Back to the samples!!

Well the November show is behind me and I have the house decorated and the tree up as well. The gingerbread houses are baked and ready for my grandchildren to come decorate them on Saturday, sew...today I shall get back to finishing up the Pellon samples, Finally! I want to get these done and set my sewing studio right so I will be ready to gear up for thread caddy mass production for the January show. I'll get back to you later with the results on the Pellon Legacy batting samples!!

Ready to begin!

I have the new samples of Pellon's Legacy line ready to go. Can't wait to hand needle test a few of these samples,the wool and flax/cotton blend look like interesting candidates for future projects.

There is quite a stack to get through here and I haven't prepared the muslin/freezer paper to feed through the printer to make the labels yet either so it will be a while before these samples are machine quilted, hand needle tested ,bound, washed and labeled. But stay tuned for the results,I plan to try and get through these in addition to mass producing Thread Caddies for the November show and making Christmas gifts, good grief I better get to it, time is a wasting!

Finally!!!!

The Pellon legacy samples are finally here!! I'll be working on them for the next few weeks. Can't wait to see how it performs

scissors,scissors and more scissors

I get teased by my friends about how many pairs of scissors

I own. A friend of mine posted her scissors on her blog and I started thinking if I put all my scissors on the table I don't think I could get them all in one shot to take a photo. I am a hairdresser so I have several pairs of hair cutting shears and thinning shears. I am a nail tech so I have 5 pairs of small scissors I use to cut fiberglass & silk wraps. I groom my own dogs so more scissors. I love to cook so I have several pairs of  kitchen shears. I scrapbook so that is about 36 pairs of scissors (all different design blades), I garden so more scissors and shears. Stained glass requires special scissors that trim a little extra sliver off your pattern to allow room for the foil and solder. Have scissors in my giftwrap trunk and at my desk and in the garage and floral design scissors too. OK so maybe I do have a lot of scissors but I use them all!! Here is a shot of just my sewing scissors...

Awaiting the arrival of Pellon's Legacy line

New line of batting to make samples from is on its way! Pellon's Legacy Line- Went and bought more muslin today in preparation. I bought all the ones they carry in JoAnn's from the line and made made those samples up quick like a bunny to take with me tonight to share with the Piecemakers Quilt Guild, but they didn't have the cottons or cotton blends or bamboo. I haven't forgotten I promised you a list of favorites I just want to get as many different brands as possible tested before I compile that list.
Happy Stitchin'!
Debra

New Batting from Warm

The Warm Company has come out with a new batting called Warm Tater. They claims its a 100% natural cotton that has not been chemically treated?? But it does not say organic and we know that conventionally grown cotton uses 25 % of the worlds total pesticide use...This batting was designed to make quilted bags to use in your Microwave to cook potatoes in????
http://www.warmcompany.com/warmtater.html



I dunno maybe I am missing something...

2 more battings tested

I just finished testing Fairfield's Fusi-Boo (fusible bamboo) and Fairfield's wool. The wool was great but I have grave concerns about the fusible product. I washed a sample of just the batt (not quilted) in HOT water and soap to remove the fusible as Fairfield states it washes away completely. I found it would still fuse after this process so it did not wash away. I wish I had a time machine to travel forward in time and see for myself what affect these chemicals will have on our precious quilts in say 100 years. I am sure quilters of old would be horrified to see how some of the mordants in the dyes of their time ate away at the fibers or changed the color completely 

Life is Beautiful

I just dicovered the Life is beautiful quilt and I think I just have to have this pattern!! Check it out at: http://hugsnkisses.typepad.com/hugsfromhelen/2009/11/life-is-beautiful.html I submitted a quote  to Helen to try and win a iron on transfer pattern pack. My quote suggestion was:
"What we see is mainly what we look for"
 You can submit a quote and try to win too.
 Now to go find some peace and gratitude...because Life IS Beautiful!

