So this is my third half square triangle quilt in as many months, but it turned out very differently from the two before it after I was forced to deviate from my normal wadding choice.
Firstly I should say that I normally buy my wadding by the bolt, but since we have nowhere to store it at the moment I am buying it as and when I need. This lead to the rare situation of being completely out of it when I realised that I needed to finish a quilt quicker than expected. So I went to the Eternal Maker on Friday and bought some of their Eco wadding which is £11 a metre. Grand total for 1.5 metres was £16.50.
I didn't get a chance to baste it till Saturday night and when I unrolled the wadding I realised that it was uneven thickness with a really large thread bare patch in the middle (you could actually see through it!) The Eternal Maker wasn't open again till 10am on Monday so I was forced to consider other options...
In the end I went to Falcon Fabrics and found some poly-wadding which was £2.50 a metre, a total of £3.75, that's £12.75 cheaper than the other stuff! I was VERY nervous about using it, but if you don't try different things you will never make discoveries.
So the verdict? It was much puffier than the cotton wadding I normally use, which luckily worked well with the fact I made a square quilt intending it as a playmat. It was harder to baste successfully (a bit of bunching as I quilted) and the end result doesn't have the weight or flexibility to fold neatly. I wouldn't use it again for my own quilt, BUT if you are making as a gift it certainly helps cut the costs down a lot. The one thing I won't know of course, is whether it beards later on...
A few notes on the quilt itself... It is 40" square, made from 10 squares originally cut at 5 inches. The fabric choices were based around the hedgehog fabric as this is a gift for a baby whose mother is involved in some local conservation work.
The rest is a mixture of Kona solids (School Bus, Pond, White and Ash) and some low volume from my stash. I backed it with grey gingham from Ikea (about £6 a metre I think) and bound it with Kona Orange which I *just* managed to do with a fat quarters worth. I would have preferred to match it with the School Bus in the quilt, but it was a case of what I had to hand at the time...
I love reading your thought process. And think you playmat looks great! I used poly too for playmats
ReplyDeleteWadding is like marmite. You either love or hate a brand. Everyone raved about Heirloom and I tried it and hated it. It was like trying to quilt with that old fashioned cotton wool on the roll! When I first started out quilting I used polyester as it was cheapest and it actually had a nice drape and was very light. I like the comforting weight of cotton or bamboo blends now. I can't believe how expensive it's got over the last 4 years though. Pretty quilt though.
ReplyDeleteStunning! I wish I had your ability to put colours together with such a striking effect. Your quilts always look so fresh and vibrant.
ReplyDeleteI have only ever used poly once on a single size quilt I made for Shelly, and it has been washed and tumbled many times with no bearding. I found it difficult to quilt due to the bulk but it was easier to handle weight wise. I've never used it again though!
I love your color choices here. And, actually, I like the Kona Orange as binding -- it grounds the quilt more substantially than the Kona School Bus would have and makes it a bit more modern. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThe end result is a wonderful fresh quilt - perfect as a play mat too. You improvised extremely well.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! I love this! You've chosen such lovely fabrics that work beautifully together. The colours and those hedgies... Oh my!
ReplyDeleteI've just bought some of Eco wadding so I'm going to have to go and check it now! Love your quilt, the colours are perfect.
ReplyDeleteThe quilt is really great - I love both the solids and the prints you chose. I used poly batting for my very first (baby) quilt and I just don't think I'd ever go back to it. I have used it for pillow covers though since it helps retain their shape.
ReplyDeleteIt's gorgeous - and a puffy playmat is definitely an advantage. Where do you buy your wadding from by the bolt? I keep thinking I ought to try that because I'm always ending up with lots of strange shaped offcuts from buying pre cut sizes!
ReplyDeleteVery cute. Love the hedgehog fabric.
ReplyDeleteDid you manage to get your Eco piece of batting back to the shop for a refund? I agree batting is hugely expensive these days and makes a handmade quilt an expensive gift. I join odd pieces of leftover batting with a zigzag machine stitch and it works OK. I haven't used poly batting since my early days of quilting in the late 1990s but it was OK for a Baby quilt which is going to be washed a great deal. Love your colours.
ReplyDeleteThis looks great, I love the low volume mixed with solids and hedgehog print. I have some of the prints from the Bluebird Park collection, they're great for kids quilts without overly cartoonish.
ReplyDeleteOoh, what lovely fresh colours! The orange and green together is really unexpected, but works brilliantly. What a lovely gift.
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful! The higher loft wadding will make a nice playmat
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