How Much Quilting is Enough
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 673
How Much Quilting is Enough
How do you know how much quilting is enough? Does it depend on the batting? Whether it's polyester or cotton? I know the packages have recommendations. But I buy by the bolt from Hobby Lobby and there is no label. I mainly quilt children's quilts for charity. So I want them to last, but also don't want to spend way too much time doing intricate quilting.
Any advice would be helpful.
Susan
Any advice would be helpful.
Susan
#3
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Central NJ
Posts: 5,572
If you know the manufacturer of the batting you're buying by the bolt (and I'm sure you do), you could look on the manufacturer's website to find the quilting recommendations. Any batting, I would think, should not need to be quilted more than 3-4" apart in each direction so a simple cross hatch should be good as well, I would think.
#4
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Michigan
Posts: 119
I find that the closer the quilting the stiffer the quilt. I like a soft quilt so I usually stay within the distance noted on the package. Check with the store about the kind you have for the recommended size. Have fun .
#5
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Florida
Posts: 5,973
That's a good question. I have seen some quilts where the micro quilting makes it almost cardboard thin and about as stiff. Others where there is so little quilting, I wonder if it will hold together in the wash. I usually use a 80 20 batting. I have a tendency to do a meander about as big as a 3" puzzle piece. But then I am definitely a piecer not a quilter. Once a top is done, I quickly finish so I can start on another.
#6
The batting I buy by the bolt from Hobby Lobby is Warm and Natural. If that is what you are buying, the instructions say every ten inches. I like my piecing to show more than I like the quilting to show, so this works really well for me.
Dina
Dina
#7
Power Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 11,276
The minimum is totally dependent on your batting. Read the packaging (or look on their web site). It clearly states how many inches/cm apart you can safely quilt. If you go beyond the maximum indicated, your batting can shift thru use and laundering and your quilt will be ruined.
#8
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 15,639
There is the "enough" statement from the manufacturer which is the maximum distance between quilting lines AND there is the "enough" decision based on your own personal preference. I always quilt closer than the maximum recommendation. In my early days, I did only SID. Now I branch out with other quilt patterns. As I watch more tutorials on FMQ and practice more, I find myself putting in more design - particularly background design.
#10
Power Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Mableton, GA
Posts: 11,355
I like as little quilting as possible, which is my preference. I use batting that doesn't require dense quilting. While I appreciate the talent it takes to do some of the dense quilting, it isn't for me.
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05-09-2012 04:42 PM