Last Nights lecture

Last nights lecture at the Manatee Patchworkers was "sew" fun, the ladies "seamed" to enjoy seeing all 63 battings.  LOTS of questions! Lots of interest in the wool batt , except for a few allergic to wool, which is important to note. As much as it is a wonderful product if it is a gift quilt you'll want to ask before you use wool if the recipient is allergic. For those few that are there is always Alpaca which does not contain lanolin and is less likely to cause allergies.
I always get asked, "Whats your Favorite batting?" I try my best to explain there is no one batt that fits for every project. If I tell you my favorite, it might be for a very puckered vintage look that might not suit your taste or your project. BUT I get asked this over and over, so I guess I am going to have to compile a list of what my favorite battings  would be for different situations, although I never wanted it to be about what I like, I wanted  this to be for you read the information I have compiled, to learn about the finishes manufactures use on the battings, see the samples and make your educated decision about what batting best suits your taste/projects. If I was to compile a list what would you like to see included I have started a list below, if you think of any others categories, let hear from you!! I would also LOVE to hear what brand of batting you would vote for each of these categories!
Best for the most antique/puckered look-
Best to hand needle-
Best for smoothest finish-
Best for repeated laundering-
Most Eco-Friendly-
Quilted Rainbow suggested -Best Drape

Hand outs are printed and ready for tomorrows lecture

Migration/ Bearding is so slight

So this morning in the light of day I am finishing the open wool batting samples and upon closer inspection there is a slight amount of migration. Everything I read about open batts said "severe migration/bearding issues." Maybe that is the case with Merino wools, but is not the case here. These photos are after washing this sample and I had to fold it back and photograph and edge to be able to see any at all. So I made another with 1/2 black backing and here are the photos of both so you can see too. Now these are low thread count muslin's I used in my sample so I imagine using good quality quilt shop fabrics would greatly improve the results. Double click the photo to get a larger view-
Debra

Wow! Wool is amazing

I got one sample done last night and it took me some time to get the hang of  hand needling on this wonderful wool. Your needle springs back at you, it's so resilient.  So I am afraid my stitches are not  great on the sample. I was just starting to get my rhythm when I came to the end of the row of stitches.
 I plan to do some hand needling on the next one too, in the hopes I will do this sample justice! I was amazed there was NO bearding. Not when I hand or machine stitched, NONE! I did nothing to prepare the batt, no cheesecloth, nothing. This is not a fine merino wool, it is Suffolk/Dorset cross and they tell me their wool is coarser which is why the bearing is not such a problem, I'm sold!

 I want to sleep under a quilt made with this batt and they have this program if your guild orders 9 batts they will give you a queen size free that can be used for a raffle quilt or whatever you want. All the issues I have heard about wool batts did not present themselves in my testing of this brand.

The wool has arrived

OMG! I never expected it to look like this! The open wool batt arrived from Cedarview farms and boy is it ever luscious! Bet you can guess who is going to wielding a needle tonight!! I can't wait to try this batting out! Thanks Lauren for getting it here in time to include it in Mondays lecture!

I am afraid I too have Klosjes fever!

 I  have come down with the Klosjes fever! The first few I made I didn't really like (bottom left) . They look like half empty spools to me. So a kind friend (Thanks SEW much Linda) redrafted it for me in EQ and now they look half full. I am definitely a half full kind of gal!

Waiting for a PLA(corn) batt and an open wool from Cedarview Farms to arrive

Its going to be cutting it real close but I really want these batts in my samples for my lecture next Monday!
There are still some manufactuers that never responded to my letters or e-mails. SO if anybody uses a batt that is not on my list and they have some left over I sure would appreciate it if you could send it to me! Just shoot me an e-mail and tell me what you have! Thanks-
Debra

More Sample photos

Sample photo

 A photo of one of my samples

All the Terminology on one place

Alpaca- A member of the camelidae (camels and llamas) family this fur bearing animal who is native to the mountainous regions of South America are now being raised commercially in the US and Australia. Its silky fleece is as soft as cashmere and comes in 22 natural colors. Alpaca fleece contains no lanolin and requires much less scouring than wool.


Bast Fiber - Strong, soft, woody fibers, which are obtained from the inner bark in the stems of such plants as flax, jute, hemp, and ramie.


Batting (or Wadding) - A soft assembly of loose non woven fibers, usually carded , sold in sheets used for warm interlinings, padding, quilts and comforter stuffing.

Bearding- Refers to the migration of batting fibers through the quilt front or back.

Binder- An adhesive applied with a solvent or a plastic melted to bond fibers together in a web, used in chemical and thermal bonding.

Blends-A combination of fibers blended together, can be a blend of natural and manmade fibers or two or more natural fibers.

