Sorry about the newbie question here but i've just completed my first quilt ... boy is it a mess lol. Everything was going perfectly until it came to quilting the sandwitch together.

First of all I found the backing material too thin so i had to undo it all. Then when i was sewing in the ditch, my blocks kept moving and the quilt kept expanding.

Im wondering if my wadding was too thick. I used a 4oz poly wadding. I dont know what you guys normally use but i found it very bulky.

Thanks for the help.

PS ill post a pic of my disaster later today.

Did you safety pin it really well so it didn't move and also was you using a walking foot?
It is so disappointing when something doesn't go well.

It is amazing how "thin" batting (or wadding, as you Brits call it :lol: ) doesn't seem so thin when we get it layered and start quilting. I used to think I needed fat batting too, but the best quilts have thinner batts and then "puff up" some when we wash them. As heart breaking as it may seem, I think you are going to be much happier if you take your quilt apart and try it again with the thinner batt.

Sewaholic's advice is great---pin well-all over-and then be sure to use a walking foot when you are machine quilting. This should eliminate any problems you were having.

When I made my first couple of quilts, I used poly batting. I have since discovered 100% cotton batting, and cannot believe the difference! Maybe it's just me, or maybe other things have changed as I have gotten more experience, BUT the cotton just seems to work better for me.
Also, I have learned the hard way that sewaholic is right -- pins, pins and more pins! And a walking foot is an absolute necessity when stitching in the ditch.
Marcia said it really well:
Hope it turns out well in the end!

I pin about every 2" on both sides of the seams where I'm going to quilt. I don't use a walking foot but I know it is helpful with most machines. It is not necessary with a Viking Designer 1. But if you don't have a walking foot loosen the presser foot to 3 and it will really help. You can not over pin but you sure can under pin and REGRET it! So pin, pin pin, no matter what kind of batting you use! Keep it up, then mo0re you quilt the better each one is. Bernadette 8)

Pin, pin, pin. You all are sooooo right. I tried using less pins on the first quilt I made and learned the hard way it doesn't work. I also like thinner batting. My quilts are still warm. I just spent a good portion of my day pinning a quilt. It may have taken awhile but will save me time in the long run. Keep working on it, it will get better.

I tape my back to the floor, then spray the batting (I use warm & natural) and then lay the batting down and tape it too, then spray it and lay my top down and pin, pin, pin. I get excellent results that way.

I have a problem being on my knees - I can still get up off the floor but it is NOT a pretty sight!

Anyway. I have a fairly large table and line up the backing on that. Then I weight the sides of the backing that hang over the edges.

I fold over the edge of the backing and pin it - and then put a yardstick or curtain rod or PVC pipe into the "pocket" that I made and that helps keep the backing from rumpling or wrinkling when I put the batting/wadding and top over it.

It just adds enough tension to keep it from wadding up on the back. That happened to me a couple of times and I did not enjoy the unpinning and repinning process. It was hard on the fingers.

I also tape the ends that are on the table to help keep it from shifting.

The original question - was the wadding too thick?

I think many first time quilters use filling that is too thick. I'm not sure why.

Some of the very old quilts are extremely thin - it seems to be only about the thickness of another layer of cloth.

But one does learn as one goes.

Have you thought about tying it? That seems to usually work with the really thick battings.

I know what you mean about your knees. Crawling around on my floor is bad enough, but getting up is near impossible. I have started to use my Flynn quilt frame to pin my quilts. I roll them up on it and pin a section, then roll a little further and pin again. It keeps my quilt and batting tight and is a breeze to do. I can do a big quilt on my dinning room table. I don't like the frame for quilting large quilts, Too hard to move so I'm glad I found another use for it.