you want the batting to be exposed?

So I guess that answers the question then! It was just a question of whether it's possible (if it would look scruffy or unfinished) or why can't it be exposed? I suppose I was just trying to think of different ways to make a quilt.

Thank you for your response nabobw!

I have washed a piece of "naked" warm and natural batting twice - and it looked fine after the washings.

You could take a small piece of it and wash it several times and see what it does. I don't think it is designed for a lot of abrasion like the outer fabrics of a quilt frequently get - but I dont' know the answer.

You could also baste a small piece of it on to a quilt or blanket that you use frequently and see what happens.

Bottom line - I really don't know the answer to your question.

Batting is not constructed to be exposed....it is supposed to be encased in fabric......I would think maybe a fleecy type material would give you the " look" you want........

Ok, well I appreciate the responses...

It does say on the Warm & White website; "Whether you want a brilliant snowy outside or an inside that will not peek through, Warm & White will deliver" so I was curious as to why this couldn't be done (or in fact if I misunderstood 'outside'). I'll take the consensus!

I too would experiment, if that is the look you want. Lots of fiber artists use all kinds different fabrics and materials. I don't know why you couldn't have batting on the outside of the quilt. Lots of stuff sticks to batting so, I would probably use it for a wall hanging style or something similar.

What they mean by the brilliant snowy outside is that if you are using very white fabrics on the outside, using a natural color batting (like Warm & Natural) will show through slightly and dull the quilt's whites. If you use W&W on a quilt with white on the outside, it will not dull the whites.

I would worry that the batting would not "wear" well if it was exposed over time--like uneven stretching, pilling, shedding and the fibers would shed on surrounding fabrics. It really is not that tightly woven and without the protection of other fabrics and quilting stitching to hold it together, I think the fibers would separate and fall apart. If you are looking for a fuzzy, natural look, I think you should consider some wool fabrics that are soft but have a thick nap on them. Good for you for "thinking outside the box"!!--that is how many new art forms are realized.

It's great to have this kind of forum to throw questions out there, thanks for all the responses. I think I will experiment & see how it plays out but will not be giving the end result as a gift incase it doesn't wear well!