Bleaching-A process used to remove the natural pigment from a fiber. The chemicals used also help disintegrate cotton seed and boll husk waste that is left behind after the fiber has been processed through ginning, carding and/or scouring. The process uses chemicals such as sodium hydroxide or hydrogen peroxide.

Bonding/Bonded- The binding together of fibers in a single layer of material called a web. A process that uses sprayed on binders and/or resins and adhesives or uses heat (thermal bonding) or needle punching, to treat/bond batting fibers to prevent bearding (migrating), and allows the batting to remain in one smooth sheet this helps prevents tearing and stretching as it is unrolled and spread between the top and back of a quilt.

Bonding Methods-Chemical (adhesive, resin, latex), needle punch, spun laced/hydro entangling, and thermal bond.

Breathability - The movement of moisture from one side of the
fiber to the other, caused by capillary or wicking action.



Bunching/Shifting- When batting fibers bunch up and or shift inside the quilted lines of stitching, will appear as clumps of fibers in the corners of a quilted area.

Card-A machine used to remove impurities, separate and align fibers (Flat Card- The type of card used for cotton fibers. It is so called for the flat wire brushes called flats that are assembled on an endless chain that partially surrounds the main cylinder. The fiber is worked between the flats and a cylinder, and then transferred to a doffer roll, and finally peeled off as a web.)



Carding/ Carded-The brushing of fibers between two cards to remove dirt and debris still remaining in the fiber. The process untangles them and arranges the fibers into a very thin layer. This process can also be called garneting.


Cellulose- A carbohydrate which is the chief component of the cell walls of plants,
it is found in wood and in cotton, linen, jute, hemp, and all of the bast, leaf, and stem fibers.



Color-Batting generally comes in natural-off white (un-bleached), white (bleached) and black. There is a new “green/eco-friendly” batting that is made from recycled plastic bottles and it is green in color as well. Be aware that this green may shadow through and affect the color of your quilt. Some of the soy batts and soy blends may be several shades darker than a natural/un-bleached cotton. Check for shadowing of that color through your light colored tops before purchasing.

Combing - The combing process is an additional step beyond carding. In this
process the fibers are arranged in a highly parallel form, and additional short fibers
are removed, producing excellent strength, fineness, and uniformity.



Continuous Filament - A long continuous, unbroken strand of fiber extruded
from a spinneret in the form of a monofilament. Most manufactured fibers such as
nylon, polyester, rayon, and acetate are made in continuous filament form.

Cotton - A unicellular, natural fiber that grows in the seed pod of the cotton plant
Fibers are typically 1/2 inch to 2 inches long. The longest staple fibers, longer than
1 1/2 inch, including the Pima and Egyptian varieties, produce the highest quality
cotton fibers.

Denier- A system of measuring the weight of a continuous filament fiber. In the
U S, this measurement is used to number all manufactured fibers and silk. The lower the number, the finer the fiber; the higher the number, the heavier the fiber.



Drape- The hang or stiffness a finished quilt or quilted clothing will have which is directly affected by the loft of the batting and the density of the quilting.

Fiber Content- is the type of natural or man-made material that makes up the batting. The fiber content gives you a key to how comfortable the quilt will be in different climates and what kind of care it requires.

Finish-The method used to treat the fibers in a batting. This can be needle punched, bonded (thermally or with resin) or can have a layers of scrim added.

Flax - The plant from which cellulosic linen fiber is obtained, it is one of the oldest textile fibers. These fibers are stronger and more lustrous than cotton and are very cool and absorbent.

Fleece - The wool shorn from any sheep, or from any animal in the wool category.

Garnetting-Is a process whereby individual cotton fibers of various lengths are laid into a thin web by combing. The garnett machine creates these webs and then lays one web on top of another forming a very specific size and weight cotton batt.

Glazing Finish-Typically the batting is passed through a mechanical process that applies resin to the surface of the web. The surface is “sealed” or “glazed”. This helps minimize the potential for bearding, bunching and shifting and results in good stability. Not to be confused with Stearn and Foster’s (Mountain Mist) Glazene® finish which is a water soluble starch based product that is applied to the surface of their cotton batting and washes away the first time it is laundered.

High Loft - A term given to a fiber structure that contains more air than fiber. It is
a lofty, low-density material.

Loft- The weight, thickness and resilience of batting.

