Want to use up small leftover pieces of batting?
Because I make a lot of quilts, I have a lot of leftover batting that I hate to throw out. The small pieces are great for hot pads and placemats. I also use them for padding in packages to be shipped – much better for the environment than styrofoam peanuts. The large pieces of batting can be pieced together by hand to use in bed-size quilts. A little preparation ensures that the pieced batting will stand up to normal wear and tear on a quilt. First lay the batting pieces on a rotary cutting mat, overlapping by about 4”, and rotary cut a gentle wavy line through both pieces.
In the next post, I’ll show you a great way to join smaller pieces of batting for doll quilts and wallhangings.
Submitted by Marje Rhine, technical pattern editor for American Quilter magazine
good tip thanks
I always chuckle at descriptions of elaborate, time-consuming methods for “piecing” batting.
For most large projects, all you need to do is arrange the batting pieces, slightly overlapping them. Then simply sandwich and quilt as usual. The quilting will keep the pieces from shifting around. The “lumps” will be inconspicuous.
I suppose if I were doing some sort of fancy whole-cloth show quilt where every “flaw” would be visible, I’d be less cavalier about the subject. But I first saw this technique on a quilt I had professionally long-arm quilted. If the quilter had not pointed out the “join” to me, I would never have noticed it. [She pieced the batting because it was a quilt for a very sick child and she included the batting free in my job.] I’ve since used the same technique with no issues at all!
I am a hand quilter and I feel that the two edges do have to be whip stitched together. I also use the serpentine cut because it is less likely to show in the finished product. Your eye does not see the wavy line as much as a straight line if the quilt is held up to the light.
I use a hand held felting tool to meld pieces together
That felting idea is…priceless! Does it work with all fibers?