Just finshed the batting samples for Matilda's own brand

I received 4 samples from Matilda's Own line a 100% wool batt, a wool/cotton blend, a wool/poly blend and I believe the last one is a Silk/cotton blend but I am not 100% percent sure and have put in a call to the person who sent them to me to make sure as I cetainly do not want to mislabel any samples. That puts the grand total to 87 different samples! These are from a line of batts from Australia, all are needle punched with a light scrim and no binders. For more info on the batting line see the link below-

http://www.victoriantextiles.com.au/files/batting_care.pdf

More batting samples on their way!

Finally was able to make contact with Matilda's and have samples of their batting line on the way!!

Off to buy more muslin to prepare to make samples when the batting arrives!

NEW List of battings tested thus far 3/11/2011

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% bleached 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 silk, tencel, bamboo and cotton blend 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% cotton lightly needle punched resin bonded


29. Eco Craft -50% PLA (corn) 50% cotton carded resin bonded


Fairfield (12) 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


39.Fairfield Fusi Boo- bamboo, rayon, cotton blend, Fusible, needle punched


*40.Fairfield Wool -100% wool, resin bonded, unbleached


*41. Nature-Fil- 50% rayon from Bamboo 50% organic cotton, needle punched w/ scrim


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


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


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


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


45. Simply Cotton -100% unbleached needle punched w/ scrim


*46. Earth Blend -50% Flax 50% cotton unbleached needle punched w/scrim


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


48. Simply Soft and Safe- 100% Rayon needle punched


49. Poly Perfect -100% polyester needle punched w/ scrim


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


51. 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


52. 50/50 Alpaca/ Cotton- needle punched unbleached


53. 60/40 Alpaca/Wool -needle punched unbleached


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


*54. Luna Kyoto- 50%Bamboo 50% Cotton unbleached needle punched w/scrim


*55. Luna Loft -80% Cotton 20% poly unbleached needle punched w/ scrim


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


The Warm Co (7). 5529 186th Place SW Lynnwood, WA 98037 1-425-248-2424 info@warmcompany.com


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


Other (1) included in the Warm samples but NOT a Warm Co. product


64. 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


65. Whisper Color -100% Bamboo unbleached needle punched thin scrim


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


*66. 100% Wool-open batt no scrim no resins


Pellon –Legacy (17) 1- 727-388-7171 mspellon@verizon.net


67. Soy Blend -50% Soy 50% cotton needle punched w/ scrim


68. Bamboo Blend-50%cotton/50%bamboo blend, needle punched w/ scrim


69. White Cotton-100% bleached cotton, needle punched, no scrim


*70. Natural Cotton- 100% natural cotton needle punched, no scrim


*71. Wool- 100% super washed wool thermal bonded w/ binder fibers


72. Natural 80/20 Blend- 80% cotton/20% poly, needle punched bonded, no scrim


73. 100% Polyester- Bonded (pre-test on dark fabrics for bearding) no scrim


74. 100% White cotton w/s-100 % bleached cotton, needle punched with scrim


75. 100% Natural Cotton w/s-unbleached, needle punched with scrim


76. Natural Blend 80%cotton/ 20% polyester, needle punched to a light scrim


77. Light Blend-50%bleached cotton/50%slick polyester, needle punched w/ scrim


78. Dark Blend-70% bleached cotton that has been dyed black, 30%.Polyester needle punched, with scrim


*79. Flax Linen Blend-50%cotton/50%flax (linen, needle punched w/ scrim


80. FR Rayon-Fire resistant 100% rayon, needle punched w/light weight scrim, shrinkage 4-6%pre-soaking recommended


81. Ultra Thin Poly-(998) 100% siliconized micro denier polyester fibers


82. Pellon Fleece-(988) 100% polyester needle punched


83. Thermolam Plus-100% polyester, needle punched designed for home dec & craft projects

Matilda’s Own (4) 458 Danbury Rd A-18 New Milford, CT 06776 info@sewcraft.com 203-395-4720

84.Wool/Cotton Blend 60%wool40%cotton needle punched w/scrim

85.Wool/Poly 60%wool 40%polyester needle punched w/scrim

86.Wool 100% wool needle punched  w/ scrim

87. Silky Cotton 60% Silk 40% cotton needle punched w/scrim

I have marked a few w/ a red astrix that I plan to use in future projects that I found noteworthy during the testing process.

Straight cut fuse

I heard back from Jeanne she said "The trick with using straight cuts is to glide the heat of the iron across the batting tape without adding any down pressure" So I am going to try again using her advice  soon and I will let you know how I do and I will hand needle that sample as well-until then
Debra

Content Information

I heard back from Jeanne about the Heat Press Tape she promptly replied to my e-mail request and informed me the tape is 100% polyester. She also said you really have to do some testing of your own depending on what brand of iron you are using. Here is what she said-
"The fabric content is polyester. The product has a 2 second fuse with the tempature of 250 degrees. Although our irons aren't calabrated in degrees, I have found that the synthetic setting  is a good start for 100% polyester and the rest of the batting contents can go up to the wool setting. In testing, we also found that each iron company has different tempature settings for synthetic to wool. So, the metal sole irons must be tested with the product and a paticular chosen batting content. The teflon sole irons are not as hot and do not present the same problem. Some quilters are using the applique sheets on 100% polyester batting, especially the light fluffy batting that most charities are using today."
Thanks Jeanne for your quick reply and all that great information!

Have you ever needed to put two pieces of batting together to get the size you needed?