Lyocell Fiber - A manufactured fiber composed of wood pulp cellulose.
Lyocell has a similar hand and drape as rayon, but is stronger, more durable, and
in many cases machine washable. It has a subtle luster. Lyocell possesses low shrinkage characteristics, as well as good absorbency. It is marketed in the U.S. as tencel



Migration/ Bearding- The movement of batting fibers which go from where they are sandwiched in the center through the quilt top or back to the outside surface of the finished quilt.

Mercerization - A process of treating a cotton yarn or fabric, in which the fabric
or yarn is immersed in a caustic soda solution (alkali) and later neutralized in acid. The
process causes a permanent swelling of the fiber, resulting in an increased luster
on the surface of the fabric, an increased affinity for dyes, as well as increased strength.

Microfibers/Microdeniers - The name given to ultra-fine manufactured fibers
and the name given to the technology of developing these fibers. Fibers made
using microfiber technology, produce fibers which weigh less than 1.0 denier. They have a superior hand, a gentle drape, and incredible softness. Comparatively, microfibers are two times finer than silk, three times finer than cotton, eight times finer than wool, and one hundred times finer than a human hair. Currently, there are several types of microfibers being produced. These include acrylic, nylon and polyester microfibers.



Needle Loom- A machine for bonding a nonwoven web by mechanically orienting
fibers through a web. The process is called needling, or needle punching. Barbed needles set into a board punch the fiber into the batt and withdraw, leaving the fibers entangled. The needles are spaced in a nonaligned arrangement. By varying the strokes per minute, the degree of penetration of the needles and the weight of the batting, a wide range of densities can be made. For additional strength, the fiber web can be needled to a bonded fabric. Bonding agents may also be used.



Needle punched- The process of punching hundreds of tiny barbed needles through the fibers which causes the fibers to interlock similar to needle felting. Needle punched wool or poly tends to migrate. But will not bunch or shift like plain carded products. Needle punched battings can also be thermal or resin bonded.



Needling-The act of passing a threaded needle through the top, batting, and back of a quilt during the quilting process.

Neps- Tiny wads or knots of entangled fibers which can make it difficult to needle.

Nonwoven Fabric - An assembly of fibers held together by mechanical interlocking in a random web or mat, by fusing the fibers or by bonding with a cementing medium such as starch, casein or glue, or synthetic resins. Initially, the fibers may be oriented in one direction or may be deposited in a random manner. This web or sheet of fibers is bonded together by one of the methods described above or needle punching.



‘Open’ Wool batting- Open wool refers to the cleaned, combed and carded wool that has not been bonded or needle punched and tends to beard (migrate) excessively.

Olefin (polyolefin/polypropylene) - A manufactured fiber characterized
by its light weight, high strength, and abrasion resistance. Olefin is also good at
transporting moisture, creating a wicking action. Most scrim is made of polypropylene.



Piecing/Splicing Batting- Refers to stitching two smaller pieces of the same batting together to make one larger piece to fit the size of a quilt. To achieve the best result this is best done by hand with a herringbone stitch and a curved seam.

PLA Polylactic Acid-A plastic substitute made from fermented corn.

Plain Batting-Plain or garnetted batting is fibers that have been processed through a garnett or carding equipment and layered with no other processes. It is not bonded together in any manner. It is very easy to quilt (needle), but has the potential for migration, bunching and shifting between the quilted lines. Requires quilting no more than ½” apart to prevent bunching.

Polyester - A manufactured fiber introduced in the early 1950s, it is second only to cotton in worldwide use. Polyester has high strength, excellent resiliency, and is resistant to shrinking and stretching. Polyester drys quickly and is used alone and in blends. Can



Powder Bonded- A carded web of batting is treated with a thermoplastic powder that has a melting point less than that of the fiber in the web. The powder is heated to its melting point through-air and infrared heating to affect bonding.



Pre-Soak- A treatment to pre-shrink a batting. This is usually done by filling a washing machine w/ hot water, submerging the unrolled batting and allowing it to soak (no agitation) and then spinning the water away. That is followed by rolling it in a towel, laying it flat, and allowing it to air dry or to tumble in the dryer. Follow manufactures’ instructions on the package, this is done to prevent any shrinkage of the finished quilt during subsequent washing and dryings. It will result in less of the puckered/antique look provided the fabrics in the top and back of the quilt were also pre washed.

