Question About Piecing Batting
#1
Question About Piecing Batting
I've got all sorts of batting pieces that would fit together nicely to make a piece I can actually use for something other than a runner or coasters! I've tried zigzagging them together, but the seam ends up looking like a Frankenstein scar (too tight) or all bunchy with giant stitches. I'm sewing on a Janome 6500P. What is the best setting for success? Could it be the pressure of the foot? I'm not about to give up!
#4
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,548
I cut a straight edge on any pieces that are wonky and butt the straight edges together. I use a fairly big zig zag and open up the stitching so it isn't too dense. I don't want to create a ridge with the stitching. I stitch slowly so I can keep the edges against each other without them overlapping.
#6
Power Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 11,276
I really like the iron on tape, but just get a yard or two of iron on tricot stabilizer at JoAnn's & cut strips. As mentioned above, it's pretty amazing at how ugly it looks before sandwiching and after quilting you can't even find where it was joined.
#7
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Blue Ridge Mountians
Posts: 7,075
I lay a strip of iron-on batting tape, sticky side up, on the sewing machine, and butt 2 edges batting pieces in top. I zig zag a wide stitch catching the two pieces of batting with the tape underneath. When I am done stitching, I take it to the ironing board and press the sewed on tape to the batting for reinforcement. This takes out the bunchiness and make the pieces act like one batting.
this is the tape: http://www.joann.com/batting-tape-3q...2Btape&start=2
this is the tape: http://www.joann.com/batting-tape-3q...2Btape&start=2
#9
Power Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 17,861
Basically you just have to catch the two sides together, so open up your width as wide as it can be and lengthen out the stitch. It's a great time to use up ends of thread (bobbins and spools) as it will be buried in a quilt later! I don't worry about colours either, as I tend to use my patched batts in darker quilts, just in case the seaming should show through on a lighter coloured fabric.
When I am joining pieces, I make a fresh edge cut, on any angle to maximize the batting that will stay, and minimize the trim portions. Likewise a fresh cut on the piece I am adding. Or you can overlay the two, and cut through both at the same time, and you know for sure their lines will match.
Angled lines are actually better than all straights at 90°, as that way it will have your joins running on angles and less apt for anything to show through. Plus it helps avoid being right under a seamline of your quilt where you may be doing SITD or running down a section where you may have no quilting. With the angles, it is more likely to get quilted on top of, which will help stabilize the joins.
Some of my joined pieces are pretty small. Some are trimmings of the excess when I sandwich a quilt, and some may be a bit bigger but smaller than anything that I can see me using for a runner, etc.
I keep a patched batting WIP at the cutting table. As I have extras, I add on, instead of making it a major project later on. With it are some of the trimmings that don't get into the patchwork, for when I need narrow pieces for bag handles, or when I am doing a small test sandwich.
Last edited by QuiltE; 02-09-2017 at 07:02 AM.
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