Hi Teri,
I'm going to machine quilt it. I don't have the patients to hand quilt and I envy those that can because that, to me, makes them truly authentic.

Barb

One other question - are you going to hand or machine quilt?

Teri

Thanks Margo, really appreciate the suggestions. I'll post a picture of the finished product on my profile page when it's done.
Happy quilting all.
Barb

WOW Barb! That's an ambitious 4th quilt!

If I were doing something like that, as a wall hanging, I would probably choose something with some body that doesn't need to be quilted very closely. Something without much puffiness. I would probably choose something like Warm and Natural which is a needle-felted cotton batt that can be quilted up to 10" apart, but if it will be hanging, you will want to quilt it closer than that to keep its shape. You can pre-wash this batt to shrink it so you can launder the quilt later without surprises. Here is more info from the manufacturer: http://www.warmcompany.com/wnpage.html

Thanks everyone for the great info!

Margo...its a Bargello style. You can see the design/kit here: http://www.lockwoodquilts.com/store/bargello_quilts/links.html
I'm probably going to make it a wall hanging, so I don't want it very thick and I'm not sure yet how close I will be quilting it but I don't imagine it will be too tight. This is my 4th quilt and it turned out great but I don't think I'll do another one of these for awhile...LOL. I proved enough to myself now I want simple and fast. I will say, this quilt will make you an expert at aligning corners and seam direction...LOL

Barb

Great info!

What a great chart! Thanks, Pam and Ali!!

Bystrauss, one of our UK members Alison Booth (TQS screenname Alibeoley) runs an online wadding shop. Check out http://www.asding.com//index.php?main_page=document_general_info&cPath=91&products_id=370 for her waddipaedia which is very very useful. I hope that this helps you.

Barb, this is one area that personal preference plays a huge roll! If you do a Google search for "which batting to use in a quilt" you will get lots of references full of information and advice.

As a new quilter, I strongly suggest that whatever batting you decide to use, keep a scrap of it and label it as to exactly what brand and kind (fiber) it is, what quilt you used it in and what you like & don't like about it. Build a library of different battings as you try them by doing this. Trust me....you won't remember unless you make notes!

Harriet Hargrave recommends that you make a small quilt sandwich of lots of different kinds of battings and quilt them all the same way to see the differences in how they behave. Do they have enough loft? Too much loft? Do they shrink? How much? Can you pre-shrink them? How far apart can it be quilted. What happens when it's washed? She sells samples for this purpose: http://www.harriethargrave.com/Batting-c14/

The questions go on! And new battings are introduced all the time. You can now buy "green" batting that is actually made from re-cycled soda bottles! :shock:

If you tell us about your quilt, maybe we can direct you in choosing a batting for this project.
How large is it?
Is it to be used or just displayed?
Will it be washed? How often?
How closely do you think you will be quilting it?
Will you quilt by hand or machine?
Do you want it puffy?
Do you like the flat/puckery look of old fashioned quilts?

I'm working on my quilt and I'm ready to put it all together, so I went online to look for batting....geesssss...there's so many to choose from.
There seems to be quite a variety, cotton, wool, polyester, 1/8", 3/8", etc... So my big question is, which one have you found to be the easiest to work with? Do you have to worry about shrinkage?
Happy quilting!
Barb