Pulp- The end product of cooking wood chips, cotton, or some source of cellulose with water and appropriate chemicals. Used in the manufacture of cellulosic fibers.



Quilting - A fabric construction in which a layer of batting is placed
between two layers of fabric, and then held in place by stitching through all three layers in a
regular, consistent, all-over pattern.

Relax the batting-Refers to removing the batting from the packaging spreading it out so the distortion from being tightly packed can “relax”. Some quilters tumble their battings in a dryer on a no heat setting.

Resiliency- refers to the batting’s ability to retain its loft; to spring back to its original shape after being twisted, crushed, wrinkled, distorted, creased or folded.

Resin- A general term for solid or semi-solid natural organic substances, usually of vegetable origin which are soluble in alcohol or ether but not in water; or any of a large number of manufactured products made by polymerization or other chemical processes and having the properties of natural resins. These resins are applied to the fibers to give durability, crush resistance, stability, and hand. This resin coating can be sprayed to one or both sides of carded/garneted fibers. It is then dried and/or cured to form a bonded batting, generally referred to as bonding or bonded. This is used on a wide variety of fibers including polyester, cotton, wool, etc. This bonded batting resists bearding better than any other type of batting. There are many different types of fiber and resin combinations to give the desired “look” and “hand”. Combining processes, fibers and resins makes the resin bonded process the most versatile.



Shrinkage-Widthwise and lengthwise contraction of the fibers when exposed to wetting and drying or exposure to elevated temperatures. Generally this will be referred to in percentages on the labels of batting packages.

Scrim- A very thin, sheer layer of polypropylene that is needlepunched to one or both sides of a batting that helps to hold the fibers together and make it more stable. Generally makes it more difficult to hand needle.

Scouring-The use of high temperatures and caustic agents to remove seed wastes, oils. lanolin and debris to prepare fibers for bleaching or dying.

Shadowing-When the color of a batting is visible through the fabrics in the top, this may make whites/light colored fabrics appear darker or dingy. If you have white fabric in your top use a white (bleached) batting.

Siliconized- Treating fibers with silicon to make them softer, slicker and easier to needle.

Silk Fiber-A fine strong continuous filament produced by the larva of a silkworm when constructing its cocoons. Silk is noted for its strength, resiliency, and elasticity. The major sources of silk are Japan and China.


Size- Batting is available pre-packaged, cut in craft, crib or standardized bed sizes or on rolls in several different widths, by the yard.

Spinneret - A metal nozzle-type device with very fine holes used in the spinning
process of manufactured non woven fibers. The spinning solution is forced or extruded through the small holes to form continuous filament fibers. The holes in the spinneret can vary in diameter to produce fibers of various denier.


Splitting a batting-This refers to the peeling apart the layers of a batting into two equal sized batting pieces. The problem with doing this is if the batting is bonded or resin treated once it is “split” only one side is treated and the other size can now beard and migrate. This was a common practice before we had the large selection of lofts available today to achieve the loft the quilter preferred.

Standard pre-packaged sizes: Include- Craft 34X45, Crib 45 X 60, Throw 60 x 60, Twin 72 x 90, Full 81 x 96, Queen 90 x 108, Super Queen 121 x 93, and King 120 x120.

Stitch width/Quilting Distance- The recommended maximum amount of space in inches between quilted lines batting manufacturer recommend you do not exceed when quilting.

Tencel- A natural, manmade fiber. It is the trade name for the generic fiber Lyocell. Tencel is made from cellulose wood pulp, which is harvested from farmed eucalyptus trees grown on land unsuitable for food crops or grazing. This fiber represents milestones in the development of environmentally sustainable textiles. Used in blends it imparts new softness and drape. You will start to see tencel in sheets, exercise wear (as it wicks moisture away), and winter wear insulation, as well as batting. It is used extensively in conveyor belts, specialty papers, medical dressings and diaper wipes.

Thermal Bonding-Typically the batting fiber has a binder mixed/blended in it that melts at a lower temperature than polyester fiber. The blended web then is passed through an oven where the low temp melt binder will flow and bond to the surrounding polyester fibers. Problems with this type of bonding are the surface fibers are not secured and allow for migration. They cannot be dry cleaned and break down with regular washing faster than resin bonded products.

