Maybe the search has ended...

I've been making art quilts for about six years now. And just started doing machine quilting this past year. One of the new things I'm finding is that batting does not behave the same when quilting by hand as it does when you torture it under the machine.

So what do you do when you are being tortured with a quilting question you can't seem to satisfy on your own? Ask 2000 of your closest friends...I posted to the Quiltart list and asked what everyone uses for batting and got tons of answers.

Among them were:

Wool felt
Warm and natural
Stiff interfacing
Fusible fleece
Quilter's Dream Cotton

I've been experimenting but a lot of people insisted on the Quilter's Dream Cotton. I talked to my friend Mary and she said that's what her really big batik quilt has in it and I love the feel of that one.

Okay, I'm starting to become convinced...called around, found it at a quilt shop only ten minutes from work and of course today is the only day of the week they are open late. Ah yes, the stars are aligning.

So I decided to give it a shot. After all, my studio is beginning to look like the place where various batting goes to die. Why not try one more and see if it takes care of my woes? I entered the store, walked up to all the samples hanging around, asked the clerk what kind of batting was in them and got the answer "Quilter's Dream Batting." Okay, its looking like what I want. Its very light weight, almost non existent. And then there is the sample card. The Request weight looks lovely, almost like a dream. (Sorry, couldn't resist the pun.)



So I got one. Its in my studio looking at me. I think I'm going to fuse the quilt top directly to the batting. My concern with doing that is that I would have a hard time hand sewing through it. So maybe quilts that are done with this batting will be machine quilted only. *gasp!* I never thought those words would leave my mouth!

I'm not completely happy with the quilting on the Altered Views entry. The batting is poofier then I would like (hence the obsessive search for a FLAT batting) and I did long vertical stitches along the length of it. I joke that it looks like a swimming pool raft. LOL! Its not that bad although it does need some hand stitching (hey, if I'm not adding embellishments, at least let me hand stitch all over it) and then I think it will not look so raft like. I'll post a photo when its done.

And I'll let you know the results of my Dream Batting. I am optimistic about it, its thin, looks flat. And wonder under should be my friend in helping to keep the flat look. FLAT FLAT FLAT. Muaahahahahahahahah!!!!