As with fabric and threads, your
choice of batting can be broadly
divided into cotton or polyester. Think
about how thick you want your quilt to
be, as you can choose between a low
(thin) or high (thick) loft. For most
projects, low loft is fine – high loft
batting can be harder to quilt.
Cotton batting stays cool in
summer but warm in winter, so is ideal
for bedding. It’s generally low loft but
this doesn’t affect its ability to keep
you warm. Polyester batting is lighter
than cotton and can withstand regular
washing, but you might find you
overheat under a quilt made with
100% polyester batting. Polycotton
blend batting is a great way to get the
natural properties of cotton with the
durability of polyester.
Aside from these popular options,
other speciality battings are available.
Heat-proof batting is great if you want
to make oven gloves or a case for hair
straighteners. Bamboo/cotton blend
batting is eco-friendly and naturally
anti-bacterial. Silk batting is very soft- perfect for a quilt top made from silk
or any other delicate fabric. Wool
batting has similar properties to
cotton, although you might find it is a
little more expensive. And then there
is bonded or fusible batting which has
a very thin layer of adhesive applied to
the surface to help it keep its shape
and stop the fibres (or ‘bearding’)
poking through your material.
If you’re making items that require
heat resistance, such as potholders,
look out for batting that has been
designed specifically for this purpose
like Insul-Bright as it will reflect either
the heat or cold back to its source.
Interfacing is a useful material that can
reinforce or stiffen your fabric. You attach it to
the wrong side of your work, so it shouldn’t be
visible once your project is finished. Available
in iron-on (fusible) or sew-in (non-fusible)
forms, interfacing is also categorised by being
woven or non-woven. Non-woven can be
easier to work with as there’s no fabric grain to
match with your top fabric.
Interfacing also comes in a variety of
weights – you’ll want to use one that’s a little
lighter than the fabric to which it will be
attached. For quilting, lightweight interfacing
is useful for stabilising delicate fabric such as
silk. If you’re making something like a bag and
want to strengthen the handle then
medium-weight would be better. Heavy and
ultra-heavy interfacing is used for garments
such as coats, or for things like fabric baskets
so they stand up. They’re both considered to
be too thick for everyday quilting.
The final choice when choosing interfacing
is the colour. It’s available in white or charcoal
versions (light or dark) so you’ll want to choose
the colour that won’t show through your top
fabric. In most cases this will be white, but it’s
always a good idea to try a sample first.INTERFACING
A bit like double-sided sticky tape for
quilters, fusible web makes appliqué really
simple. You simply draw your shape onto
the papery side of the web, cut it out and
iron it onto the wrong side of your fabric.
You can then accurately cut out your fabric
around the web and fuse the shape to your
backing fabric by pressing it in place with
an iron before sewing your appliqué
stitches around the edge.
As with interfacing, fusible web is
available in different weights, so choose
the one that most closely matches the
thickness of the fabric you’re working with.FUSIBLE WEB
BATTING