Wicking - The ability of a fiber or a fabric to disperse moisture and allow it to
pass through to the surface of the fabric, so that evaporation can take place.

Wool - Usually associated with fiber or fabric made from the fleece of sheep or
lamb. However, the term "wool" can also apply to all animal hair fibers, including
the hair of the Cashmere or Angora goat or the specialty hair fibers of the camel,
alpaca, llama, or vicuna.

List of the 63 different batting samples

Hobbs (12) 200 S Commerce Dr Waco TX 76710 1-800-433-3357 sales@HobbsBondedFibers.com


1. Tuscany-Polyester siliconized resin bonded

2. Polydown-Polyester siliconized resin bonded

3. Thermore-Polyester resin bonded ultra thin patented process

4. Tuscany Silk 90%/ 10% polyester lightly needle punched light resin bonded

5. Tucany Wool 100% resin bonded

6. Heirloom Cotton Fusible 80% cotton 20% Polyester resin bonding contains a fusible chemical that fuses to both sides.

7. Heirloom bleached 80% cotton 20% polyester lightly resin bonded

8. Heirloom Black 80% cotton 20% polyester lightly needle punched resin bonded

9.Heirloom Premium 80% cotton 20% polyester un-bleached lightly resin bonded needle punched

10. Heirloom Natural 100% organic cotton needle punched

11. Heirloom Bleached 100%cotton needle punched

12. Heirloom Natural w/ scrim un-bleached needle punched

Quilters Dream (9) 589 Central Dr. Virginia Beach, VA 23454 1-888-268-8664 quiltersdreambatting@juno.com

13. Dream Poly request loft 100% polyester needle punched no resin no scrim

14. Dream Poly select loft 100% polyester needle punched no resin no scrim

15. Dream Orient select loft 100% polyester needle punched no resin no scrim

16. Dream Green select loft 100% recycled plastic bottles needle punched no resin no scrim

17.Dream Cotton request loft 100% cotton needle punched no resin no scrim

18. Dream Blend select loft 70% cotton 30% polyester needle punched ultra light scrim

19. Dream Cotton select loft 100%cotton needle punched no scrim no resin

20. Dream Midnight black request loft 100% polyester needle punched no resin no scrim

21. Dream Angel request loft 100% flame retardant fibers needle punched

Mountain Mist (8) 2551 Crescentville Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45241 1-513-326-3912

22. Blue Ribbon 100% cotton needle punched water soluble resin bonded

23. Cream Rose 100% cotton needle punched no scrim no resin

24. Cotton Blossom 95% cotton 5 % wool resin bonded

25.Cotton Blossom 95% cotton 5 % silk resin bonded

26. Mountain Mist Light 100% polyester resin bonded

27. Mountain Mist Gold 50% cotton 50% polyester needle punched resin bonded

28. Heritage Collection Completely Cotton 100% lightly needle punched resin bonded

29. EcoCraft 50% PLA (corn) 50% cotton carded resin bonded

Fairfield (9) P.O.Box 1130 Danbury CT 06813 1-800-980-8000 consumer@poly-fil.com

30.Poly-fil low loft 100% polyester low melt bonded

31.Poly-fil Traditional Craft Batt 100% poly needle punched

32.Poly-fil Hi Loft 100% poly low melt bonded

33. Poly-fil Extra loft batting 100% poly low melt bonded

34. Fairfield Machine 60/40 60%bleached Cotton/40%Poly needle punched w/ scrim

35. Fairfield Soft Touch 100% bleached cotton needle punched No scrim or seed waste

36.Fairfield Quilters 80/20 Blend unbleached 80%cotton/20% poly needle punched

37.Fairfield Cotton Classic 100% Organic cotton no scrim unbleached water based bonding

38. Fairfield Bamboo Batting 50%organic cotton 50% bamboo needle punched w/ scrim

Fiberco (10) 1300 Eden Drive Ft Worth, TX 76117 1-800-828-3778 fiberco@fiberco.com

