Joining Pieces of Batting for your Quilt

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Greetings Quilter,

Quilters tend to be thrifty.

Well, maybe that is an understatement. Or is it an overstatement?

Anyone who has been around quilters knows that we collect small
pieces of fabric. Some of us have our limits – size of the piece,
color, type of fabric, etc. On the other hand, some quilters keep
every little piece of fabric that comes their way.

But how many quilters save their batting? Maybe the question is "do
you save your batting and know how to convert those small pieces into
larger pieces so you can use them in a quilt?"

For years when I began quilting, I bought only the size batting I
needed. The leftover batting became stuffing for pillows, little
fabric animals, or any other thing I needed some stuffing for.

It never occurred to me that I could piece the batting and use it in
a quilt.

That notion came to me via a workshop. The teacher mentioned that she
always purchased the largest piece of batting she could, and then
saved what wasn't used for other quilts.

Hmmmm… Sounded nice, but how do you keep the batting from bunching up
inside your quilt?

Turns out, you can sew it together – almost like you do your blocks.
And, as usual, there are several different ways to piece your batting.

The easiest was brought to us by way of an Eavesdrop on a Telephone
Conversation with Bonnie Hunter – who saves everything because she
loves to make scrap quilts.

Her method is to overlap the batting slightly and then zigzag down
the overlap. Because the batting is somewhat puffy, and it is
getting tucked inside the quilt and quilted, there really is no
ridge or stiffness where the batting overlaps.

Of course, you probably will zigzag a very wide and long stitch –
not one of those you might have used for machine appliqué when we
were making those tunnels of thread.

There are a couple of other methods for overlapping batting that
you'll discover when you visit:

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/3010-piece-batting.php

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com
www.TheQuiltingCoach.com

P.S. Which method you use will depend not only on preference but
the type of batting you are working with.

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/3010-piece-batting.php

P.P.S. For additional resources, check out my blog:

http://quilterpenny.wordpress.com/

You'll find all the daily emails so you can search for articles
about tons of quilting topics!

P.P.P.S. Find answers to your Frequently Asked Quilting Questions:

www.AskPennyHalgren.com
www.How-to-Quilt.com
www.TheQuiltingCoach.com
www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com

7925 Pasadena Ave.
La Mesa, CA  91941

Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation this Sunday

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Are you frustrated by hand quilting?

Do you think your stitches are too long but you can't
figure out how to make them shorter?

Have you tried 5 different thimbles but can't seem to
find the "right" one?

Or maybe you have a stack of unfinished quilts just
waiting to be quilted, but you are afraid to start
quilting.

Did you know that the tools you use for hand quilting
affect your hand quilting stitches?

When I first began hand quilting, I listened to a quilting
friend who gave me some really interesting advice.

While it allowed me to finish my first few quilts, when I
compared my quilting stitches with other quilters' I was
embarrassed!

Mine were huge, and the stitches on the back of my quilt
were uneven and all crooked.

Frustrated, I finally decided to sign up for a workshop
where I was introduced to the right tools and techniques
for hand quilting.

Every day we get questions about hand quilting. How to
make more even stitches, how to make smaller stitches,
which is the right thimble, whether to use a hoop or
frame, etc.

In response, I decided to put together some great
information about hand quilting and how you can make
beautiful hand quilting stitches knowing the right tools
and techniques.

It all takes place during our Eavesdrop on a Telephone
Conversation this Sunday, September 27 beginning at:

       5pm Pacific Time
       6pm Mountain Time
       7pm Central Time
       8pm Eastern Time

This month, our Conversation will include an internet
presentation with video in addition to the telephone
Conversation.

It's all free, except for any telephone charges your
phone company may charge.

The internet presentation will include slides and video
so that even if you aren't on the telephone Conversation
portion, you will still be able to get full value from
the presentation.

All of the information and registration is here:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/handquilting-webinar.php

Don't miss this one! Even if you aren't a hand quilter,
you'll gain valuable insights into thread count in fabric
and quilting tools that you may be using in the future.

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com
www.TheQuiltingCoach.com

P.S. The telephone worksheet will be available before
the webinar for everyone who registers:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/handquilting-webinar.php
www.How-to-Quilt.com
www.TheQuiltingCoach.com
www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com

7925 Pasadena Ave.
La Mesa, CA  91941