Organizing the leftover batting
 

I spent a large portion of yesterday sorting through leftover bits of batting and piecing them together. By the looks of the variety of pieces, I've bought every type of batting known to man :)

Of course, most was not stored in it's original packaging so I was guessing about fiber content. I pieced together based on my best guess of fiber content and thickness. I now have several square pieces large enough to use for good sized wall hangings, baby play mats or small baby quilts. Some of the small pieces I used to make practice sandwiches with muslin.

It feels good to get something organized. I do need to measure each pieced batting and label them with the measurement so I can easily tell if something will work for a new project.

Next to actually making a quilt, organizing my sewing space is my next favorite thing to do.

I'm not a big organizer. Partly because every time I go on an organizing binge, I can't find anything afterwards :D And partly because since I still work full time and most of my sewing is weekends, if I spend a whole day organizing I usually won't get to sew.

I have my batting in my grandmother's trunk on the upstairs landing outside my sewing room and I just dig thru. Of course, I haven't quilted as much as many of you so I also don't have as many batting scraps.

I try to use my pieces on the next quilt so they dont pile up.

I never seem to have enough left over for the next project. I just end up with scraps.

I also work full time but feel the need to get some organization going. I'm never going to use these scraps if they are stuck in different places and I don't know what's what. I'll just say "oh never mind, go buy a new package of batting".

When I finish a quilt and I cut the extra batting off, I measure it, roll it up and pin a paper with the size on it. Some times it is a long strip of 108" by 15", then I have a quilt that measure 100" and my batting is 93" wide then I add the 15" and I don't have to buy a king size batting.

I like to know the size before I start unrolling all the extra batting to see what I need.

I like this idea.

That's what I should be doing. Otherwise I spend a lot of time rummaging through a big pile of scraps and trying to figure out if it fits.

I'm making mock cathedral window denim quilts right now and have pulled all the scraps of batting I can find. I cut them into 4 1/4" squares. I've cleaned out a lot of spaces where the batting was stored!

Good idea PatPitter...that way your batting pieces are ready for your next project need.

I have my pieces hanging on a rack with a label what size they are at that time. So when I have another piece to add to it I know which way I might want to add to it. I try to buy the same batting so I don't have to worry about mixing them up. Just finished a bunch of small projects on the machine and was able to use up a bunch of my pieces I hadn't gotten around to sewing together. It was a good feeling to be able to use them up in this way. Just kept adding over the backing as I went along. No leftovers this time.

I measure and mark the cutaway sections and write on type of batting on the label. If you mix batting types in a project it shows when the quilt, big or small, is washed because they shrink differently. I store my batting scraps in plastic bins and try to keep them used up because they take up so much space. I like the idea of using them on the next quilt as mentioned earlier.

I have tons of batting scraps and decided to give them to the dog rescue groups to make bedding. I buy pillow slips at thrift stores and hand them over to some young dedicated quilters who like to make these beds. I keep only really big pieces that are perfect for totes or purses but the rest goes. I think this year I will start buying only one kind of batting and I can then join it. Right now I have too many brands and thicknesses.

I'm glad I discovered how much I enjoy QAYG... great use of leftover batting pieces!

Don't you love that feeling when you take on a project like that and finish it! Step back, check it out and pat yourself on the back!

I'm glad to hear someone else can't find things after they have been organized. I consistently put things in a safe place where I'll remember them and then can't find them when I need them.

Nice idea! Thank you!

I recently made a scrap rag quilt and used scrap batting in it. It's a very oversized King- like 160X 140. It is heavy, but nice and toasty. It drapes almost to the floor as we have a very high bed, and I am covered always. I am going to make another with scraps for a friend who has loads of flannel pieces and use the rest of my scrap batting. It does seem to multiply-

I'm putting my batting scraps in a plastic bag for dog beds for our local humane society. One of our local LQS has a weekend they made beds for the dogs.

All my scrap batting gets separated by material. I save all of the scraps. Even tiny pieces get used since I put them in art quilts in areas where I want a trapunto look.

Rob

As soon as i'm done cutting the batting I measure and put it back in the same bag. I check the bag to see if there are other scraps that need to be stitched together. A quick zigzag stitch down the seam keeps it in check.

I measure, write the measurement on a scrap of paper, staple it to the batting and put them in numbered clear plastic bins. I also list them on a spreadsheet, l can tell very quickly which bin to go to in order to get the one I need.