39. Simply Cotton 100% cotton bleached needle punched w/ scrim

40. Soy Soft unbleached 50% cotton 50% soy needle punched w/ scrim

41. Bamboo Blend 50%certified organic bamboo 50%Ultra-Clean ® cotton unbleached needle punched w/scrim

42.Simply Cotton 100% unbleached needle punched w/ scrim

43.Earth Blend 50% Flax 50% cotton unbleached needle punched w/scrim

44. Simply Bamboo 100% bamboo unbleached needle punched w/ scrim

45. Simply Soft and Safe 100% Rayon needle punched

46. Poly Perfect 100% polyester needle punched w/ scrim

47. Soft & Elegant 80% cotton 20% poly unbleached needle punched w/scrim

48. Super Soft Cotton 50% bleached cotton 50% slick poly needle punched w/scrim

Back to Back Alpaca (2) 5901 E McKellips Suite 109 Mesa, AZ 85215 1-480-445-9068 sue@backtobackalpaca.com

49. 50/50 Alpaca/ Cotton needle punched unbleached

50. 60/40 Alpaca/Wool needle punched unbleached

Moda (3) 13800 Hutton Dr. Dallas, TX 75234 www.modafabrics.com

51. Luna Kyoto 50%Bamboo 50% Cotton unbleached needle punched w/scrim

52. Luna Loft 80% Cotton 20% poly unbleached needle punched w/ scrim

53. Soy Soft 50% Soy 50% Cotton unbleached needle punched w/ scrim

The Warm Co. (8) 5529 186th Place SW Lynnwood, WA 98037 1-425-248-2424 info@warmcompany.com

54.Soft & Natural 100% cotton unbleached needle punched no scrim

55. Warm Blend 50% cotton 50% poly bleached needle punched w/ scrim

56.Insul-Bright 100% hollow polyester needle punched through metalized insulating poly

57.Warm & Natural 100%cotton unbleached needle punched w/ scrim

58. Warm & Safe 100% Rayon needle punched w/ scrim

59 Soft & Bright 100% hollow Polyester needle punched w/ scrim

60. Warm & White 100% bleached cotton needle punched w/ scrim

Other included in the Warm samples but NOT a Warm product

61. 100% Cotton flannel purchased by the yard at Joann’s

Whisper Color (1) 5709 Ravenswood Lane Carmichael, CA 95608 1-916-531-3163 Laurel@whispercolor.com

62. Whisper Color 100% Bamboo unbleached needle punched thin scrim

Cedarview Farms (1) 1-519-864-4470 3028 Kimball Road Courtright,ON www.cedarviewfarms.org

63. 100% Wool open batt no scrim no resins

Ready for lecture

Almost ready for my lecture have one more sample to make when it arrives and then print my handouts!

New Batting products

I just sent out two more request for batting samples to Fairfield for their new FUS-BOO fusible Bamboo and one to Whisper Color for samples of their bamboo, Cotton/poly and soy blend. It seems there are new products coming on the market every day. If any of my followers see a new product advertised in a magazine please bring it to my attention. I am desperately trying to keep up!

Happy Valentines Day!

This is a photo of a Valentine quilt I made for my husband years ago. My kids always called it  "The Love Quilt"  The fabric around the border says "I Love You" over and over but when you turn out the lights in glow in the dark letters it says things like "You never bring me flowers" , "Your mother's coming when?" "Feed the dog"," Mow the lawn"

 Have a wonderful Valentines Day filled with love from those you love.

I know I said I would get back to this after the show but...

My house is falling down around me, I watch a 1 year old on Mondays (he is teething, got nothing done that day) I have a meeting tomorrow and then my husband is off so it may be a while  yet. I have to get caught up around here. Before I can make the time for this.

Up before the sun and off to the show!

Well its 6:51 AM, I am up, showered, dressed, packed, sufficiently caffeinated and ready to go! Got a basket full of Caddies made that should be enough.

I have been so busy!

I have been filling my days with dieting (preping food, planning menus), exercising , walking 3 miles a day and car shopping, so sadly I have done nothing toward getting my handouts in order. But I did get a new car!! This weekend I am vending at the Manatee Quilt show w/ my buddy Dani who will be there with me and all her beautiful quilts and patterns. I am just now starting to make the Thread Caddies for this show I have no idea how I let time get away from me I am not usually a last minute Nelly, but here I am in a panic while gearing up for a mass production. I will just get as many as I can made in the next 4 days and thats the best I can do. So for now I have moved the batting to the back burner while I attend to these pressing matters, BUT I will return to this agenda, I promise.
Until then-
Hugs,
Debra

Things to Consider before choosing your batting

Things you will need to know (or make decisions about) before you can choose a batting to fit your project-

What is the size of your quilt top? Length________X Width________

What kind of quilt is it?

