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Posted by John on April 16, 2009, 7:44 am
> I've had an epiphany =A0that may make it possible for me to consider
> hand quilting a very tiny quilt some day. It's all about wool.
>
> I signed up to take a class at the LQS because my friend wanted to
> take it but didn't want to be alone in the class. It's all about hand
> work, embroidery stitches, ribbon, beads ..... not really my forte.
> But I signed up, paid for the class, bought all the supplies and now
> my friend is not going to be able to take the class. She's out of the
> hospital but not up to class time.
>
> So I went to the first class and struggled with stitches on the
> practice piece I brought. It seemed like I had to fight the needle
> through the fabric every stitch. I went home dreading the homework of
> putting the stitches on the grid. Hand work is hard for me. I have
> diminished feeling in my fingertips and have to use a bigger needle
> than is normal. I'm not very deft, either.
>
> I marked up my fabric and reached for batting and then, for some
> unknown reason, I stopped and pulled out the wool bat I've been saving
> since I splurged on it a year or more ago. I hadn't even opened the
> bag. It's full sized and I have just looked at it and felt like
> nothing I have made deserved a fine wool bat. I think maybe I just had
> a brain bloop because I opened the package and took scissors to that
> wool bat.
>
> Well, I cut a piece to fit my fabric, basted, hooped it up and sat
> down to stitch. Oh my. It was like stitching through butter. Soft
> butter. No resistance except what was comfortable and necessary to
> hold the thread. My stitches look good. My hands aren't sore. I had no
> idea that using wool would make such an incredible difference.
>
> I can't imagine hand quilting a large quilt. But maybe that baby quilt
> I have ready to go?????
>
> Sunny
> considering the impossible
I agree that wool batting is wonderful stuff. I have gone over to it
for virtually everything I make. I have been buying the larger rolls
and using the cut-offs from quilt projects for small projects that can
utilize those sizes. I still use cotton for some baby quilts, because
it will be treated rather roughly during the course of it's life with
a growing child, but for the keeper things, I do prefer wool batting.
I like the way it looks when quilted more than the cotton batting. It
has been a couple of years since I have used poly batting, as I don't
do many wall hangings these days. But it does work for those
applications.
John
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