Friday, 23 January 2015

The search for loft


For some reason I have always used cotton batting. When the time came to buy some more, I wanted to see if I could get more loft and after some research came up with a polyester and a wool batting. I bought a meter of both and made did some trials using cotton and metallic fabric.



First the Polyester Quilters' Dream high loft batting. It certainly puffs up the solid circles but doesn't seem to like the larger rings.


Now with metallic fabric


The circles puff up nicely. Heavily quilted, this batting disappears to almost nothing.


Now the wool. I am not sure you can see much difference on the pictures, but there is a big difference in feel.


The puff, though not higher, has much more substance to it. It is much more springy.


With the metallic, again solid circles well. There is some puckering on the rings, but that is also slightly due to the plastic nature of this metallic fabric.


Side view show the loft well.

I'm not sure the evidence is conclusive in these pictures, but for me, wool batting/wadding wins hands down.

Thanks for visiting...

Hilary Florence


Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/
WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/
WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @  http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/
I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/
Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

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21 comments:

  1. Shannon23 January 2015 at 16:43

    I love wool batting. I've used it in my art quilts for as long as I've been making them. The puff is just great. Sometimes if I want to have lots of body, I'll double batt with cotton on the bottom and wool on the top (or even two wool which is a bit insane). I do usually use cotton in my baby and bed quilts, although I don't make many of those.

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  2. Kaja23 January 2015 at 18:37

    I love wool too. Absolutely worth the extra cost for me.

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  3. Norma Schlager23 January 2015 at 18:47

    I have only tried some wool samples that I bought at Houston several years ago. It certainly does give a nice loft. Your samples are incredible!

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  4. Sherrie Spangler23 January 2015 at 19:26

    I love your metallic fabric and the shadows created by the quilting. Gorgeous.

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  5. Muv23 January 2015 at 20:44

    Hello Hilary,

    The gold is looking fab as ever.

    The circles on the last picture look really nicely puffed up. I've never been very adventurous with wadding. Cotton for the posh stuff, polyester when I can get away with it. Wool sounds really interesting, and I can imagine the difference in texture.

    Thank you for linking up with Free Motion Mavericks!

    Love, Muv

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  6. What Comes Next?23 January 2015 at 21:30

    I just love the look of your quilting on that metallic fabric! Wool is a favourite of mine, not only for the loft, but because it is light, and doesn't feel damp in this very wet place that I live! Polyester always feels damp and clammy to me.

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  7. Sue C 23 January 2015 at 22:16

    What a great experiment. I think the real difference with these 2 battings comes down to feel. Wool batting is so soft and cuddly compared to polyester which is stiffer. I always use cotton but really should experiment more with wool. Your samples all look great by the way. The metallic ones are especially awesome!

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  8. Anonymous24 January 2015 at 02:39

    I love the intricate quilting you do, and the post on batting is perfectly timed. I am planning to stock up on batting on an upcoming trip and have been trying to decide what to buy. Wool is definitely high on the list.

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  9. Linda M24 January 2015 at 13:28

    I just cleaned out a closet and found a two nice size samples of batting, one wool and one silk, now you've inspired me to compare them to the cotton I normally use.

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  10. Bethany Garner24 January 2015 at 13:52

    Terrific trials for the ply and wool batt...very interesting that neither took the big curves well - do you always stitch inner and outer curves in the same direction? A change in direction might make a difference. The quilting work is stunning either way.
    Bethany in Kingston, ON Canada

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  11. Mardi24 January 2015 at 20:36

    I have been working on one quilt for almost a year now. I decided to take my daughter's suggestion and use a wool batt plus a cotton batt. I should have used the low loft Quilter's Dream, but used the medium. This thing is sooooooo heavy! However, I have been able to manage it. Where heavily quilted it squashes up beautifully. Where I need puff I have the most beautiful puff. Sooooo I guess it is worth it as it is looking nice. I'm not sure I will do it this way again, but who knows? Your samples are beautiful.

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  12. Tomomi McElwee24 January 2015 at 23:28

    I heard a lot about wool wadding but haven't seen one in Ireland yet! I just switched better cotton wadding and hopefully get better result from his one. Love the glow in your photos ;)

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  13. Wonderbunnie Designs25 January 2015 at 17:27

    I love love love the metallic fabric! How cool is that. Your FMQ is stunning!

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  14. Teresa Duryea Wong25 January 2015 at 20:22

    I have used wool batting quite often. It is the best for sure. You did a great job with these photos... very difficult thing to attempt to visaulize!

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  15. JanineMarie25 January 2015 at 21:14

    I have not used wool batting, but I really like how it looks in your pictures. It's always so helpful when quilters share how their batting turned out, so thanks!!

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  16. Anita28 January 2015 at 18:19

    It is interesting to see the difference in batting for a quilt! I have used wool a few times, and I agree that it gives the quilt a good feel, and it is also warmer than cotton batting.

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  17. Renee28 January 2015 at 21:00

    Interesting review! I haven't tried the poly, but I like the way wool quilts up! On the other hand I have a mild allergy and hate the smell, haha.

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  18. Charlotte Scott28 January 2015 at 22:11

    And wool creases less than cotton which is a consideration if you are folding and shipping quilts to shows etc. Don't know how poly performs in the crease test but probably better than cotton. Love the FMQ on the metallic, looks awesome!

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  19. Regina29 January 2015 at 15:42

    Absolutely awesome quilting, and your comparison is so helpful. I almost exclusively use polyester batting as that is what my clients want. On a few occasions I have used cotton, but I dislike that even pre-shrunk cotton shrinks again a bit with each wash.

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  20. QuiltShopGal30 January 2015 at 04:05

    I personally have not worked all that much with wool batting, but I have liked it and heard good things from those that have tested various battings. Your post does a great job showing the benefits and you have now sold me. I definitely want to use more wool batting, even though it isn't always that easy to find where I live. Thank you. Total #CreativeGoodness too!

    QuiltShopGal
    www.quiltshopga.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. QuiltShopGal30 January 2015 at 04:05

    I personally have not worked all that much with wool batting, but I have liked it and heard good things from those that have tested various battings. Your post does a great job showing the benefits and you have now sold me. I definitely want to use more wool batting, even though it isn't always that easy to find where I live. Thank you. Total #CreativeGoodness too!

    QuiltShopGal
    www.quiltshopga.com

    ReplyDelete

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