I stumbled upon some good information this week, so I thought I would share. It's all about batting and interfacing.
As you may have read, I have a high school senior this year and t-shirt memory quilts are on my mind. To that end, I was surfing YouTube to learn tips and tricks for making up a quilt like that. T-shirt quilts can be very heavy when they're done. Just think about how heavy a pile of shirts is, or a load of laundry you have to fold up. When you take shirts, add interfacing, batting, and a backing it all adds weight. And the style of t-shirt quilt I like to make adds extra cotton fabric, too, with seams, which also add some weight. Time to lighten it up!
The first great video I found was from Just Get it Done Quilts. She recently did an interview with Stephanie Hackney of Hobbs batting. It was very interesting to learn how batting is made and the recommended use for the different types. Now that I know more and I know what type of batting is recommended for various applications, I will share that information with my customers. I am also adjusting my inventory so I will have more options in stock. I had no idea there was a super light polyester batting that is recommended for t-shirt quilts!
I have always used Warm & Natural 100% cotton. When I learned to quilt, my Mom told be that was the best, so I never questioned it and turned up my nose to anything else. When I got my longarm, that is the batting I purchased in a huge roll and the batting I offer to customers. Over the years I have tried other battings and had great success with them -- Missouri Star Quilt Co, Quilter's Dream, Hobbs 80/20, and many others. I would try different ones when they were on sale, basing my decision mainly on price when I really should have been basing it on how the quilt would be used. Customers sometimes bring batting with their quilts, and I haven't found any yet that has been difficult to work with.
Watch the video I linked above and you too will learn that cotton has memory, so quilts that are folded most of the time will retain creases. Good to know! I have some of my Mom's quilts that I take out seasonally and I often wondered why I couldn't get that crease out. Sometimes I can put it in the dryer, on low, for a few minutes and that seems to help. Or I press it if I want to take the time. Sometimes it's a table runner, so a nice centerpiece hides that crease pretty well!
The bottom line is, I have more knowledge about batting now and these t-shirt quilts I have planned will be lighter and easier to wash! My quilts will have fewer creases and my wall hangings will hang flatter.
Interfacing is another thing. Pellon is my preferred brand and I have always used SF-101, which is a nice light stabilizer that I use when I make handbags. It doesn't add too much weight to t-shirt quilts, either, so it's worked great. Then today I found their 911FF, which is a fusible featherweight interfacing. Lighter is better!
So, ignorance has been bliss but now I have more knowledge and I'll share it going forward! Always growing and learning, right?
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