- Wall

-Bed

-Childs/Baby

-Garment

In what climate does the recipient live?

-Warm

-Cool

How will it be laundered?

-Frequent, probably thrown in a washer and dryer

-Seldom-by hand, laid flat to air dry

How will it be quilted?

-Hand

-Machine

-Tied

Distance of quilt space recommended by manufacturer? _______

Will the quilt be shown and/or judged?

What do you want the surface of your quilt to look like?

-Smooth and flat

-Puckered/ antique

Do you want your stitches to be accentuated?

Are you willing to pre-soak (preshrink) a batting product before you use it to get the results you want?

Is it more important to you to get the results you want or to buy the batting on sale or with a coupon?

Starting Mayo Clinic Diet tomorrow

Well I have purged my kitchen of unhealthy choices, bought a new pedometer, picked up my Mayo Clinic diet journal and my refrigerator is stocked with fresh pre-measured portions of healthy fruits and vegetables. Tommorrow is day one of the "Lose it" phase which is 14 days long. I have read the book and set my goals, taken my measurements. I  had a lot of false starts last year, do good for a week or two and then...fall back into late night snacking and other bad habits. Menopause hit me like a ton of bricks a couple of years after the quitting smoking weight gain and wa-la I find myself 50 lbs over weight and I cannot get out of my own way. The increase of weight is starting to give me joint issues so thats enough of that. Anybody out there want to join me, I love to hear from ya!

Here is what I have so Far

The total for batting samples is at 56. I am going to update the batting I have tested list after I post this. I had a few more request to batting manufactuers out there but have not recieved a response, so at this point I am assuming they don't wish to be included in these trials.

Here is a picture of all the samples...
Doesn't look like as much work as it was just hanging there. Trying to compile a handout for the trunk show but way too much going on this week. I watch a 10 month old little boy every Monday all day, Tuesday dentist appt.,Wednesday is my local TAS chapter meeting, so it looks like it will be Thursday before I can get back to that.

This morning I woke to ice in the dog's outside water bowl! Look at this photo of the thermometer at 8:30 AM
Brrrrrrr!

Four more samples to work up and I am done!

I have to quilt and bind my last 4 samples and I am caught up! Hooray! Then I need to spend some  time cleaning up my sewing studio. YIKES! There is about 4 projects that were on going in there along with the "batting explosion", I can't find a thing! Never mind think in this confusion. I am posting photos of this mess to shame myself into getting it straighten up.

A garden chair

The freezing cold has found its way to the Sunshine State. All of the shrubs in my yard are frozen. Not  a pretty sight.  These things usually only last a day or two at the most here, this has been going on for days with worse in the forecast. Yesterday I found a little tree frog near deaths door frozen on my driveway . I took him inside and ran warm water over him, I felt him stir ever so slightly in my hand. We were on our way out so I left him in the laundry room sink in the warm house. I came home to find him completely revieved and he is now happily living in my garden chair (which is inside the house until the freeze passes) behind the welcome sign. Maybe he bring me good favor and I won't have to do much of that frog sewing this year... rip it rip it!

What do you think????

I received some wonderful comments from Marit in Norway and she has what I thought were some great ideas, she said "I even wonder if it would be fun to do a quilting sample swap: quilt a sandwich, wash it, cut it up and send out to the swappers for inspiration / building a sample "library" (adding an unwashed piece of batting for reference)" and I started thinking I have leftover batting every time I make a quilt as I imagine all of you do too and this would be a great thing to do with those scraps. So I decided to put this out there to see if any of you would be interested in having your own "library" of quilted samples to refer to. I think a lot of you must be like myself and never throw away a scrap of anything even batting and maybe you already have a stash of batting scraps??? The problem will be did you save them in the bag they came in so you know for sure what brand it is?
 Anyway I am putting this idea out there to see what kind of response it receives. In Harriet Hardgraves book "From Fiber To Fabric" on page117 she recommends making your own batting samples and on Harriet's website she even sells a set of samples. Maybe we could form some sort of ring around the world of quilters that share samples made by a certain set of guidelines?
Well, let me know what YOU think!