Quick-Tip: Batting

I have been purchasing the cheapest batting at JoAnn's - you know, the one they have rolled up and it is normally $12.99, but with your 40% off coupon it is a steal of a deal? I'm sorry I don't have details, apparently I need to pay more attention to the batting I am buying! Anyway, this particular batting was part cotton and polyester as well as about a half inch thick. It worked well enough for me until one day I decided to buy a thinner batting for a baby blanket. (Quick-tip within a quick-tip: thinner batting is nicer for baby blankets because it is easier for the mom to wrap the baby up in the blanket. Something I determined after having my first child.) 

So I bought something like this:

This batting is more like 1/4" thick and made of cotton. When I went to do the stippling on the quilt it was 10 times easier, my fabric (top and bottom) didn't bunch and create folds, and it was easier to trim up the edges for binding. When it came time to bind the quilt, I couldn't believe how much easier that was to do! I had no problems at all! Plus my binding didn't have any folds in it and my corners turned out perfect. 

I've been seriously quilting for 3 years now and I have always had some type of issue when it came to binding. I couldn't believe the difference a change it batting made. So now I will be changing my batting purchasing habits! 

Quick-Tip: Stippling

A good way to keep a firm grim on your fabric/quilt while stippling is to wear gardening gloves. There are special quilting gloves you can buy, but this is the cheaper (and just as good) alternative! 

Quick Tip: Bordering Your Quilt

So I have this panel (shown in the middle), and plan to make this quilt up for Christmas! What I love about this quilt is that the outer border is just one fabric. You can take any striped fabric, stick it around your quilt in a perpendicular fashion, and your quilt will look more complex than it really is! You can also sew a line through some of the stripes (with the batting and bottom layer of the quilt) to make it look even more like separate pieces of fabric.