Tuesday, 26 April 2011

the royal wadding

Sorry i couldnt resist the pun!
Anyone else think this weather is a bit freakish?
Lovely though!!
I've finished my wadding trials.
There were 8 samples in all,
bought from the cotton patch
It wasnt strictly a precise exercise as I 
also used it as a way to practice 
machine patching and quilting.
On the whole I've got a good idea of my preference
regarding shrinkage and drape.

ps.colours were not chosen to be adored
especially the string block!
apologies!!

So here we go.
lemon meringue zigzag
Hobbs heirloom premium.
80% cotton 20% polyester
Wadding is 4mm thick
and semi/soft.
No shrinkage after washing.
nice.
log cabin
Hobbs heirloom white
3mm and soft.
approx. 1/2" shrinkage
nice light weight drape.
pink-wheels
Hobbs heirloom wool
10mm and semi/soft
no shrinkage.
gives a kind of poofy look after washing.
A bit delicate for everyday use.
yellow aquares
Quilters cotton request
2mm and soft.
no shrinkage.
another light weighter.
(free hand quilting is tough!!!!)
green and black
Silk
10mm super soft!!
Maybe a tiny amount of shrinkage.
Really lovely for a special project,
but not for everyday use.
Hideous string block
Quilters dream blend
2mm softish
no shrinkage
lonestar
Quilters dream select
3mm and softer
Shrunk approx 1/4"
Remains quilt a bulky drape after washing,
nice traditional quilt feel.
pink bricks with terrible free hand hearts!!
Warm and natural
3mm and lumpy soft.
Shrunk a little.
Feels quite solid, after washing
All in all a good learning experience.
If you have never tried natural or a blend
before I highly recommend giving it ago.
I love the way the wadding grabs on to the fabric
which made pinning and quilting a lot easier.
Also the thought of machine quilting a large quilt
is less daunting now I've worked with these samples
as they are a dream to manoeuvre.
On the whole 
I enjoyed sewing the first wadding best, 
plus its a blend so the durabilty will be there.
But really, I think any of the cotton wadding would be fine.

20 comments:

elsy said...

just about to embark on my first machine quilt so this test of yours is invaluable....thanks

Pomona said...

Lovely seeing your samples - I agree that the cotton waddings seem so much nicer than the old-style polyester ones. I have just made my first quilt - to be featured on my blog shortly - so I am feeling quite proud of myself!

Pomona x

{Love, Love, Love} said...

My, you have been busy! THe weekend has been glorious, chilling in the garden, shopping and wondering the beautiful streets of Cambidge, walking down by the local river. I am glad that the weather is not so nice today as it made going back to work much easier! x

greenrabbitdesigns said...

Wow you have been busy! That is such a good idea to test the different wadding and find out what works for you. Although I'm not a pink person I do like the pinwheels pattern and I love the colours in the log cabin.
Will all your test pieces be turned into something else now e.g. cushions etc.?
Vivienne x

Simone said...

Wow Clare! You are so disciplined! Thanks for doing all the hard work for us. If I ever need to make a quilt I will come to this post for reference! Well done.

Jessica said...

thanks for sharing your trial with us. it's nice to have this info~

Jenny Bartoy said...

I love this experiment, Clare! All your blocks look so lovely.

Beth of The Linen Cat said...

Great post and super useful as I never know which to go for (and loving the additional comments on your colour/quilting, they did make me laugh!).

Beth/The Linen Cat :)

Unknown said...

lovely test - great idea and I loved your quilting! I'm still battling with the whole FMQ thing and I think your free hand hearts were great! :)

Diane said...

Ive only ever bought the polyester stuff from John Lewis, so I will have a go at using some of this - though I don't know which! I will definately leave you some treasure to find at Ayr - let me know before you go and I'll send you a treasure map! xxxxx

Serenata said...

Great review and samples, very interesting, I didn't realise there were quite so many types of wadding!

Jessica Wright said...

Oooh this is helpful! I just tend to go for Warm and Natural but lately it's been on the incredibly natural side (including bits of stick). I ordered some heirloom 80 20 a while ago but fearing change haven't used it yet..today I shall. Whoop.

lynda said...

I prefer the dream cotton, lightest one in weight...only use warm and natural for rag quilts as it is often 50% off at JoAnn's!!
I LIKE my wadding (batting) to shrink and do not prewash my fabrics so the shrink up a bit and have an old quilt look and feel...

Yvonne Moxon said...

Interesting exercise, well done you for taking the time to try out all those different kinds of wadding. When I make a quilt I always source and use a wool blanket for the inside, I like them to have weight and these are best for me for that purpose. I do however use wadding for other things such as crib bumpers etc. I like the string quilt sample and the freestyle hearts, these things should never be perfect.

Annette - MyRoseValley said...

Wonderful exercise. I would never have the patience to do a trial like this. Love the pinwheel block and the string block even though you think it is hideous (not!!!). Thanks for sharing.:D

Annette - MyRoseValley said...

Dear Summerfete,
That is true! I've been watching and I've noticed that there is like a "lead cow". She takes off and starts moooohing loudly and within a couple of minutes they are all on their way up on the top of the hill, 5 pm sharp. I am not sure if they get special food up top or what but about an hour later they all come down again to stay for the night underneath the apple trees.

In the morning it is the same. When I take a shower at 5.45am they all are sleeping under the trees, at 6 am when I dry my hair I see them all getting up to walk up the hill in a row. At 7 am when I leave for work they are all coming down again... Funny.

Xxx
Take care. Annette

Hoola Tallulah said...

Ah this is SO helpful, I am making my first quilt and have been checking out wadding with a rising sense of panic, now I feel a bit more clued up so THANKS! Btw, am seriously drooling over your patchwork and quilting, wowsers!

Leila said...

Came over from Lynne's. I have been meaning to...well, I have known I should do a test like this, but have never done it as I would just rather jump in and do something. I am so glad you did it. :) Now I know what to look for.

Mary said...

You did a fantastic job on this little {or not so little} exercise. Interesting...I usually always go for the same batting. At least a couple of different battings I use over and over again. The last quilt I made with Warm and Natural 100% cotton seemed very heavy. But that is good for winter :) I love quilter's dream both the cotton and the blend. Some people shy away from a blend but I do think they have a very nice drape.

DevonMaid said...

Thank you, that's really very useful to known - and good to read a patchwork blog from the UK! Reading all these US blogs I feel rather isolated sometimes!