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!

Welcome to the QB, Ogle! Your curiosity is a breath of fresh air today in our hot, sticky weather. :)

I know that exposed W&N works very well for both wall quilts and art quilts, though I'm not at all sure it would stand up to the frequent washings of a bed/utility quilt. I'd love to see your experiments!!

It has been used frequently, dyed or painted, as an outer surface by some art quilters. A few examples:
http://judyperez.blogspot.com/2008/1...-with-rit.html
http://paintedthreadsprojects.blogsp...g-batting.html
http://approachable-art.blogspot.com...art-quilt.html

I know I've seen it just plain 'au naturel' as well, but can't seem to find any appropriate examples for you. Sorry.

I think exposed batting is best left to wallhangings and such that aren't going to have much handling or washing. If you like the look of the batting, I suggest that maybe you could use some fleece. Then you wouldn't have to use any batting if you chose to back it at all. Depending on how the appliqué stitching looks on the back, you might not even have to back it!

Besides wear, one must consider the "attraction" issue. IOW exposed batting attracts every stray thread, pet hair, human hair, dust bunny, cob web that is in the environment like a flame attracts a moth. So in addition to doing a wash test for durability, try sprinkling all the stray wispy type items that can be found in any given household over the exposed batting and then running a sticky tape roller over it. The results are not pretty, especially if repeated over time. So unless you (or your intended giftee) are impeccable housekeepers with no pets, I wouldn't even consider it for a wall hanging or art quilt.

I know I've already said it but wow - it's so lovely to have a place to ask questions to experienced quilters. I know part of the learning process is to make mistakes... but there are some I really would rather skip :thumbup:

As a wall quilt, they can easily and successfully be vacuumed (with a knee-high stocking over the nozzle) with little or no damage, especially if the scrim side faces out.

What an interesting concept. I'll be watching this thread. Thank you ghostrider for the interesting links. Goes to show that batting CAN be used outside the quilt. And thank you Ogle for the question.

I'm in agreement with others - for a wall hanging, I could see that working. But for a quilt that will be washed and handled a lot, I would worry that it would disintegrate over time.

Cheers, K

I think that statement means because it is white it will not dull your top if it has white in it ( first part of statement), and perhaps that it will not beard (second part). That is what I understand from that statement, but that is my interpretation of it.

If it's softness and touch that you're thinking of, perhaps you could try cream/ecru flannel on the face/outside of your quilt, leaving the wadding on the inside, for a similar effect with your applique.

Regardless, thinking outside the box as you're doing is a great way to start your quilting efforts!! It's the sign of a creative designer, perhaps one likely to be writing the next "new technique" book some day!!:D

Jan in VA

Olge, don't stop thinking outside the box! Almost anything can be done, you just have to research it like you are doing here. I love the links ghostrider provided.

This was the way I understood it too.

You could use a fairly light weight fleece fabric instead of batting. I think it would wear better as the batting is meant for enclosure. I think the instructions meant that you could use the white batting inside your quilt so that the color of the batting would not show through the light colored patches on the top. I think you could use it on the top if you were making a wall hanging or something that would not be washed a lot but I don't know why you would want to do that really. A good quality flannel or fleece would probably be a better choice.

Sorry, NO, it doesn't make any sense. W&N is NOT made like a fabric and when you wash your quilt, all your applique work will be absolutely a mess.

I would not want any batting/wadding exposed. Just my opinion for my quilts.

Welcome to this wonderful board you will get lots of opinions and help.

Haven't read the entire thread (sorry! no time! ) but try googling Shadow Trapunto Quilts .... it might be what you are looking for. If not, it is an interesting technique some of you may want to try.... Happy Quilting and welcome to the board...

I say it is your quilt, do what you wish. Do something smaller like a lap quilt maybe you will come up with a new fresh idea or maybe you will be the next up and coming textile artist.

Wow! What an interesting technique! Thanks for sharing!

Every dust bunny, thread pieces, hair, and any other airborne particle will cling to your batting. Once embedded it's difficult to remove. I would not recommend using it. Hey this is a great question!! Good on you!

Ghost rider I can't thank you enough! Way cool! Definitely going to try this technique.

Ogle, Welcome you will find that being a quilter is like being a small child - you are always wanting to try new things and learn new things. Part of being a quilter is stepping outside of the box (we have all done this), and for some of us that's why we are quilters because we have always seen and done things outside of the box.
As far as your question about using your batting as the backing of your quilt goes. If the quilt is only an fiber art piece, not to be used or washed a lot. Then sure you can, look at all the pictures of fiber art work that shown in museums. But if your wanting to use the quilt or give it as a gift to be used, you will need a fabric backing. Batting is made to be inside (sandwiched between fabrics).
Good luck with what you decide to do, please post pictures when your finished.

I use Polar fleece (the fabric used for jackets) to back a lot of my quilts since I have family in Utah where it gets really cold...they like the snuggliness of it. It's 60" wide so most of my fleece backed quilts are that width. I buy it on sale for under $10 a yard and less. It machine quilts nicely and honestly, it's not going to lump or do anything weird so it's perfect for grandson quilts where I quilt it in a few straight lines to just hold the top and the fleece together. Fleece has some kind of base that holds it together (I found this out when I substituted it for batting in a purse pattern and tried putting grommets through it.....you can't!) so it would hold up to washing much better than exposed batting. All said, I often use the fleece with the quilt top (the fleece is the backing and batting, so just two layers) and love this.

I have seen quilts where someone appliqued shapes cut from batting on the top, but I have never seen batting left exposed. If you were to applique a lot of pieces and overlap the batting, you would basically get the effect you are after. The batting manufacturer states how far apart the quilting lines can be and if you stay within those guidelines, you should be OK. Personally, I would not like exposed batting on the top but then I am not an art-quilter.

welcome! we love having newbies! you remind us not to get stodgy and stuck in our ways! I know of at least one fiber artist that uses tulle, or mesh as her top layer. sadly all your creative work would not last long under the rigors of everyday washers, dryers, kids, pets, and yes, even dear husbands (commonly referred to as dh, 8-). ) good luck with your idea! we'd never get anywhere if we didn't push and pull the envelope!! oops! my turn to pull! gotta go!

I fused and stitched wool roving to a wall hanging for the clouds and it worked well for what I wanted.