Totally Shocking new Quilt book !!
#51
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Pleasant Hill CA
Posts: 411
Thank you for reminding me. The first quilt I ever made I did Eleanor Burns turn it inside out using the backing and batting attached system. Then I stitched the outer border firmly with my regular sewing machine and tied the center. That was made with thick polyester batting and is still my favorite nap quilt. It washes well and wasn't really a great job for it was my first but has lasted more than twenty five years. It is certainly cheaper than my long arm quilter's two hundred dollars per quilt. I'll do some than way again.
#52
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 862
Quite a few of my quilts end up tied just to get them done, but ALSO because family members want fluffy quilts (they are warmer). I personally use wool yarn to tie because the yarn felts and the ties don't ever come out then. However, lots of people use poly yarn - spend some time learning the special knot or the knots will come out.
As for batting, it's hard to find truly fluffy batting. A good bet is to get the thick poly-on-a-roll at a sewing store. It takes a long time for this to lose its loft,but it is a bit stiff. I really liked Joann's Soft and Crafty high loft when it first came out - fluffy, fluffy, fluffy. It was easily 3/4 inch of loft. Doesn't even reach the 1/2 inch now listed on the package. However, they have since cheapened it and you need to packages laid on top of each other to get a similar loft.
As for batting, it's hard to find truly fluffy batting. A good bet is to get the thick poly-on-a-roll at a sewing store. It takes a long time for this to lose its loft,but it is a bit stiff. I really liked Joann's Soft and Crafty high loft when it first came out - fluffy, fluffy, fluffy. It was easily 3/4 inch of loft. Doesn't even reach the 1/2 inch now listed on the package. However, they have since cheapened it and you need to packages laid on top of each other to get a similar loft.
#53
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 673
the very first quilts i "knew" were the ones my "grandma on the farm" made. i slept under them in the upstairs bedroom--my favorite is one i still have--thirties feedsack and fabric, done in a bowtie pattern. the batt was thick grey wool, and it was tied, not "fine quilted". that method preserved the height of the wool inside, making the insulation factor that much better for that cold old house. i have three of her quilts--all three were tied. i think it was a habit that came with her from sweden, where warmth in the winter was prized over the "pretty" factor. two of those quilts were heavy enough to keep a 5 year old in bed from weight, alone! i still tie fluffy quilts for the grandkids--they love the poof more than pretty stitching. when they get older, the quilting will be prized more than the fluff...
#55
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: AZ and CT
Posts: 4,898
I have a very old - probably 100 years - quilt made by my grandmother from men's shirts and trousers with battomg made from sheep's wool from their farm. It is tied. It was a utility quilt, and it is still in excellent condition - one of my treasures!
#56
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: South of Chicago, IL
Posts: 322
I recently purchased a new quilt book that had many patterns that I just loved. I kept looking at this book and knew something was different about the quilts, but could not figure it out. Finally on the second day of looking, I realized what it was: the quilts were all tied !!! Not one of the quilts in the book were quilted by machine or by hand. And I loved every single one of the quilts. They look soft and airy and so comfortable. I am on vacation now so I can't tell you the name of the book as it's at home. The book was written by two English women. I usually am very observant but my DH was in and out of the hospital and I was trying to finish my Christmas quilts etc, I think that is why I never noticed they were tied. I am definitely going to tie my next quilt, no doubt about it and use the lightest fluffiest batting I can.
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