any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rebecca Dutcher on March 16, 2014 at 9:36am

Cotton or polyester or a blend. Depending on how you like the finished look. Oh and how close u want to quilt. Different types of batting have different required quilting distances between rows. The batting will have some directions to help u choose. Rebecca

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by quiltbabe on March 18, 2014 at 6:38am

Hi Julia - welcome to a new obsession. The "stuff" in between the layers is called batting. There are many, many choices, but for a beginner, I'd try Hobbs Heirloom (on sale right now at Connecting Threads!). It's not too heavy, quilts well without popping up through the weave (called "bearding") and washes beautifully.

Best tip: do some practice sewing quarter inch seams. Cut two, 2 1/4"  square pieces. Layer right sides together and sew the seam. Press the seam to one side. Now measure the joined pieces. They should measure exactly four inches. If not, cut another two, layer and sew again, adjusting your seam width in the direction you need (more than 4", make a slightly wider seam, less than 4", a slightly narrower seam). Iron and measure again. Do as many times as needed to get that 4" width. When you finally have one sewn perfect, mark the bed of your sewing machine with masking tape, so you can repeat that perfect seam every time.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by leah anderson on March 25, 2014 at 9:28pm

Hi Julia,  I agree with Quiltbabe this is a fun obsession. Being a self taught quilter my best advice is to start simple. Try a log cabin or nine patch. My mistake was trying to start with a lone star quilt. Epic mistake. I never did finish that quilt. Good luck and have fun!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Preeti Harris on March 27, 2014 at 5:27am

Welcome to quilting. It is a fulfilling hobby and you will be learning forever. I am newbie as well. I like to piece but I am not very fond of quilting process. Therefore I choose a batting which does not require close quilting. I use "Warm & Natural" because you can quilt up to 10 inches apart. Have fun :-)

• ▶ Reply