I attended a quilt show this past Friday and found a product I decided to test and include in my batting lectures. The name of the product is "Heat Press Batting together" by Jeanne Harwood Designs (http://www.heatpressbattingtogether.com/). I paid $8.00 for a 10 yard roll of 1 1/2 " wide tape. There was no fiber content information on the packaging or on the web site so I have written and requested this information and I will post it as soon as I hear back from them.

 I tested the fusible cloth tape on a soy/cotton blend (50%/50%) using a straight cut, butting the edges together and fusing using the recommended iron settings. I was less than pleased with the gap that was visible where the two pieces of batting don't quite meet up. I tried this fusing process again this time I pre-ironed the batting giving it three good bursts of steam with my steam generator. My thinking here was maybe the fibers were drawing up from the heat during the fusing process and causing the gap. I did not have any more success than the first effort. I went ahead and  sandwiched this between two layers of 100% cotton muslin and quilted it using a 3/4" diagonal grid on the machine using a walking foot and 100% cotton Aurafil thread. I then serged around the edge and washed the sample and threw it in the dryer, hoping maybe the gap would somehow pull together and go away in the washing/drying process, it did not. Here is a photo of the finished sample. I have it taped to the window so you can see the light through the gap.

  Now maybe I am being too much of a perfectionist here. If you were making a quilt with darker fabrics you probably wouldn't even notice this.

I decided to do the test again this time I pre steamed the batting and then I over lapped the edges of the batting and used my rotary cutter to cut through both layers making a wavy cut. This is the method I have always used to join batting, a curved seam join, but with hand stitching. Harriet Hargrave recommends this method in her book "From Fiber to Fabric" see page 120

(I am using Pellon Flame Retardant Rayon Batting scraps in this test.) I found it much easier to get the curved edges to fit against the other with no gaps. I have them slightly apart in this picture so you can see the cut. Then I butted them together and fused the join. I sandwiched this sample the same as the first

and quilted and serged the edges and washed and dried the sample same as the first. This photo shows the results. I have my finger on the Heat Press tape so you will be able to find it as I had a hard time locating it. As you can see there are no gaps I was able to achieve a nice clean join. The laundering process did not affect the join or shift the edges apart. I have not tried to hand stitch through this product yet. It is so thin and light weight I can't imagine it would offer resistance to needling unless the bonding agent (fusible) does. Here is a close up of the tape, fusible side up.

As you can see it is very sheer almost tricot like. So I found this product to be quite a time saver when you need to quickly and effortlessly join two batting pieces and in today's economy we might find that to be a real money saver allowing us to use up every piece of batting and not waste any scraps. I would however recommend pre-steaming the area to be joined and using a curved seam.

Would I use it in a heirloom Baltimore Album quilt? Personally, no but I wouldn't piece my batting in that instance either, nor would I use any fusible product such as fusible batting. They haven't been around long enough to stand the test of time. Who know how these "glue/binding" agents will break down in time or what effect they will have on our cotton fabrics. Please note these binding agents are also present in some thermal bonded battings if you have concerns about these agents you may want to avoid them too. I know the quilters in the past were probably thrilled to have colorfast fabrics in their day but would be horrified if they saw the affects some of the mordants used to make them colorfast had on the fabrics, eating away at the fibers until there was nothing left.

For using up batting scraps in everyday utilitarian quilts I say thumbs up! Thanks Jeanne for bringing us this time saver! 

A video demo of this available on Utube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0KtXtgpka8

The Pellon Legacy Line is done

Well I did finish the Pellon Legacy line on the day of my last post. There are some nice ones in this line and some are being carried in Jo Ann's now on the bolt, which is nice because we can grab them at the last minute (I NEVER do that do you??) and use a COUPON!
So nice to have the sewing studio back in order and have that off my list of things to do . I have to admit after making 83 166 (83 times 2 cause there is one washed and one un-washed sample for each brand) samples and binding each one I am slowing down. But all it will take is for some new fiber combos to hit the market and my fingers will be itching to try them.
If anyone sees any new batting on the market anywhere please let me know so I can get my hands on it!

I am SEW ashamed to admit...

that I STILL have not gotten through the Pellon Legacy line. I am working on it at present and had to get up and take a break.(not my favorite thing to do -machine work that is, and this work is so repetitive and boring it is quite difficult to stay focused and on task!) I figured I better get upgraded here too as I have been negligent in keeping up with my blogs again too!!! I WILL finish these samples today!!
 I have been doing some more fiber research and found some interesting facts I thought I would share with you-
Soybean fiber which I thought was a fairly new discovery was in fact invented by Henry Ford in 1937  and was termed as soy “Wool". Henry Ford also made a suit and necktie from soybean fiber (see photo of him in said suit) and used this unique fiber in car upholstery. Soybean like wool was also a victim of the war and the cheaply available man-made fibers.
The new current method of making soybean fiber was invented in 1998 and was promoted in 2000. The advantages of soybean fiber being blended with cotton (50/50) is said to: Enhances the comfort, luster, moisture-permeability, quick-dry and drape properties of cotton. I do have some concerns with the color of the soy batting products showing through the fabrics of our quilt tops as it has a distinctively darker color than un-bleached cotton, with a some what yellow/orange tinge in every brand I have tested. I was really surprised to see what other raw materials fiber manufacturers are using to create new up and coming fiber products Corn (PLA)-there is already batting available made from this, Milk (casein), hemp, banana
and sea weed (called Sea Cell) who knows what other new blends the future of quilt batting will hold. Alright I better get back to work... those samples won't sew themselves!

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.